It's in the process of being developed. In fact, the other one I talked about, Norris Square, we've been assured that it will be December when the houses are complete. 294 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
When you said if and when, I was a little concerned about -- because that leaves people to wonder if there will be a place for them to move to.
I didn't mean that way. Norris Square I knew the deadline on, and APM I wasn't sure of. That's why I said it that way.
And the gardens, the City will acquire them and then transfer title to the Norris Square CDC. Is there a deed restriction? Because I understand the lady the saying that she's concerned that there may be industrial development.
Well, the deed restriction is that it will held in trust for the community gardens. The purpose of it -- these are already gardens that are complete and beautified. And the only restriction is that stay that way. Some of the gardens -- so you're clear for the record, some of the gardens will be transferred to, say, the neighbor next door or the neighbor right behind the 295 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES property who maintains it just for themselves. Others are used by the whole community. So it will be a mix of both.
Thank you very much. Please identify yourself for the record.
My name Carolyn Smith. I need to ask Councilman Kenney, because I'm confused, is the 1800 block of Master Street under Model Cities or is it considered under Cecil B. Moore?
Councilman, our guide through the wilderness, Clarke, please if you can explain.
1800 block is in the Model Cities area. It is also in the Cecil B. Moore Homeownership Zone. This is the problem. Get this out front. For some reason there were a number of notes sent to residents on the 1800 block of Master Street, particularly on the north side. I think there are approximately 16 to 17 occupied structures.
Right. I'm very 296 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES familiar with the block. They should not have received notices. There is no intention to relocate anybody off of that block. The only thing -- if anything, what's going to be proposed is to acquire I think there are like three or four vacants on the block.
To acquire the vacant properties, I think a couple on one side and a couple on the other, and renovate those properties for sale as a part of the Homeownership Zone.
Then what we need -- I mean, we have been here since 9 o'clock this morning. I'm just about sick. At this point, I don't trust anything that everybody's telling us. I want it in writing, okay? I have seen some stuff here that makes me want to regurgitate. I am sick. I need to leave here and go to my doctor. And this is continuous of problems that I've had to deal with. I have two liens now against my property because I received a notice in the mail that was sent to the wrong house. I came down here and tried to have my address changed where it would be proper, and they told me no I couldn't do it, insulted me, and jumped 297 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES on me and tried to intimidate me. And then after coming down here and seeing what I see today, when we walked in here this morning at o'clock with 5 notices similar to what that young man just read, a 6 man stands up here and tells us you're in the wrong 7 place. It said 696 at 10 o'clock. We were sent 8 downstairs and messed over by this man you've had 9 sitting here. Messed over. Every last one of us to the point that some people got discouraged and left. Is that what they want? And now we have to sit here and say that the anguish that we have felt all day long is another mistake just like what happened to this lady. What's going on with the City?
My understanding is that -- and we're still trying to figure out who gave the direction. At this point, it doesn't matter right now. That there was a blanket notification sent out to all of the residents in the targeted area, which was basically the boundaries of the Homeownership Zone but there's probably half of the individuals who received notices there's no 23 intention to relocate them based on the ultimate proposal. It's unfortunate. I'm very sorry that that happened. 298 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
Mr. Clarke and Mr. Kenney, I really think that you all need to take this information -- I have to applaud Mr. Cohen and Mr. Ortiz for their insight. I wish that every single Councilperson was sitting here today to see what we as residents have had to go through. This is unbelievable. And we want it in writing. You say it's a mistake. We've been here all day. We've been all day. I'm in pain. I'm willing to stay in pain to stay here long enough to get something today in writing because I won't sleep tonight until I see it in writing. (Applause.)
