Omo Sade Skincare

Posted on February 25, 2023February 17, 2023 by Harlem Shill

Local businesswoman Sade Tyler started to sell her products on a table in front of the old Tower Records building in East Village, Manhattan. Also, back when corporate brands did not offer products for women of color, she was the first to set up a beauty kiosk in Allby Square mall in downtown Brooklyn. This later led to a store in New York and now she delivers all across the US through her online business.

Originally from Nigeria, belonging to the Yoruba tribe, Sade is passionate about keeping old Yoruba traditions around beauty and skincare alive which she does through her African collection. The Yoruba traditional Goddess representing earthly beauty is Oshun who is the goddess of water, sensuality, fertility, beauty and love which is all reflected in all of Sades skincare products.

In line with Oshun values, Sade wants women of all colors to embrace and love their skin the way it is. She believes by giving our skin the care it needs with natural, nurturing products everyone’s inner beauty and sensuality will shine through.

Apart from running her own business Sade has also taught countless women of color to start and run their own small businesses, especially in the field of skincare and cosmetics.

https://sadeskincare.com/african-collection

Street Intersection Named for Elijah Muhammad

The New York City Council approved a plan to name 127th Street and Malcolm X Blvd. in honor of Elijah Muhammad, the controversial late leader of the Nation of Islam. The exact phrase agreed upon was: “The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad Way”.

City Council Member Jordan was not deterred in her support for this co-naming by Elijah Muhammad’s anti-white and anti-semetic statements/rhetoric. Jordan who proposed the street naming for Muhammad, said the honor is “way overdue” and stated:

“It is actually not OK to erase Black leaders who are not pleasing to white people,” Jordan told her colleagues during the full City Council vote. “I profoundly vote aye on Elijah Muhammad Way.”

New Majority NYC Endorses Inez Dickens to Represent Harlem in City Council

Posted on February 24, 2023February 23, 2023 by Harlem Shill

City and State has an article on New Majority NYC formerly known as 21 in ‘21, a women-in-elected office advocacy group that played a key role in bolstering the number of women represented in the City Council. Since its founding in 2017 the group has surpassed its initial goal two years ago when voters elected 31 women to the body – the majority of whom were women of color. Members’ work has since shifted into a new stage of sustaining the majority of women in the city’s political leadership for years to come. The group’s endorsements for the 2023 City Council elections were staked around that premise.

“We’re thrilled to see so many women who are stepping up and saying that they want to represent their communities,” said Yvette Buckner, executive board chair for the New Majority NYC. “It’s so critical and important because they are seeing what’s happening on the ground from very different perspectives.”

That’s not the case in District 9 in Harlem, where the New Majority NYC endorsed Assembly Member Inez Dickens over Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan. Richardson Jordan got the group’s second-ranked endorsement two years ago, but the socialist has courted controversy in her first year, voting against Adrienne Adams as speaker, tweeting apparent justifications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and opposing a controversial rezoning that would have created some affordable housing units. The Democratic primary has already taken on a fairly competitive tone, and Richardson Jordan is likely to lose other mainstream endorsements that some incumbents take for granted.

Richard Jordan’s racially divisive and nationalist rhetoric has also alienated many Harlem residents who have noted (for example) that she did not attend a vigil for Yao Pan Ma, a 61-year-old from China, was murdered in 2021 while collecting cans on busy 125th Street, and has failed to attend any of the Upper Manhattan Asian American Alliance cultural events.

The Studio Museum Grows

Facade work continues to climb on the new Studio Museum of Harlem building.

Columbia Journalism Student Wants to Hear From You

My name is Morgan Desfosses, I am a staff writer at Columbia Daily Spectator’s long-form magazine The Eye. In case you are unfamiliar with us, we are the branch of Spectator that focuses on nuanced, in-depth, human-centered reporting.

I am currently working on an article about Columbia University and New York City’s overdose prevention efforts including the new overdose prevention centers provided by OnPoint.

