Downtown residents "mop up" the pop up cafe idea by D.O.T.

SoHo and NoHo have successfully defeated all but one application for the so-called "pop up Cafes" that were supposed to be springing up like spring flowers all over the downtown area, regardless of existing zoning laws or traffic conditions. The pop ups are six foot wide platforms that would sit in the gutter and protrude into what are usually parking spaces, although in some instances the DOT has targeted areas where cars are prohibited (usually because parking there would pose a serious safety threat).

Here's the story on www.nearsay.com <--------click here.

A family comes together to help all New Yorkers in the wake of personal tragedy.

The Civic Center Residents Coalition reported on the passing of Stuart Gruskin in June of 2009.

We also reported on the founding of the Gruskin Family Foundation.

photo : Gothamist, Krista Ciminera

Sadly cycling blogs and bike lane advocates didn't acknowledge the passing of Mr. Gruskin, that is until his wife Nancy Gruskin turned personal tragedy into her mission - to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen to more New Yorkers. Stuart Gruskin was struck by a cyclist going the wrong way, with no bell, no brakes, and no helmut. The cyclist worked for a catering company who, after the accident, settled with the Gruskins out of court.

Nancy Gruskin is nearly impossible to ignore these days, she initiated a dialog with Commissioner of Transportation Janette Sadik-Kahn shortly after the cyclist hit and killed her husband in 2009, to start teaching delivery men and women to be more responsible cyclists and to make sure the City was up to enforce the laws regarding safe cycling.

Sadik-Kahn, living up to her reputation as a less-than-sensitive bulldozing machine who listens only to those clutching bike helmets when speaking to her, sent a form letter response to Gruskin's request for a meeting addressed to Gruskin's late husband Stuart. The faux pas got some press, and the Commish was forced to make up for it with a meeting, who knows if she would have met with Gruskin had the snafu not occurred? City leaders have commented that they can't even get a phone call returned by Sadik-Kahn, others have been on the receiving end of a shout-fest instead of a conversation. We're sure The Great Kahn was minding her manners when confronted with a real life hero like Nancy Gruskin.

So here's three cheers for Nancy Gruskin - A NY'er of the week on NY1 News. &left;--- click here to see the video of Nancy's interview.

Chinese New Year Festivities Continue this Saturday - Chinatown Community Young Lions closes in on 40 years!

Chinese New Year celebrations are continuing tomorrow, Saturday Feb. 12^th in Chinatown. Once again the fierce lions and dragons will wind their way through the streets of Chinatown doing their best to ward off evil spirits and cleanse the path into the new year.

What: the closing of the Chinese New Year celebrations

When: Saturday , Feb. 12 11:am to 5:pm

Where: all the streets of Chinatown

Why: because New York is privileged to witness living history in the streets of Chinatown during this time of year.

Among the troupes in the parade is The Chinatown Community Young Lions, of which I am a director . Founded my by sister Valerie Tom in 1972, the troupe has become recognized as a vital teaching institution, mentoring program, and safe haven from the streets for thousands of urban youths over the nearly four decades of its existence. Valerie, a former”NY1 New Yorker of the week” explains “when my son told me that he wanted to learn lion dance I found that he had to join a kung fu school, or a family association at that time in the early seventies. Those either had tuitions, or were affiliated with gang activity. So a friend of mine from the neighborhood who owned a restaurant, when he saw that my kids and their friends could play and wanted to perform, brought out some old lion heads and a drum and gave them to us”. Little did he know that that gesture would plant the seed for what has become one of Chinatown’s anomalies, a group of largely American born Chinese, including African Americans, Jewish and Puerto Ricans, not only learning and perfecting the drum beats and dance steps of Toi Sahn villages, but remaining faithful to the group’s mission which was to become a safe haven away from the bad elements of the street.

Existing for nearly forty years fully dependent on talent alone to get them through, the group has struggled from time to time debating about the future of “the club”. Having 501 3C status has helped over the years. Members pay no dues and are free to come and go, most stay however, and the founding members are raising their children to learn the culture and traditions of the most important holiday in the Chinese culture through lion dance. The teachers and directors all volunteer their time and resources. When the City Of New York doubled the rent on a space used by the club for over three decades in a DCAS operated building CCYL was forced to leave, so I carved out space in my showroom in Brooklyn for them to store their equipment. This February the club practiced on the sidewalks of DUMBO, Brooklyn to prepare for the parade in Chinatown.

