Author Archives: Daniel Weinberg

CSC closed for holidays, re-opens on Monday 1/6/2020

Posted in About Us on by

The Cooper Square Committee office will close at 1pm on Fri., Dec. 20, 2019. We will reopen at 10am on Mon., Jan. 6, 2020.

If you are a senior and you need help with an urgent issue, please call our NORC program at 929-855-0958 any day during business hours.

For other housing matters, call University Settlement at 212-505-1995 or go to 189 Allen Street, and if you have a life-threatening emergency, call 911. 

Met Council’s Tuesday night housing clinic will NOT meet on
Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019 or on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019. They resume on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2019 at 6:30pm.

We wish you a happy holiday.
From the Staff and Board of the Cooper Square Committee


La oficina cerrará a la 1pm el viernes, 20 de diciembre y se quedará cerrada hasta que abrimos a las 10am, el lunes, 6 de enero de 2020.

Si usted es una persona de tercera edad y necesita ayuda con un problema urgente, por favor llame a nuestro programa para personas mayores NORC al 929-855-0958 durante el horario comercial.

Para otros asuntos de vivienda, llame a University Settlement
al 212-505-1995 o visite a 189 Allen St, y si tiene una emergencia potencialmente mortal, llame al 911.   

¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!
~ Los empleados y la junta del Comité Cooper Square

SOLD OUT! — our 60th Anniversary Gala tomorrow night

Posted in Front Page on by
Gala is sold out!

If you have purchased a ticket to our 60th Anniversary Gala for tomorrow night (Wed. Sep. 18th, 175 Delancey Street, 6pm-9pm), we look forward to seeing you.  If you have not purchased a ticket, we’re sorry but the event is sold out.  We are sorry, but the venue cannot accommodate more than 200 people. We cannot accept anyone that did not RSVP via email in advance and pay for their ticket. If you’re unable to attend, we welcome donations on our website at coopersquare.org/donate. We thank all of our sponsors, advertisers and ticket buyers who have helped make this a successful fundraising event.    Yours truly,  Steve Herrick
Executive DirectorCooper Square Committee

336 W. 17th Street Tenants Launch Rent Strike

Posted in Front Page, Lead Dust Free NYC, Press on by

Click for PDF of press release with full size photos

We Will Not Stand for Construction as Harassment or Lead Contamination in Our Homes!

Tenants Unveil Massive “RENT STRIKE” Banner, Demand Justice for Months Spent Living Under Intense Construction & End to Unresponsive Management

  • Rent Strike!
  • Brad Hoylman and tenants
  • One of the tenants speaks out
  • Tenants with banner

New York, NY — Tenants from 336 W. 17th Street held a rally and press conference on the morning of July 23rd, 2019, and unfurled a massive banner in protest of the construction as harassment that they feel they have been subjected to since NYC Management, property and asset management firm operated by the Besen Group, began performing gut renovations in their building last year. Tenants were joined by the Cooper Square Committee and Lead Dust Free NYC Coalition, as well as New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, New York State Assemblymember Richard Gottfried and representatives from the offices of City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer while they described the conditions they have lived through. Members of the tenants’ association recounted collapsed ceilings which injured tenants, clouds of dust and debris circulating throughout the building, security concerns which have resulted in theft of tenants’ personal items, and unresponsive management. 

Click here to see the full press release with full-size photos.

332 E. 4th Street Tenants: We Will Not Stand for Lead Contamination or Being Bullied for Calling the City for Inspections!

Posted in Events, Front Page, Lead Dust Free NYC, Press on by
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT : Jodie Leidecker, (212) 228-8210 x116, jodiel @coopersquare.org
PDF version of this press release here, with DOHMH lead report attached.

332 E. 4th Street Tenants: We Will Not Stand for Lead Contamination
or Being Bullied for Calling the City for Inspections!

Evan Bell-Owned Building Contaminated with 5X Legal Levels of Lead
During Construction

Tenants Hold Press Conference After NYC Dept. of Health Finds
Lead Dust Mere Hours After Work Begins –– Children Live in Building
Where Construction Grossly Contaminated Common Areas

New York, NY –– Tenants of 332 East 4th Street are holding a press conference today at 10:30
a.m. after they recently received notice that work crews hired by Evan Bell’s Bell and
Company contaminated their building with lead-laden construction dust. The contamination
was the result of unchecked dust from demolition work being performed in the building.

Read More →

Today at 5:30pm! Join Community, Faith and Labor Leaders in a Moral March for Housing

Posted in Events, Front Page, Rent Laws and Rent Guidelines Board on by

  

 

 

Last Saturday over 100 activist tenants, advocate state legislators, and housing organizers joined together in a spirited Town Hall meeting.
 
Legislators emphasized that with existing rent laws expiring in June, we now have an amazing opportunity to pass progressive bills that would protect tenants from unaffordable rents and unwarranted eviction. (see bills here)
 
We discussed how important it was for tenants to become super-activists for the next 3 months. Let’s start on Thursday, April 11.
 