There are five members of my family sitting here today. One of them has a store on the corner. And she has had to stay out of her business to be down here to listen to this garbage. That is doing nothing for us. And my niece, she has a brand-new house and she's not been sleeping. We didn't get a letter in the mail. We got something shoved through the door. It wasn't even important enough. And just for those people who may fit in the Bill to be in all the other areas that you've talked about today, I think that you need -- okay, 299 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES you tell us that we're not in it, and I want document of that, but for all the other people, Mr. Kenney, I believe that Council needs to revisit this whole situation because to go in and take people's homes -- I can't speak for everyone else that was here. But even if they fall in a category where their home needs to be taken, somebody needs to personally go in and sit down and talk to them and counsel them and work with them and not have a piece of paper shoved through their door saying "You're going lose your home." And based on what that man told us down stairs, Mr. Kenney, if you had been down there, you would have thrown him out. I was ready to throw him out.
Let me just say for the record so you understand my position on this. I never supported this from day one. I voted against this. I never wanted this. I felt that at the time with the answers we were getting two years ago when we voted for this, the response to the questions we were asking two years or whenever it was we passed this thing originally, were inadequate then, they're inadequate now. I felt that we would be right in this room doing this two years later if we passed 300 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES the Bill as it was. That's why I voted against it. And I intend to vote against any Bill that has any property that acquired that has anyone living in them. Period. But that doesn't mean it's not going to happen. I just made my position is what it is.
Well, Mr. Kenney, I strongly believe in North Philadelphia there has been a lot of work done. There is still a lot of work to be done. But there is so much blight where there are not homes that are decent where people are living in; that's where they need to be going, not to areas where people are living and taking -- we've lived in that block over 60 years, over 60 years. That block is well kept up. Yes, there are a few bad houses and yes we would like for you to come in and do something about those houses. But here you have back to back two mistakes. What are you going to telling these people? The lady that was before me said, you say it was a mistake. You now tell us it's a mistake. Mr. Clarke, you were for the bills. I got a problem with you.
Let me clarify this, please. I voted for the Neighborhood Transformation 301 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES Initiative.
Let me respond. I voted for the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative that gave us an opportunity to get resources in place to rebuild North Philadelphia because we probably have some of the most blighted conditions in the City of Philadelphia, maybe in the State of Pennsylvania. Now, there are some flaws in the process. It's our intention to fix those flaws. There's no way in the world that you should have gotten notifications on 1800 block of Masters Street. That's wrong.
If you need a letter from me, I will give you a letter. I don't have a problem with that. As a matter of fact, the process is, my understanding is that I'm supposed to get the head of Redevelopment Authority on the record and tell him that I do not want them to issue an authorization of taking letter. Mike?
Those of us that are here 302 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES and have been here, we're going to get it today. Okay. What about the lien that I have on my property that I got simply because the judge said he didn't believe that he didn't get the notice, even though I came down here and told it was a wrong address.
You can go to my office. I can work on that for you personally.
Thank you very much. Sir, could you please identify yourself for the record.
My name is Robert Willis. I'm a long-time resident of the area in question in North Philadelphia. I'm a member of Cecil B. Moore Community Service Corporation. I'm a member of the 47th Ward Executive Committee Democratic. And I'm a property owner a businessman in a this area. First off I feel redundant because the notices that went out weren't properly done. The meetings that they had were inadequate. You have a bunch of seniors that are involved in this, maybe not directly but by the spillover. They're not considering them. The 303 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES meetings they're having are approximately three hours, and it's impossible to address as many people as are affected in a three-hour period and give them any type of service. Also, have you considered a moratorium on taxes for the people that remain that are affected by the spillover or a moratorium on taxes for the people that are relocated. Have you considered that? Because they're moving into an area, a lot of them if they agree to it, that will a tax base that they are not able to deal with because a lot of them are older and on fixed incomes. That's one of the things I want to bring. Have you thought about these mistakes, what the affect is on senior citizen come home and find out here's a letter telling me that my home is about to be taken and I don't really have a say so about it? Can you imagine the affect on them physically and mentally? I mean, it's ridiculous.