The lion dance itself dates back to the early dynastic era and differs widely from Northern to Southern China. Nuances in drumming and the shape of the lion head distinguish one region from another. The Chinatown Community Young Lions preserves a drumming beat and dance style most akin to the region of China that the founding fathers of New York Chinatown originated from, Toi Sahn, a city state within Guangdong Province. Most New Yorkers don’t know that they are witnessing a living history through the lion dance performed in the streets of Chinatown, which has over a hundred year history in America.

The connection to this spiritual dance was no more profound than in the months after 9/11. With smoke still rising from the pile at ground zero and many streets barricading Chinatown, The Chinatown Community Young Lions felt the full weight of their responsibility to lift its residents and businesses out of the paralyzing shock of the unknown. With fewer tourists in the streets that year, and with reports of possible future attacks on New York, Chinatown merchants asked the troupe to bring the lions into their stores and restaurants to bow to the altars often tucked away near the back, reassuring the owners and staff that all will be ok. Away from the tv cameras and tourists, in the peaceful quiet of the store a merchant gently strokes the lion as he guides it to his altar, the performers, crouching on their knees are careful not to misstep, knocking over a teacup or a chair would be a bad omen.

As the lions back their way out of the store the drums kick into an “up beat” and the store owners are smiling, confident that somehow they averted whatever disaster the coming year might have brought.

As groups have joined the parade over the years, bringing in flourishes and tricks, fluorescent uniforms and bizarre color combinations to their lions and accoutrement, the Young Lions remain steadfast in doing things the same way since the beginning. The trade mark red sweatshirts, a significant color for the holiday, paired with the member’s own black jeans (budgets simply don’t allow for dressing a hundred and fifty kids in custom pants sizes) and the same frayed and tattered banners are a welcome sight to Chinatown merchants. There are only about a half dozen performance troupes in Chinatown that are indigenous to the area despite fifteen parade permits given out every year. In the old days of CCYL’s existence practically every merchant and restaurant owner knew someone in the club, it was that connection that filled the little red envelopes with lucky money in exchange for a blessing from the lions that appeared on the doorstep. Today, with the economic downturn many of the merchants from years ago have gone out of business or retired. The Young Lions are performing to a different audience, some from Viet Nam, Fujian Province, Shanghai or Cambodia but the task remains the same, to chase away evil spirits and offer a blessing, even if the envelopes are a little less full these days.

Full of youthful energy and the need for new funding resources The Chinatown Community Young Lions haven’t limited their performances to Manhattan. The troupe now includes Queens on their roster of events both public and private, recently performing in a newly opened mall in Flushing.

With renewed vigor and opportunity in the outer boroughs the Young Lions continue to thrive as business owners outside of the area cheer and squeal with glee that an authentic Chinatown lion dance troupe has come to their “distant shore” . As it has been for the last forty years the older members pack as many kids into their mini vans and cars as they can and drive off to their next performance, “is it a wedding, a bah mitz mah, a restaurant opening?” no one seems to care, instead they practice drum beats on the floor boards of the van and argue about who’s under the head first. A troupe director reprimands a kid “you have to put your whole body under the lion tail next time!” a student quips back “do you know how hard it is to stay bent over like that!?” , a collective “YES!” from the directors says it all.

- Jan Lee is a member of the Civic Center Residents Coalition and a director of The Chinatown Community Young Lions.

CLICK HERE to hear an AUDIO PODCAST of Governance Committee of Chinatown Working Group January 4th 2011

Community Board # 3 votes tonight on whether Chinatown should have a Business Improvement District

Community Board # 3 Manhattan

Voting tonight on the proposed Chinatown Business Improvement District

SPEAK OUT - sign in before 6:30 pm

meeting at :

Full Board Meeting - Tuesday, December 21 at 6:30pm

PS 20 - 166 Essex Street, (E Houston & Stanton Sts)

PRESS CONFERENCE - Former Chinatown Partnership LDC employees speak out against a Chinatown Business Improvement District

we received this press advisory today from Chinese Staff and Workers:

What: Press Conference

Who: Chinese Staff & Workers' Association

When: Monday, December 20, 2010 at 2pm

Where: Chinese Staff & Workers' Association (55 Chrystie Street b/t Canal & Hester)

Why: On Monday, cleaning workers of the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation (CPLDC), who is pushing the BID in Chinatown, will speak out against the BID and also against the management and gross misuse of public funds by CPLDC.

