Tuesday, March 01, 2016

THE BATTLE FOR STATEN ISLAND. DEVELOPERS AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK DECLARE CLASS WAR ON NORTH SHORE STATEN ISLAND - "NOSHO."

UP FRONT News       February 2, 2016  
"The paper that won't be bought and can't be sold."
Published by Tom Weiss
Andrew Mazzone - Media Representative and Economics Advisor
Frank De Luca - Public Relations Consultant
Allen Smith - Economics Reporter
Steven Gradman - Internet Advisor
  The views expressed in UP FRONT News are those of the publisher or of the contributing writer and do not necessarily represent the views of staff.
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THE BATTLE FOR STATEN ISLAND. DEVELOPERS AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK DECLARE CLASS WAR ON NORTH SHORE  STATEN ISLAND - "NOSHO." THE "BAY STREET CORRIDOR" MEETINGS. (S)ELECTED OFFICIALS, I.E. "THE UNHOLY TRINITY" OF MACHINE DEMOCRATS, ARE NO HELP. WE LOST MOUNT MANRESA TO THE DEVELOPERS. IT WON"T HAPPEN AGAIN..
    Inasmuch as it would be a major mistake for the public, particularly in Staten Island, to depend on the multiibillionaire Donald Newhouse-owned Staten Island Advance (aka "The Staten Island Retreat"), a paper with a history of pro-developer tilt and covering up major politicall corruoption, some of it involving the mob (Robert Cataldo) Chief of Staff to New York State Senator Diane Savino (D.-S.I./Bklyn.), for fair and thorough coverage of the issue of politically connected gentrification in Staten Island this is likely to be the first of a number of newsbreaking articles in UP FRONT News about what could amount to disguised politically and economically generated "ethnic cleansing" in the so-called "forgotten borough" of Staten Island, still one of the few remaining outposts of "affordability" in New York City. 
  At the most recent open to the public meeting last Saturday of the NYC Department of Planning, NYC Economic Development Corporation, NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development-organized "town hall"-style gatherings focusing on the major rezoning and development plans for the "Bay Street Corridor", which stretches through the working class neighborhoods of St. George, Tompkinsville and Stapleton (where I live) in ethnically diverse North Shore Staten Island (known as "NoSho" by readers of UP FRONT News), the government people unveiled a plan for the rezoning and redevelopment of much of the North Shore.
  If this plan were to actually be operationalized several  working classd communities would be destroyed and replaced by upscale housing snd the related commercial entities - all of which are near one of the centerpieces of this plan, the now under construction "World's Largest Ferris Wheel", between the St. George S.I. Ferry Terminal and the ball park of the minor league Staten Island Yankees.,
  Department of City Planning Project Manager Daniel Viera facilitated the Saturday February 20 meeting - very nicely, actually allowing me to speak, setting him in sharp contrast to for example the Staten Island Democratic Association, which is connected to "The Unholy Trinity" of Diane Savino, Assemblyman Matthew Titone and NYC Coiuncilmember Debi Rose, where, at least when I am present, meetings are run according to Mussolini's Rules of Order. Mr. Viera mentioned the existence of an "advisory group" working with the government agencies on this plan, When I asked him how I would get onto this advsory group he suggested that I speak with one of the (s)electeds. I told him that his suggestion was the equivalent of asking an African-American in 1950s Birmingham Alabama to speak to a local (s)elected about joining a government run advisory committee. For more of the facts on "The Unholy Trinity", avoid the Staten Island Advance and read UP FRONT News online at www.tomsupfrontnews.blogspot.com.
  I urged Mr. Viera to expand his outreach to include for example Temple Emanu-el in Port Richmond, led by UP FRONT News readers human rights and "Building Bridges" leaders Rabbi Gerald and Boni Sussman, both of whom are members of the Council of Jewish Organizations of S.I., led by (UP FRONT News reader) Mendy Mirocznik, who also has the facts on Diane Savino's favoirite mobster, the explosive criminal Robert Cataldo, The govenment also needs to involve The Church That Never Closes in Prince's Bay, on S.I.'s more "exurban" and indeed borderline rural South Shore. Very much like Jesus Himself, The (still pastorless) Church That Never Closes focuses its ministry on the poor and draws many people from "NoSho" to its services and very good meals.
   Many people know about the loss of the gorgeous Jesuit Mount Manresa retreat to the developer Savo Brothers, whose contribution to the homeless explosion has been to build upscale housing there. S.I. Borough President Republican James Oddo is belatedly furious about all that. In any case, he should never have accepted that campaign donation from the Savo Brothers when heran for Borough President.
  As far as I can tell most if not all of the machine Democrats who run things in NoSho are corporation favorite Hillary Clinton supporters. So what! Telll her that Staten Island is changing.
   As Eric Garner, the victim in an actual police lynching - the full facts of which are covered up the Staten Island Advance and the entire political and media establishment and reported exclusively in UP FRONT News - said, as he was attacked by Police Officer Danierl Pantalkeo, "It stops here!"
   From UP FRONT News and Staten Island to the developers, to "The Unholy Trinity and to Mayor Bill De Blasio,, "It stops here!"

   More soon.