…

I have met with several leading researchers in this field and will be meeting with a NYC DOH commissioner and OnPoint themselves. As residents and community stakeholders in these neighborhoods, your voice is necessary to understanding the complexity and nuance of these issues, and as such I am eager to hear your perspective.

…

Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you!
Morgan DesfossesStaff Writer |

Columbia Daily SpectatorB.A. Candidate, Sociology & Creative Writing, Columbia University ’25

[email protected]

Ph: +1 (917) 868-6343

Council Member Kristin Jordan Uses Public Money to Fund Campaign Flyer

Posted on February 9, 2023February 7, 2023 by Harlem Shill

The New York Daily News is reporting that Council Member Jordan may have broken the law by paying for a campaign flyer using public money. The flyer encouraged people to join her reelection bid using money that should have been spent on community issues.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/new-york-elections-government/ny-nyc-councilwoman-kristin-richardson-jordan-government-mailer-20230201-mboryfbma5a3lfdl4m4mjm5q4y-story.html

The mailer, which includes the City Council seal, offers a rundown of Richardson Jordan’s accomplishments so far on the lawmaking body, but it also includes a link to her political website as well as typos and spelling errors.

A City Council spokesman noted that “The Council is investigating how this occurred and will swiftly take action to address it, while enacting even greater safeguards that prevent anything similar from occurring again in the future.”

Additionally, Richard Briffault, the former chairman of the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board noted: ”It’s a violation to use city resources to promote your campaign,” and said:

“City resources should be used for city purposes — and reelection is not a city purpose.”

Black Radio

When radio began, the U.S. government (which legislated, and thus controlled the airwaves), distributed every single license in America to white owners/corporations. From this place of absolute structural inequity, Black radio has struggled to obtain and then maintain a foothold in this important and challenging media field.

This video explores the struggles faced by Black radio and shows how Black radio brings an alternative voice to the airwaves of America.

Visualizing Structural Racism

Posted on January 31, 2023January 30, 2023 by Harlem Shill

The Lantern Organization is slated to manage a new supportive housing project – Timbale Terrace – on Park Avenue and 119th Street. This new project would bring one hundred additional SRO (Single Room Occupancy) units to Harlem for people with severe mental health or addiction issues.

The Greater Harlem Coalition and the Harlem East Block Association filed a FOIL data request (Freedom of Information Law) to understand the statewide density of housing similar to the proposed Timbale Terrace – housing for individuals with serious mental health and/or addiction issues – in New York City and funded by DOMH (Department of Mental Health) under code 5070.

The data shows that DOMH has already allocated an excessive amount of SRO housing to the zip code 10035 where Timbale Terrace will be located. More specifically, while zip code 10035 has only 0.2% of New York State’s population 5.6% of all of New York State’s SRO housing (or 595 out of 10635 patients) has been packed in this zip code. If Timbale Terrace brings another 100 more DOMH SRO units, zip code 10035 will have 6.4% of New York State’s entire SRO housing. On top of this, within zip code 10035, 6 out of the 7 existing DOMH SRO programs are located in close proximity to the designated location of Timbale Terrace (see data below)

Sadly, DOMH is not the only government agency that has overburdened East Harlem. East Harlem also bears an unfair burden of other social services rejected by other wealthier and whiter districts. Below, is a summary of the data we have obtained:

East Harlem has 1.4% of NYC’s population, but it has 14% of NYC’s opioid treatment capacities as allocated by New York State’s Office of Addiction Services and Support (NYS OASAS)
East Harlem has 1.4% of NYC’s population, but it has 8 to 10% of NYC’s adult-only shelter capacities as allocated by New York City’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS)

Unfortunately, Council Member Kristin Jordan is working to reinforce the status quo of structural oversaturation by supporting the Timbale Terrace project. East Harlem cannot continue to be asked to take on this burden for New York State. These well-intended social services are all fine on their own, but if located in extreme density, can create a negative, self-reinforcing street culture.