If the Chinatown “Business Improvement District” BID is successful, it will clean the Chinese people out of Chinatown.

“We all want a cleaner, healthier environment for our community, but not at the expense of displacing people who work and live here. We are in an economic crisis now. The City is already forcing us to pay higher fees and taxes. Now they want us to pay for services the City should be taking care of! They don’t care about small businesses here. They don’t care about working people here. They won’t be satisfied until all the Chinese are gone,” said Xiu Yun Guo, resident and worker in Chinatown.

“I was fired after working at CPLDC for two years, because I did not give a red envelope to the management. Only those who bribed the management got to keep their jobs. My co-workers couldn’t take any time off to take care of their family. They pushed out those who were older. And the management doesn’t do anything all day except goof around. Are these the kind of people who can really improve Chinatown?!” said Mr. Sun a former cleaning worker at CPLDC.

Chinatown Businesses Hold Press Conference Against Chinatown Business Improvement District Dec. 17 2010

Long Time Chinatown Resident Cathy Glasson on why a Chinatown BID won't help with filth

Long time activist and resident Cathy Glasson has been fighting the City of New York for twenty years. She knows more about health codes, building codes, statutes than most people in City government. She's able to quote chapter and verse to NYPD, and city agencies when they give her the run-around. She testified against a Chinatown BID, and explained that a BID simply won't be able to tackle the quagmire that is NYC's bureacracy.

DNAinfo.com reports on charges of RACISM by Soho residents - re: BID

Click below to hear Lora Tanenbaum, former chair of the Econ. Dev. Land Use committee of Community Board 2 - testifying on why she does not approve of the proposed Chinatown BID map because she feels it includes parts of traditional SoHo.

BUT is she guilty of RACISM? you decide.

Michael Salzhauer - one of the Chinatown Partnership's chief supporters, said "It's silly to the point of racist, - cleaning benefits everybody." quote from : DNAinfo.com reported on the RACISM charge by Chinatown BID supporters

Parks have no business being in the CHINATOWN Business Improvement District

Chinatown resident and small business owner Shane Yamane testified at Community Board #2's Economic Development and Land Use Committee and asked Chinatown Partnership LDC to remove Columbus Park from the proposed Chinatown BID - they did not respond.

"The Park is new, the sidewalks are clean, it has no business being in a BID" said Yamane.

CLICK HERE to hear a pocast : City Council finally has DOT Commissioner Sadik Khan in the hotseat

FROM WNYC :

New York City Council’s Transportation Committee held a meeting today on the impact of bicycles and bike lanes in the city. Committee chair James Vacca told the packed room that when it came to bikes, he knew passions were high. “Believe it or not,” he said, “few issues today prompt more heated discussion than bike policy in New York City.”

And it showed: there was a long wait in line to clear security, and the City Council hearing room’s overflow room had to be used. More than 70 speakers signed up to voice their opinions about bikes and bike lanes, but the hot seat belonged to City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, who was grilled by council members for almost two hours. (Click the TITLE of this blog posting to hear her statement, as well as the extensive—nearly two hour—question and answer session)

WNYC - Brian Lehrer covers the debate over A Chinatown Business Improvement District - click here to hear the AUDIO Podcast of the program

CLICK BELOW to hear the PODCAST provided by WNYC

Originally aired 11:30 am Dec. 8th 2010

WNYC has the INCORRECT recording on their website.

HERE is the correct recording which aired on Dec. 8th. <--click

Eric Enquist of Crainsnewyork.com is a political reporter for Crain's New York. At the end of this piece he diminishes (quite irresponsibly) my comment about bill # A11672, as a "red herring". Although Mr. Enquist is entitled to his opinion, keep in mind that HE's not going to be paying MY rapidly escalating BID fees attached permanently to my property tax assessment with no way out.