Join Community, Faith and Labor Leaders in a Moral March for Housing

Thursday, April 11, 2019  5:30pm – 8:30pm

Abyssinian Baptist Church

132 West 138th Street (btwn 7th Ave and Lenox)

Take the 2/3 to 135th & Lenox, or B/C to 135th & St. Nicholas

 

Starting with speakers and a choir, followed by a march to the Adam Clayton Powell State Building at 125th St.

 
If you have any questions, call us at (212) 228-8210 or e-mail Alex or Jodie.

SAT 4/6: Rent Laws Town Hall

Posted in Events, Rent Laws and Rent Guidelines Board on by

Simultaneous translation provided in Spanish and Cantonese/Mandarin.
Traducción simultánea en español y cantonés / mandarín.
提供西班牙語和粵語/普通話的同聲傳譯。
提供西班牙语和粤语/普通话的同声传译。

  

 

Come out to learn more about the new Rent Stabilization law reforms and universal rent control!

Saturday April 6th, 2pm-4pm

University Settlement’s Speyer Hall, 184 Eldridge Street, (F train to 2nd Av)

If our elected officials see the room filled with tenants, they’ll be motivated to work even harder to pass rent laws that protect us.
NY State Assemblymember Niou – confirmed
NY State Assemblymember Epstein – confirmed
NY State Senator Hoylman – confirmed
NY State Senator Kavanagh – confirmed
Light refreshments served &
simultaneous translation in Spanish and Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese) provided.
Visit coopersquare.org , email alexl@coopersquare.org, or call (212) 228-8210 for more details.
Download 3 language PDF of flyer here.

Celebrate the 3rd Annual Taste of the East Village on Saturday, October 6th, 2018

Posted in Events on by

Click above to buy your ticket!

New York, NY (August 28, 2018) – Taste of the East Village, the popular outdoor food festival on East 7th Street between Cooper Square and 2nd Avenue, takes places on Saturday, October 6th from Noon to 5 pm.  Tickets are on sale here

The Taste of the East Village brings together around 20 of the East Village’s favorite chefs and restaurants to benefit the Cooper Square Committee’s housing programs, and to promote the Gofundme campaign of EVIMA’s President, Jimmy Carbone, a co-founder of the festival. Local chef at Huertas at 107 1st Avenue, Jonah Miller, is chairperson of the festival committee and has selected many of the participating restaurants.

Ticket holders are entitled to four dishes from participating neighborhood restaurants and eateries, including newcomers to the festival like the Eddy, Fry Guys, Ho Foods, Huertas, Maharlika Filipino Moderno,Virginia as well as returning restaurants like Brick Lane Curry, Porsena, Al Horno Mexican Kitchen, Narcbar and Le Petit Parisien. Dessert venues such as Insomnia Cookies, Sweet Generation Bakery, Veneiro’s and Davey’s Ice Cream will also be joining us.  This list is still in formation and we expect some others to join us.

The first 350 attendees to the festival will receive a gift bag containing complimentary appetizers or drinks at many of the participating restaurants. The festival will also include live music and a deejay, as well as more than a dozen local community and cultural organizations like Fourth Arts Block, Downtown Art, East Village Community Coalition, Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, Solar One, Tenants Taking Control, Lower East Side Ready, Met Council on Housing and many more. Some of the groups will have interactive exhibits.

LES READY! Hurricane Relief Resources

Posted in Front Page, Resources on by

Please see this list from our colleagues at LES READY! on how you can help those affected by the recent hurricanes.

In addition:

  1. The Maria Fund, mariafund.org
    Donations go through the Center for Popular Democracy and communities on-the-ground decide how to distribute the money and what to spend it on.
  2. GOLES is collecting donations of physical objects (canned food, diapers, sanitary napkins, clothing) and these are sent to various locations in PR via the post offices. 171 Ave B, 212-533-2541, contact: Ceci Pineda
  3. Resilient Power Puerto Rico is an initiative aimed at immediate-term and long-term recovery in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Your donation will fund the purchase and delivery of high-efficiency solar panels, inverters, wiring equipment and battery backups; installation by local citizens; and on-the-job-training by our electrical engineers, solar technicians and alternative energy experts. Given that over 80% of Puerto Rico is without electricity more than 2 weeks after the storm, impacting homes, stores, hospital and many essential services, this is the most critical component of recovery.
  4. Uprose is an environmental justice organization working closely with several community based organizations doing disaster recovery work in Puerto Rico. You can donate to Uprose, and they will in turn donate the funds to groups such as WhyHunger, Güakiá Colectivo Agroecológico, La Corporación Piñones Se Integra (COPI), and Proyecto Agroecológico El Josco Bravo. Add the memo Por Nuestra Gente: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=rySDFRHd-MboDccF5qIF1yj5hoiXKATWwleQSe_zyDrKZDu4mBMHwOMvLm62NQF8vZJl8m&country.x=US&locale.x=US