To ask Council Member Jordan why she seeks to reinforce structural oversaturation, please reach out to her office at: [email protected]

Existing SRO funded by DOMH in zip code 10035

Agency Code	Agency Name	Program Code	Program Address	Program Zip	Program County	Open Date	CAIRS Capacity	5 digit zip
31600	CAMBA, Inc.	13	2027 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10035-1015	10035-1015	New York	11/1/2014	23	10035
46230	Lantern Community Services	7	110 East 118th Street New York, NY 10035	10035	New York	4/1/2014	54	10035
22790	Volunteers of America	4	22 E. 119th Street New York, NY 10035	10035	New York	7/1/2011	53	10035
19880	Weston United Community Renewal, Inc.	6	158 E. 122nd Street New York, NY 10035	10035	New York	4/15/2011	60	10035
24740	Center for Urban Community Services, Inc.	8	198 E. 121st Street New York, NY 10035	10035	New York	6/1/2010	16	10035
24740	Center for Urban Community Services, Inc.	635	198 E. 121st Street 5th Floor	10035	New York	1/1/1995	129	10035
44530	Columba Services, Inc.	1	209 E. 118th Street New York, NY 10035	10035	New York	1/1/1992	260	10035

Judicial Candidate (Civil Court) Virtual Forum

We invite you to a Civil Court Virtual Zoom on Thursday, February 2, 2023 7:00pm-8:00pm. The purpose of this virtual forum is to afford District Leaders & club members the opportunity to hear from Civil Court candidates.

Each candidate will have 5 minutes plus questions & answers.

Judicial Candidate (Civil Court) Virtual Forum
Time: Feb 2, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 840 9070 8601
Passcode: 389001
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84090708601?pwd=bmcxVXJWSGFvOTRuSE4rMmJhOVhqZz09Meeting ID: 840 9070 8601
Passcode: 389001
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,84090708601#,,,,*389001# US (New York)Dial by your location
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The Negro Soldier

Posted on January 21, 2023January 11, 2023 by Harlem Shill

Yesterday’s post on a Nazi critique of America’s racial and economic reality suggested that the film The Negro Soldier – produced as WWII American propaganda is worth a watch:

This 1944 documentary, directed by Stuart Heisler and produced by Frank Capra was a part of the United States Army’s First Motion Picture Unit for The Department of War. The film was produced to encourage enthusiasm for the World War II Allied effort while making the case for Black enlistment and participation at a time when the armed forces were still officially segregated.

Council Member Jordan Explains Why Saying No To 458 Units of Affordable Housing Is A Good Thing For Harlem

https://hellgatenyc.com/kristin-richardson-jordan-isnt-sorry-one45-harlem-development

NYC Bill Intro 163-2022: Ban on Criminal Background Checks

Posted on December 4, 2022December 4, 2022 by Harlem Shill

NYC City Councilman Keith Power has re-introduced a bill, Intro 632-2022, to ban the use of criminal background checks in rental & sale applications. This bill is supported by both Councilmembers Jordan and Ayala.

You can participate in VoterVoice to voice your opinion (for or against) bill, Intro. 632. VoterVoice will allow you to send messages directly to your Council representative:

https://www.votervoice.net/RSANYC/Campaigns/96913/Respond

You can read a bill summary and view sponsors here:

https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5755059&GUID=1081D9A0-5626-4DE4-BB6A-142AB373A4AF&Options=ID|Text|&Search=632

Letter From Fordham Hill to HNBA

The Fordham Hill Owners Corporation (a majority Black homeowners group in the Bronx that has worked with HNBA on the issue of oversaturation) sent the following to HNBA, regarding the proposed ‘No Criminal Background Checks’ bill, Intro 632-2022:

Hello All,
I hope you all enjoyed a peaceful and safe holiday with your loved ones. It has been some time since we communicated. I am reaching out to you all in regard to another battle I ask you to join the fight on as we continue to try to take back our city that is being destabilized right in front of our eyes.
By now you all have probably heard of the Fair Chance Housing Bill that the progressive wing of the New York City Council is aggressively trying to get passed. An earlier version of the bill died in another Council committee at the end of last year when bill creator Councilmember Kevin Powers introduced it. He has now found an audience in the City Council to actually move this bill forward.
What is so scary about this bill is it is just like bail reform; it is not fully thought through. This bill seeks to protect criminal offenders but doesn’t take families or law abiding citizens into consideration. This isn’t about redemption, for me I am all about rehabilitation and second chances, but this is once again about elected officials not engaging their constituency before passing legislation.
This isn’t just troubling for landlords and all of us but also for condos and cooperatives that have been formed by visionaries to create living quarters, an investment that provides the quality of life that has often been lacking for many working and middle class in this gilded city. Especially for people of color, a co-op like Fordham Hill Owners Corporation, offers our shareholders an opportunity to acquire an asset that they can safely call their home and gain equity.
Here are several troubling callouts about this bill:

Criminal background checks on sex offenders is only regulated to New York State. If you are an out of state offender and seek residence in NYS you will go undetected.

Murder, attempted murder, robbery, and other unethical white color crimes will be hidden from the view of landloards and boards.

There is no probationary clause in the bill that model behavior has to be proven. (For instance 7-10 years of no offence and providing work/school history since entry back into society).

Modestly priced coops and rentals (often in communities of color) will most likely receive more of these applicants making us more vulnerable.

For those that haven’t seen the bill please see it below:https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5755059&GUID=1081D9A0-5626-4DE4-BB6A-142AB373A4AF

I am not sure among us what position is being taken and who has galvanized their communities. Feel free to reach out to me.
Communities and organizations can testify next Thursday, December 8 at 10:00 am at the Civil Rights Committee. Please register to speak at https://council.nyc.gov/testify/Please organize your communities to reach out to your council members. Elections are coming up so we do have leverage here. Let’s join together and try to pull a victory out of this one. We at least can make the City Council go back and make the proper modifications to this bill.
Thank you,
Rachel

Marcus Garvey Park Tree Lighting

On Thursday, December 8th, at 5 PM, bring your family and neighbors to meet at 124th Street and 5th Avenue to celebrate Marcus Garvey Park’s tree lighting ceremony and multi-cultural celebration:

How Bad is the M35 Bus?

Posted on September 28, 2022September 20, 2022 by Harlem Shill

The numbers are not good.

The M35 has only got an average weekday ridership of 176 people per day:

The worst in Manhattan.

Not only that, the drop in ridership, from 2016 to 2021 is also the most precipitous. The M35 lost 83% of its ridership between 2016 to 2021. Again, the worst in Manhattan:

The M35 is a ghost bus.

The Intelligencer Reports on NIMBYs and YIMBYs

The Intelligencer has an article on how a few of New York’s socialists are coming to terms with the data analysis from NYU’s Furman Institute that building market-rate housing does not increase nearby rents.

The author of the Furman Institute’s article notes that market-rate development actually slightly decreases nearby rents:

Abstract

There is a growing debate about whether new housing units increase rents for immediately surrounding apartments. Some argue new market-rate development produces a supply effect, which should alleviate the demand pressure on existing housing units and decrease their rents. Others contend that new development will attract high-income households and new amenities, generating an amenity effect and driving up rents. I contribute to this debate by estimating the impact of new high-rises on nearby residential rents, residential property sales prices and restaurant openings in New York City. To address the selection bias that developers are more likely to build new high-rises in fast-appreciating areas, I restrict the sample to residential properties near approved new high-rises and exploit the plausibly exogenous timing of completion conditional upon the timing of approval. I provide event study evidence that within 500 ft, for every 10% increase in the housing stock, rents decrease by 1%; and for every 10% increase in the condo stock, condo sales prices decrease by 0.9%. In addition, I show that new high-rises attract new restaurants, which is consistent with the hypothesis about amenity effects. However, I find that the supply effect dominates the amenity effect, causing net reductions in the rents and sales prices of nearby residential properties.