After calling The Comptroller's office Monday Dec. 6th, I learned that John Liu is not going to comment on #A11672 with regard to how it relates to prevailing wages (which his office sets for NYC Government workers) and Business Improvement Districts - not because the bill makes no mention of BIDs, but because it simply hasn't been look at it that context. To diminish this bill in any way is foolish because even without the bill making it into law, the unions are already scrutinizing wage practices of BID contractors which puts a whole new spin on how everyone is going to pick up the trash from now on.

Daniel Massey of Crainsnewyork.com reports the story THIS WAY:

"In a new wrinkle to a larger legislative dispute that has festered for months, building-service powerhouse 32BJ SEIU has filed a complaint with New York City Comptroller John Liu alleging that the Union Square Partnership business improvement district is covered by existing prevailing wage law and has been underpaying workers by more than $14 an hour.

The union says it bases its argument on interviews with workers and a copy of the BID's contract with the city, which it obtained via a Freedom of Information Law request. It has requested contracts of BIDs across the city to evaluate whether they too might be in violation of the prevailing wage law.

In the complaint, the union alleges workers employed by BID subcontractor Atlantic Maintenance Corp. are paid as little as $7.41 per hour. The hourly prevailing wage for office cleaners in the city is $21.80, plus $8.36 in benefits; for security officers, it's $11.75, plus $4.46 in benefits.

“Well-funded BIDs have no financial reason for cutting costs on the backs of working New Yorkers,” said a 32BJ spokeswoman. “And some may be violating the law that prohibits tax dollars from being used to finance poverty-like jobs.”

Dan Biederman, chairman of the BID Association, an umbrella group representing the city's 64 BIDs, said the complaint is the latest in a series of “ongoing lobbying efforts” by 32BJ surrounding a prevailing wage bill under consideration in Albany that would end exemptions for public utilities.

A spokesman for the Union Square Partnership said in a statement that the BID's sanitation workers are represented by Amalgamated Industrial and Toy and Novelty Workers Local 223 and that a new contract went into effect July 1. “Atlantic Maintenance negotiated a comprehensive, fair and mutually agreed upon compensation package through a collective bargaining process that includes wages ranging from $8 to $14 per hour, paid vacation, and health coverage,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Liu had no comment."

Senator Daniel Squadron's town hall hearing on the LES - Click here to hear audio podcast EXCERPTS

Senator Daniel Squadron hosted a town hall event to hear first hand from residents from Chinatown and the Lower East Side on November 30th. There were many issues raised, too numerous to list here, but we've attempted to provide you with an audio podcast excerpt of some specific complaints raised about Chinatown pedestrian safety issues.

Click here to hear an audio podcast EXCERPT about the numerous bus lines that have been eliminated in the area.

Click here to hear Phil Grossman -Coalition Against the Chinatown B.I.D. re: complaint filed with LMDC against Chinatown Partnership LDC

On November 10th 2010 Phillip Grossman, an attorney representing the Coalition Against the Chinatown B.I.D. sent a letter to the Lower Manhattan Development Committee alerting them to what amounts to be a "Grossly wasteful expenditure of your $5,400,000.00 Clean Streets program-grant", by the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corp. The Coalition's complaint is based on an analysis of the "Partnership's" 990 forms which are required for non-profits to file with the IRS. CPLDC's 990 form 2006 2007 2008 that The Coalition Against the Chinatown BID obtained through a "Freedom of information Law (FOIL)" request, since the Chinatown Partnership does NOT post their 990's on their own website, is a serious point of contention for years by business and property owners in Chinatown.

Click here to hear a podcast of Mr. Grossman's testimony.

The letter reads as follows:

PHILIP J. GROSSMAN

ATTORNEY AT LAW

NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10013

November 10, 2010

Lower Manhattan Development, Corp.

One Liberty Plaza

New York, NY 10006

ATTN: David EMIL, President

Re: Grossly wasteful expenditure of your $5,400,000.00 Clean Streets program grant to CHINATOWN PARTNERSHIP LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Dear Mr. David Emil:

I represent various local property owners and the groups known as the coalition of Business And property owners, and The Coalition Against The CHINATOWN B.I.D., in connection with this complaint to your agency. The local property owners whom I represent, and whom are affiliated with the above-mentioned groups, have been adversely affected by the gross waste of the $5,400,000.00 clean streets program grant to the CHINATOWN PARTNERSHTP LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP.