Taste of East Village

Posted in Events, Front Page on by

 

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WHERE: East 7th Street between Cooper Square & 2nd Avenue
WHEN: Saturday, September 16, 2017 from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM

A Culinary Festival to benefit The Cooper Square Committee

buy-ticket-generic

The Taste of East Village is an outdoor culinary festival on East 7th Street, between Cooper Square and 2nd Avenue, benefiting the Cooper Square Committee’s affordable housing preservation and development work (including the soon to open Bea Arthur Residence for homeless LGBT youth), our environmental greening work, social services, and senior programming. We feature dishes from more than 15 of the East Village’s best restaurants and eateries (see the list below). Come celebrate our amazing East Village and Lower East Side community!  Read More →

CANCELLED: 8/2 STS Action

Posted in Uncategorized on by

We are canceling tomorrow’s (Wednesday 8/2) STS action.

We have decided to concentrate all efforts on the STS legislation which will be heading for a City Council vote in August (we just learned of this news).

We’re doing a big press conference on the steps of City Hall next week on Wednesday 8/9 at 11am instead to promote the STS legislation.  We’ll get you a flyer ASAP for that.

Please contact anyone you notified about tomorrow’s event to let them know it’s been canceled.

Thanks & sorry about the inconvenience.

Wish your councilmember a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted in DOB Reform Campaign on by

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, let’s show our Council Members some love…by sending them some amazing e-cards!

STS Valentines Roses

◄ Back
Picture 1 of 5

 

Here are 5 amazing Valentine’s-themed STS e-cards which y’all can send to your local Council Members, kindly reminding them to please pass our 12 STS bills regarding construction-as-harassment. If possible, please take some time to e-mail your local Council Member one or a few of these fabulous e-cards. It will only take a minute or two! On a mobile device, click to enlarge each image then choose a Share option, or on your desktop you can right-click and choose Save As.

Not sure who your Council Member or what their contact info is? Click here.

Happy Valentine’s and e-card sending day!!!

 

A statement from CSC and FAB about the Mayor’s Remarks on Jared Kushner

Posted in Front Page, Press on by

Download PDF of this letter here.

          

January 11, 2017

 

Mayor de Blasio seems hopeful that his friendly relationship with Jared Kushner may be of some benefit to New York City, but our community has not benefited at all from Kushner’s ownership of close to forty buildings in the East Village.

Kushner has brought nothing but unaffordable, luxury housing to this community and to NYC at large. While we are in the grips of an intense housing crisis, and homeless rates are at an all-time high & virtually every regulated tenant in the city is facing harassment, Kushner has converted scores of affordable rent regulated apartments into luxury housing that rent for $3,000-$5,000 per month.  In doing so, Kushner has faced allegations of harassment and lack of essential services repeatedly.  Numerous articles have chronicled Kushner’s bad-acting over his four years of ownership here in East Village.

We say to the Mayor that Jared Kushner’s actions are not those of somebody who “cares deeply about New York City.”  We say that Kushner’s actions have contributed greatly to the loss of affordable housing.  Furthermore, if the Mayor stands by his words and thinks Jared Kushner is “reasonable and moderate,” we suggest the Mayor come meet with Kushner tenants in the East Village to hear what they’ve been through under his ownership.

 

Sincerely,

Steve Herrick                                              Risa Shoup
Executive Director                                     Executive Director

Cooper Square Committee                      Fourth Arts Block
61 East 4th Street                                      61 East 4th Street

*REGISTRATION CLOSED* STS Manhattan Town Hall 1/10, 6:30pm, 1 Centre St, 19th FL South

Posted in DOB Reform Campaign, Events, Front Page on by

Due to the popularity of this event, we reluctantly must limit participation. We cannot accept new RSVP’s and if you attend without an RSVP, please be aware that you cannot be assured a seat. We are planning a similar event in the Spring. If you’d like to be placed on a waiting list or to be notified about future forums please email Harriet Putterman at harrietp@coopersquare.org . Thank you for your interest and please stay in touch with the Stand for Tenant Safety Campaign by visiting www.standfortenantsafety.com.

Click flyer to RSVP.

Download PDF of flyer here.

TUESDAY 1/10: Is your Landlord Using Construction to Harass You? SPEAK OUT!

Posted in DOB Reform Campaign, Events on by

RSVP by clicking the flyer

We have confirmed our STS Manhattan Town Hall on TUESDAY JANUARY 10TH at 1 Centre Street (19th Fl. South) at 6:30PM. This town hall will be focused on construction-as-harassment issues and how tenants can combat these issues and protect themselves. (This event is part of the Stand for Tenant Safety Coalition, of which CSC is a member. Find out more about STS here.) Let everyone in your organization(s), tenants, friends, and other folks know. We want a big turnout! If you can attend, please fill out this RSVP link so we can get a sense of how many folks can make it.

For more info or any questions, read more on the RSVP page, or contact Harriet Putterman.  You can download a PDF of the flyer here.