I think that these things have to be considered. I can't see the people in this Council being so insensitive as not to consider these things. 304 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES All of you have constituents that fall under the same categories, older, fixed income, and whatever. " They say, "Well, we want to relocate you and you won't have a mortgage," but they're telling two different tales on that. Here they say, if your house is valued at $20,000 and the home that you anticipate being relocated is 45, we'll give you the 45 and put you in it. " But he didn't explain that there's a residual mortgage that you will have in the event the house is sold at a later date, the $25,000 comes into play at that time. If that's wrong, then that's the information they're passing out. Now, which of these things is factual and actual? Or are they just trying to tell us what is to pacify us at the time? We're not here to be pacified. We're here to be satisfied. We want action and satisfaction. We want you to tell us what's going to be, how it's going to be, and not in a three-hour 305 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES meeting to deal with 50 to 75 to 100 people in a three-hour session with one person available to deal with it. It can't happen. Let's be realistic. Treat us like people and we'll appreciate it. These people are here because they don't understand. If you don't explain to them, they'll never understand. You keep getting the same thing from everybody that comes up here. Don't you realize what's going on? All of you, like they keep telling you, you're here because you were voted, you were elected here. You were elected here to serve your constituents. And we hopefully can continue. But they're not going to continue to go in the same vein when everything that's going on is negative. We want something positive. And we know we can get some positive action out of this. And that's what we would like to see. I'm not one that goes to a meeting every once in a while. I'm at many meetings, as can be attested. So I'm fairly aware of things that are going on. But this slipped through the crack. I was aware that there was a big development coming up, but it was no specifics given out at the meeting. When we get the specifics, the time is 306 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES there. We can't sit down with our constituents and explain anything to them or give them any information because we don't have it. We can only simulate the information that is given to us. If we don't get it -- and we can relate to our constituents because we see them every day. But if we don't get the information, when they come to us for an answer with a question, we look stupid because we can't give them anything. And I as a member of the Executive Committee, I don't like being made to look stupid. I have enough problems on my own. I don't like to be made to look stupid. Let me have the information so I can put it out to my constituents and let them be knowledgeable. Then when we go to the table and sit down and we're negotiating, we know what were we're talking about and we know who we're talking to, we know why we're there and what we can hope to be accomplished. Being relocated is not necessarily the worst thing in the world. A lot of people will benefit from it, but some will not. Some people don't want to relocate because they've been where they're at so long, they don't want to relocate. Give them some consideration. Give them some 307 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES consideration. You wouldn't want to be moved out of your house. Somebody just come along with a bulldozer and move you out. A bulldozer on one side and a moving van on the other. That's not the way to do it. These are people, these are not cattle. They need to be the treated as such. And I as one in the area that is directly affect, I'm affected by the spillover. I'm affected by the tax structure.
As of this moment, I'm not directly affected by the takeover and the move-out, but when my constituents and my neighbors are affected, I'm affected, because what hurts them hurts me. I've been there all my life. We've got a relationship. Thank you.
One of the most frustrating things about this process is that I don't disagree with you. This is not my plan. This is not my project. This is not my doing. And we have to deal with it and that's our job and we'll listen to because that's our job to do and we'll try to fix it as best we can. But it didn't emanate from this room. It emanated from another place in this building that we have very little control or 308 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES input in. Speaking for myself, I'm very frustrated with this process and I'm very -- it's heart-wrenching to sit here and listen to people one after another after another come with the same story about lack of notification, lack of information. And to tell you truth, we don't control that. All we can do is listen to you, try to empathize with you and do our best to fix it as best we can. But this is three years of planning, and we still have people like yourselves coming in here and telling heart-wrenching stories about this kind of stuff.
So where do you direct us and who do you direct us to see that can have more of an affect?
The Mayor and Redevelopment Authority are the places you need to talk. Especially on issues of notice.
My name is Beatrice Smith, and I'm speaking for the ones that did get a notice. Our homes are occupied. I've been living in my home, raised three children in my home. We are working class people. My home is paid and bought for, just like everybody else. What I'm asking the committee is, can we rescind this Bill or 309 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES do you have to leave it in and try to rewrite it? The Bill is flawed. Period. It's nothing you can say about it. It's flawed. What I want to know can we fix this Bill or do we throw the Bill out and start over again?
The Bill authorizes the Redevelopment Authority to enter into a taking, a condemnation of the properties.