In support of our complaint of grossly wasteful expenditures, I enclose our "ANALYSIS OF CHINATOWN PARTNERSHIP LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION CLEAN STREETS EXPENDITURES under AGREEMENT #: M07-571* For PERIOD FROM January 01, 2006 to June 30,2009, with supporting schedule and documentation. Our analysis is limited to the period from January 01, 2005 to June 30, 2009, because financial statements for the period

after June 30 , 2009, are not yet available from the CHINATOWN PARTNERSHIP LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP.

The basis of our complaint, is that based on the above described analysis of financials for the period from January 01, 2006 to June 30, 2OO9 in which the CHINATOWN PARTNERSHIP LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP. expended $2,025,352.00 of your agency's clean streets program grant, it appears that only $633,608.00 was actually expended on street cleaning and maintenance, which is only 31.3.percent of the total funds expended for the period.

Furthermore, under: the 8/I/2008 addendum to the contract between the CHINATOWN PARTNERSHIP LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP. and the street cleaning sub-contractor BLOCK BY BLOCK (copy attached, ) the parties to the contract agreed that the sub-contractor BLOCK BY BLOCK, would be reimbursed for it's street cleaning management personnel, and which reimbursement in fact did occur. See copies attached of BLOCK BY BLOCK invoices.

Page 2 of 2

Therefore, in view of the fact that the street cleaning sub-contractor Block By Block was managing Chinatown street cleaning crew, it is astounding and amazing that, the "CHINATOWN PARTNERSHIP LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP. expended $583,266.00* on management personnel, out of total expenditures of $2,025,352, for the period from January 01,2006 to, June 30, 2oo9, or 28 percent of the total fund expended for the period.

Furthermore local property owners, and. store owners, have been damaged by the gross waste of your agency's street cleaning grant by the CHINATOWN PARTNERSHIP LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP., in fact they have not derived the full benefit of your agency’s street cleaning grant, as only 31.3 percent of the grant was actually expended on street cleaning and maintenance.

Therefore, we respectfully request that your agency investigate, what appears to be, a gross waste of the clean streets grant money by the CHINATOWN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP., and we also respectfully request that you seek recoupment, of what appears to be,

grossly wasted grant money.

Philip J. Grossman

Lower Manhattan Development Corp., One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor,

York, NY 10006, ATTN: Avi Schick, chairman Board of Directors

*The Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corp. at one time had a staff of four, and currently has a staff of only two. The Executive Director's salary for several years has been over $100,000.00 annually. The cleaners hired by Block by Block number only ten people.

Click here to hear an Audio Podcast of David Eng speaking about a Chinatown Business Improvement District

"They want to TAX us INTO prosperity - it doesn't work that way, it never has, it never will" - David Eng

Third generation business and property owner David Eng spoke at Community Board 3's public session to share his thoughts on the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corp.'s proposal for a Business Improvement District for Chinatown

Click here to hear an audio podcast of local resident Geoff Lee speaking about a proposal for a Business Improvement District in Chinatown

Lifelong resident and small business owner Geoff Lee speaks at Community Board 3's public session at P.S. 20 on the lower East side. The Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corp. presented a proposal for the formation of a Business Improvement District (BID) for Chinatown, which they have been trying to gain support for over the last five years.

Click here to hear an Audio Podcast of The Coalition Against the Chinatown B.I.D. at CB3 11/23/10

CLICK THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE

The yellow marks on this map indicate clearly that the historic core of Chinatown has a united front against the formation of a Business Improvement District.

On November 23, 2010 at P.S. 20 on the Lower East Side, The Coalition Against the Chinatown Business Improvement District (BID) presented to Community Board #3 over a hundred names of businesses and property owners (primarily in the historic Mott Street "core" of Chinatown) who have signed on against a Chinatown Business Improvement District and read a letter to the Board asking them to deny approval of a Chinatown BID.

"The Coalition Against the Chinatown BID" provides the list of businesses and property owners submitted to the Community Board by writing them at info@nochinatownbid.org.