You can read the full article here:

https://blocksandlots.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Do-New-Housing-Units-in-Your-Backyard-Raise-Your-Rents-Xiaodi-Li.pdf

Harlem’s City Council member is mentioned in the Intelligencer article and is contrasted with Council Member Caban:

In this particular manner, a darling of the left behaved like a typical politician. And so did Kristin Richardson Jordan, a self-identified socialist city councilmember (the DSA did not support her campaign) who blocked a proposed development that would have built over 900 units of housing in Central Harlem. Half of the development would have been designated affordable housing, though not quite at the deep levels Cabán won in Astoria. Richardson Jordan called the development “nothing less than white supremacy,” a statement that was hyperbolic and absurd — a mixed-use housing development has nothing to do with racial terror. But more telling, perhaps, was another comment the councilmember made to a local publication. “I would rather have lots sit empty than have them filled with further gentrification,” she said. A NIMBY couldn’t have put it better.

In The Street

Posted on July 22, 2022July 19, 2022 by Harlem Shill

If you haven’t watched this short film (black and white, shot on 16mm film stock in 1948) you should, just to get a sense of East Harlem in the immediate post-war era.

Puerto Ricans and Italians make up the majority of the people (often children) filmed via small, hidden 16 mm film cameras. This unique record of East Harlem street life shows the joy and vibrancy found in one of Manhattan’s poorest neighborhoods.

Redistricting Changes to Harlem

The boundary between KRJ and Diana Ayala as it currently exists:

The proposed boundary for the next election cycle:

And the boundaries superimposed on the same map (note the color purple is the new proposed boundary whereas the blue line is the current boundary):

Here is the interactive map to test out. Move the slider at the top, left and right:

https://nyc.redistrictingandyou.org/?districtType=cc&propA=current_2013&propB=council_plan_july15prelim&toggledlayers=places&opacity=1.97&mc_cid=5a2a331c43&mc_eid=d99e08694f&selected=-73.943,40.811#%26map=14.23/40.80415/-73.94016

Dan, who presented on Redistricting at one of our spring HNBA meetings, writes:

Hello!

I hope everyone is having a great week so far! As you all have likely seen, the NYC Districting Commission released it’s first draft maps of the proposed Council district lines on Friday. The folks at CUNY have uploaded these draft maps to their website Redistricting and You, to make it easy to compare the new proposed lines with the current districts.

The new maps made changes to districts all over the city. Some of the most impactful decisions the commission made were:

Staten Island – Staten Islanders lobbied hard to keep three full council districts on the island, without having any district cross-over to Brooklyn or Manhattan. The commission abided their requests. Staten Island was under-populated, so to accommodate this request the commission lowered the population maximum for every other council district in the city. This was done to ensure that every district met the legal criteria requiring no more than a five percent population deviation between the smallest and largest districts. The end results were that the three districts in Staten Island are substantially smaller than nearly every other district, and that the commission had much less flexibility with population sizes for the rest of the districts.
South Brooklyn – The commission united the Asian-American communities in Bensonhurst and Sunset Park, to create an Asian majority district. To do this, the map makers redrew several districts in southern Brooklyn, including changing CD 38 to include Bay Ridge, and moving Red Hook into CD 39.
Western Queens and UES – The draft plan creates a new crossover district uniting CD 26 with Roosevelt Island and parts of the Upper East Side.
Keeping neighborhoods intact – The commission united several neighborhoods that had previously been split between multiple council districts – for example Van Nest in the Bronx. Other neighborhoods currently intact in one council district got split, such as Hell’s Kitchen.

Citizens Union will conduct a closer analysis of the proposed map in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we would love to hear your thoughts on the maps. Please feel free to email [email protected] to share any thoughts or comments.

