Diaz, others protests Mott Haven jail on City Hall steps
Diaz (l) addresses protestors. Schneps Media/Alex Mitchell
BY ALEX MITCHELL
It was a very clear morning
on the steps of City Hall on
Sunday, March 26. But even
clearer were the intentions
of Borough President Ruben
Diaz, Jr., Bronxites, and fellow
New Yorkers that were assembled
there to protest Mayor de
Blasio’s community-based jail
plan.
The rally-goers dismissal
of the plan was confi rmed in
the chants of “Hell no de Blasio!”
and “No new jails!” which
drowned out the car noise from
vehicles exiting the Brooklyn
Bridge on that Sunday morning.
The rally’s intent was to
drum up public opposition to
the citywide jail plan’s Uniform
Land Use Review Procedure,
which began on Monday,
March 25.
In the case of the Bronx, the
ULURP entails a 26-fl oor jail
for 320 Concord Avenue in Mott
Haven, which is currently used
as an NYPD tow pound.
Diaz and others say the correct
site for a new Bronx jail is
adjacent to the Bronx County
Hall of Justice on East 161st
Street. The borough president
cited the Lippman Commission
report’s fi ndings that jails are
best constructed in close proximity
to civic centers, which
Diaz literally read aloud to protestors.
The BP presented charts
that clearly demonstrated that
the tow pound site is a half hour
from the courthouse by public
transit…on a good day.
Additionally, Arline Parks
the CEO of Diego Beekman Mutual
Housing Association had
an elaborate plan to acquire
the tow pound in efforts to create
a super block of affordable
housing and community amenities.
She’s joined Diaz in opposing
the jail plan for almost a
year now.
“We have been demanding
the mayor and City Council
change their unjust jail plan
for the better part of a year, and
we have not heard one word
from them, nor seen any meaningful
community engagement
whatsoever,” Parks said on that
Sunday.
She had previously fought
to have the Bronx jail site given
a separate ULURP, so that it
wouldn’t be bundled in and
pushed through with the rest
of the citywide jail proposals,
given it’s unique set of circumstances.
“We should not abandon the
principles of criminal justice
reform for reasons of political
expediency,” she said.
While opposition to how the
phase out of Rikers Island is
handled is primarily a Bronx
matter, Sunday’s demonstration
got support from the communities
of Chinatown and
Kew Gardens, which jumped
on board the proverbial train
as well.
Diaz also teamed up with
fellow borough president Melinda
Katz of Queens on Friday,
March 8, to pen a scathing letter
to de Blasio, criticizing the
mayor’s lack of community engagement
over Rikers Island
planned phase out.
He also joined forces with
soon-to-be retired Congressman
Jose E. Serrano in fi ghting
the jail.
“It is right in the middle of
a residential neighborhood, too
far from the local court, and
has been controversial since
fi rst announced,” Serrano said
through a statement.
The congressman has been
active in the jail battle since its
announcement last February,
when he attended a town hall at
P.S. 65, which is just two blocks
from 320 Concord Avenue.
“Bronx residents and the
community of Mott Haven deserve
more,” he said.
As the ULURP procedure
continues to procede over the
following months, Parks is urging
civil disobedience to bring
awareness in her community’s
ongoing struggle to stop the
city from “dumping on Mott
Haven yet again.”
More photos on page 34.
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