Materials produced by the famous Rubenstein Public Relations firm state that The Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corp. has 97% of their returned survey forms are in favor of a Chinatown BID.

The Coalition Against The BID, meanwhile, submitted a map clearly showing the core of Chinatown is solidly united against the idea of a BID for Chinatown.

Comm. Board 3 Full Board 11/23/10 hears community critiques of Chinatown Partnership - B.I.D. proposal

CLICK HERE to hear an audio podcast of lower east side native, tour guide and activist Rob Hollander regarding the proposal of a Chinatown BID. Hollander feels the CPLDC has "done an end run past the Chinatown Working Group".

On November 23rd 2010 Community Board 3 heard a presentation by the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corp.. The presentation was meant to highlight the reasons why Chinatown needs a Business Improvement District (BID) and why "The Partnership" (CPLDC's BID Steering Committee) should ultimately be responsible for the formation of a BID.

The public session had several speakers voicing their opinions about why Chinatown should not have a BID.

The CPLDC's presentation was not followed a vote. The next presentation by the CPLDC will be before the Economic Development Committees of both Community Boards 2 (Dec. 9th) and 3 (in a month from now). The CB3 economic development committee will then vote on whether the BID issue will go forward to the full Community Board for a final vote whether or not to endorse the Chinatown BID. In 2002 Community Board 3 voted to DENY approval for a Chinatown BID, with many of the same BID supporters of 2002 on The Chinatown Partnership LDC such as Bill Lam of Longines Property development and Asian Americans For Equality. The reasons for denying a BID were "deception and obfuscation".

Seniors, children and disabled menaced for a decade at local Chinatown "Park"

Click photo to enlarge

A cyclist uses the bronze plaque of the Lin Ze Xu statue. The cobblestone planter was designed and installed by D.O.T.

The cement which was used to smooth over the cobble stone, was put there by vandals in the middle of the night - dressed as construction workers. Smoothing over the cobblestone was done in order for skateboarders to use the planter as a ramp to skate on.

This exemplifies a level of disrespect that is so profound it is beyond words.
click photo to enlarge

A Cyclist using a bronze plaque placed in front of the bronze statue of Commissioner Lin ZeXu - a hero to millions of Chinese. Not only is this disrespectful, this cyclists is oblivious to the danger he poses to pedestrians trying to simply cross the park.
click photo to enlarge

click photo to enlarge

click photo to enlarge

Location: Kimlau Square , a national park.

The Monument to Benjamin Kimlau - War Veteran

"In 1961, a local law named this island within Chatham Square in recognition of the contributions of Lt. Kimlau and the veterans post. That year, the post erected this memorial, designed by architect Poy G. Lee (1900-1968). Standing at the head of Oliver Street, it is reminiscent of a triumphal arch. The memorial stands eighteen feet nine inches in height and is sixteen feet wide. Inscribed on the memorial is a dedication in both English and Chinese: “In Memory of the Americans of Chinese Ancestry who lost their Lives in Defense of Freedom and Democracy.”

What is the bronze plaque for? Commisioner LinZeXu - a hero to the Chinese people

click link below to see VIDEOs

VIDEO OF CHINATOWN BANKS in ACTION

Chatham Green Private property, Foley Square, Chinatown Banks - VIDEO
"Chinatown Banks" as it is known to skateboarders and cyclists (Chatham Square - its official name) continues to be a favorite for bikers and skateboarders, some who travel from outer boroughs just to skate or bicycle on the gently sloping "ramps" stupidly designed and installed by The City Of New York.

NYC from KHYBER on Vimeo.

UPDATE: Community Board 3 has seen the photos in this posting, and are speaking with NYPD, and the Department of Transportation, and The Parks Dept. Community Board 3 will have this issue on their agenda to be heard in January - CCRC will keep you posted.

Terrorist Kalid Sheik Mohammed will not be tried in The U.S. - Chinatown Residents Stand Firm Against the Trials EVER happening here.

This is an unpublished Letter to the Editor of The New Yorker magazine, written in response to their February 15, 2010 article written by Jane Mayer, "The Trial," that supported holding the 9/11 Terror Trials in the “courthouse at Foley Square."