New Yorkers will have 30 days to look through these draft maps before the Commission takes comments. The next round of borough-specific public hearings will be on August 15^th, 16^th, 17^th, 18^th and 22^nd from 4pm-7pm. This round of hearings will be critical in determining the ultimate council lines. If you are unhappy with the maps, we encourage you to testify; similarly if you like the new lines in your district, that is also very important to tell the commission.

To submit written testimony to the Districting Commission, please contact: [email protected]

If you’d like to read more, here is some recent press about the new maps, with more expected over the coming week:

A survey from City College

Posted on June 4, 2022June 2, 2022 by Harlem Shill

Dear Neighbor,
What would a healthy Harlem look like? What would it take to get there? Can you spare a few minutes to think about that question and share your opinions with us?
We would like to learn about the quality of life in Harlem. We will use the results from this survey to develop a plan of action to work together with residents and other community members to address the major health and community issues in Harlem. Our ultimate aim is to partner with the community to create a better and healthier Harlem for the sake of all who live and work here and our children. The survey is anonymous and voluntary and should take only no more than three to five minutes to complete.
Link to Survey – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZRX52MJ
Thank you!
Your neighbors at The City College of New York and Billy Council.

Council Member Kristin Jordan Says “No” to 458 Affordable Apartments

Patch’s Nick Garber is reporting that Central Harlem’s council member Kristin Jordan has stopped 458 new affordable rental units from being built on 145th Street. The article indicates that a storage unit facility may be built on the site instead:

https://patch.com/new-york/harlem/harlems-one45-project-withdrawn-developers-after-yearlong-battle

Bike Repair & BBQ

Saturday, June 4th / 11AM – 3PM

Join us for a FREE outdoor Bike Repair and Maintenance led by Bronx Messenger and Uptown & Boogie Bicycle Advocacy.

Bring your own bike [BYOB] – ask local bike mechanics and enthusiasts from Upper Manhattan and The Bronx, questions about commuting in the city, discuss biking with kids, bike touring, biking while menstruating and more.

Participants are welcome to work on their bicycle during the event.

Volunteer: Are you a bike mechanic or enthusiast and want to volunteer? Email [email protected]

Event Information:

Time: 11:00AM – 3:00PM
Location: Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden
330 Saint Nicholas Avenue, New York, NY 10027
Bikers MUST ride their own bicycle

Kristin Jordan

Posted on April 13, 2022April 12, 2022 by Harlem Shill

Brian Benjamin Arrested and Resigned, Yesterday

New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin has surrendered to authorities to face campaign finance fraud-related charges in connection with a past campaign and has since resigned.

Benjamin is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court.

His arrest comes after reports that Manhattan federal prosecutors and the FBI were investigating whether Benjamin knowingly engaged in a campaign finance fraud scheme. Subpoenas were issued in connection with the investigation, two sources familiar with the subpoenas said at the time.

Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin turned himself in to federal authorities in Lower Manhattan as they unsealed his indictment. He faces five bribery charges and related allegations tied to a campaign contribution scheme first exposed by The City.

It was last January when The City first reported on suspicious campaign donations to Benjamin’s campaign for city comptroller, including a contribution from a 2-year-old boy. The funds were potentially eligible to be publicly matched $8 for every dollar contributed, up to $100 for each named donor.

His camp promised to return the cash. By late February, they had given back more than $13,000 in contributions tied to Gerald Migdol, a Harlem real estate entrepreneur, the Campaign Finance Board said at the time.

In August, despite THE CITY’s revelations, newly elevated Gov. Kathy Hochul chose then-state senator Benjamin as her lieutenant. Then, just after Hochul’s win in the November election, federal prosecutors indicted Migdol in an illegal campaign funding scheme.

We now know Benjamin had been subpoenaed by local and federal law enforcement authorities prior to his selection by Hochul, which he failed to disclose to Hochul or in a state form.

The indictment alleges that Benjamin met repeatedly with Migdol, identified as “CC-1,” to collect money orders Migdol had orchestrated. In exchange, they allege, he arranged a $50,000 grant to a nonprofit Migdol controls.

Tag: Councilmember Kristin Jordan