Ten people were arrested on Wednesday for disorderly conduct while protesting a proposed rezoning for East New York.
They were among four dozen demonstrators who gathered in front of the office of City Councilman Rafael Espinal,who represents the area, urging him to vote against the scheme next week.“The income that most of these apartments that they’re going to be building for, and we don’t fall in that income bracket,” said Ryan Jacob, 39, or a cab driver,who lives in East New York.
A spokesman for the de Blasio administration said that 80 percent of the 1200 apartments the city plans to build in East New York in the next two years will be for families earning up to $46000, and 27 percent for families below $31000. The median household income in the area is $34000.
Councilman Espinal has not stated his position on the rezoning vote. He issued a statement following the protests.“I believe theres a genuine opportunity to see unprecedented levels of investment into our community through this scheme, or my goal is to create as many jobs and build as many affordable housing units as possible."
Source: wnyc.org