The term "courthouse on Foley Square" in Jane Mayer’s article (“The Trial,” February 15th) is a dangerous misnomer that encapsulates the blindness Attorney General Eric Holder has shown in choosing lower Manhattan as the location for the trials of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed—the self-proclaimed planner of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001—and four co-conspirators.

“Colonnaded federal courthouse” is not a description of the courthouse in which the terror trials would be held, and “flanking the square" does not describe its location.

The accurate term is "Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Federal Courthouse.”
The accurate description is “the tallest federal courthouse in the United States.”
The accurate location is “across the street from New York's historic Chinatown.”

With an official address of 500 Pearl Street, the physical location of the Moynihan Courthouse can be difficult to visualize for those not familiar with the area. The Justice Department’s own web site, http://www.nysd.uscourtsgov/, only adds to the confusion by providing a link named “Manhattan Foley Square Courthouse” to bring up the web page for the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Federal Courthouse.

To complicate matters further, the entrance of the Moynihan Courthouse is on Worth Street, placing it across the street from one of the most heavily used public parks in New York City that functions as the heart of historic Chinatown, and only yards from the front door of a residential co-operative with 240 families that would be put under severe military lockdown if the decision to go forward with the terror trials is not changed.

Why does this matter? "Courthouse on Foley Square" and “colonnaded federal courthouse flanking the square” immediately bring up visions of the institutional area highlighted in the popular TV series, Law & Order. Everyone knows that Foley Square is totally non-residential. And they are correct.

But the terror trials will NOT BE HELD in the “courthouse on Foley Square.” The Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse in Foley Square has been closed for renovation since 2007.

The terror trials will be held in the “Moynihan Courthouse,” located across the street from the heart of historic Chinatown.

The terror trials will not cordon off the court district. The terror trials will cut the heart out of New York's historic Chinatown.

Political ideologues identify us as suffering from a case of “nimby (not in my back yard).” We suffer from “oimby” (only in my back yard). Since 2001 we are the only post 9/11 community in Manhattan still suffering from the “chokehold” of massive street shutdowns, security checkpoints, rerouting of traffic and bus routes, invasive government permit parking abuse requiring an NYPD internal affairs crackdown, takeaway of parks that were returned only after lawsuits, bomb sniffing dogs on our street corner and clanging barricades under our windows.
We are the only residential community now faced with having our neighborhood imprisoned behind a “hard” and “soft” security zone—basically a war zone—for three, four, even five years. Here are a few of the intensive security measures presented by Police Commissioner Kelly last week. Our streets and air space would be patrolled for years by:
ATLAS, Hercules, Special Operations, Armored Assault, Office of Emergency Management, surge and other armed, specialized security teams
2000 metal barricades completely restricting vehicles and pedestrians from Chatham Square to Broadway on Worth
License plate readers for the entire soft zone,
Surveillance towers with 24/7 video of all citizen
Additional vehicle check points with DELTA barriers
Helicopters “aerial surveillance”
For pedestrians inside the soft zone:

Random pat downs of anyone at any time (we assume this would include mourners/hearse/coffins of the three funeral homes across from the courthouse)
Random bag searches of anyone at any time (including backpacks of children attending after school programs across the street or playing in the one of the busiest playgrounds in Manhattan)
I.D check of anyone at any time
Radiation and bio-terrorism detection surveillance
Pop up check points for all three - pat down, ID check and bag search at different locations
Many signs to instruct GOVERNMENT workers where to enter the zone according to occupation and building of employment
Sharp shooters both Federal and NYPD located on government buildings and residential buildings throughout the two zones
Bomb sniffing dogs
"Conspicuous NYPD presence at all times"
It is an unbearable insult that we—the people who did not bow to terrorism and chose to stay after 9/11—are now being accused of NOT BEING TOUGH enough to “show the world” the U.S. terror trials can be held here safely.

How can “justice for all” be served when the true cost of the terror trials will be borne by a targeted group of American citizens: the tens of thousands of innocent residents and hundreds of small business and property owners located in Lower Manhattan, not only in Chinatown, but in the Seaport area, Tribeca and Battery Park City, as well?

President Obama repeatedly referred to his experience as a community organizer when he was running for the presidency. We appeal to him now to show us that this was not a campaign ploy—but a genuine commitment to the citizens of our country that they will be involved in planning the future of their own communities.

N. Linday