Will you please let me answer your question. We had this conversation in the hallway.
I talked to you in the hallway yesterday about your specific property.
Let me answer the question. The Bill authorizes the Redevelopment Authority to enter into a condemnation process that will offer you money to take your house. Before they can do that, they have to issue an Authorization of Taking. Then before the property 310 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES can be taken and disposed of, it has to come back here to the Council. So this Bill just authorizes them to start that process. But before your property can actually be taken and given to another individual or another development entity, it has to come back here before the Council. The reality is if somehow this Bill passes, the development in Cecil B. Moore Avenue area is not even going to start until next year. There's a long process between the time of the development and the time of the passage of this Bill. It's going to be opportunities -- direct response to your specific question, if it's found that during the process of deliberations and in the planning process that there are certain properties that should not be taken or people should not be relocated, then the Redevelopment Authority will simply not issue the taking of the property and that property will be deleted from the taking under that proposal. So this is a process that's going to take a while.
Again, can we throw that Bill out and start a new one. We know what the Bill is. The Bill is flawed. We don't want the Bill in. You told me what the Bill is about. I 311 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES know what it's about. You just explained it again. You talk like my kids when they were years old 4 when you're trying to distract me from whipping your 5 behind. Excuse my French. But I asked you a 6 specific question. Throw the Bill out, can we do 7 this and start over again? Can we do this? Can you 8 answer that? Yes or no? It's a simple yes or no. 9
To be honest with 10 you, we can vote the Bill down. There is a time 11 frame on the financing for the federal government 12 for this proposal. If we do not pass this Bill, then we will lose the money. It is very simple and we will not be able to build the remaining 152 houses. It's very simple.
This is all that I ask you. Can we throw this Bill out and do another Bill.
The Bill can be voted down. There will not another Bill because it will be no point. There's time line if the money is not spent and allocated before the end of the year, then we lose it.
Money that you're using, that's our taxpayers money. You kick us out 312 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES of our home, loan us this money, we have to pay you back. They gave you the money and you loan us our taxpayers' money.
If we have to throw out the Bill, there will be no need to do another Bill.
I would like to redo the Bill if it's possible with homeowners, not just with developers.
Not just with developers. If you're take over a neighborhood, then you get the people in the neighborhood because that's what the neighborhood is. It's not land. It's not houses. It's the people in the neighborhood. And if you're going to take over a neighborhood and you're going to better this neighborhood, then you go to the people in the neighborhood. You don't decide for us what you want to give us.
Ma'am, this program started five years ago. 313 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
This program could have started years ago. You didn't go to the people. 4
Ma'am, you've got to 5 let me talk. I'm trying to be respectful of you, 6 but you've got to let me talk. 7
Now, this process 9 started and this development started close to five 10 years ago. They have built more than 125 or 130 11 houses in this neighborhood. This is a continuation 12 of a project. This didn't just start. This is a 13 Homeownership Zone, an award that was designated for 14 that particular area five years ago. So we've 15 already built half of the houses. What I'm telling 16 you, because the process in terms of developing 17 houses is taking so long, that we're in jeopardy of 18 losing the remaining funding. If we do not do the 19 acquisition and the development plan, then we will 20 lose the money. It's as simple as that. That's just the facts of the matter on the case. It's not something that we just started. We've been doing this a while. I'm sure you live in the neighborhood, you've seen a lot of houses built.
Of course we all did, but we did not know that you were taking people's occupied houses against their will. This is what we did not know and no one bothered to tell us until you decided take our homes. You never told us you were taking those homes against their will. You didn't tell us this. And we're not saying we want to stand in the way of progress. We are just saying we don't want to be a victim of your progress. You want to build the neighborhood. You want us to go along with it. You want to use our taxpayers' money and you don't want it cut off, then let the homeowners that want to stay -- you're making so much money, you're building all these homes --
Regardless, you can relocate us and when our homes are finished, you can put us back in there mortgage free. You're still going to kill us with the taxes because they're going to sky high. But at least you can give us 315 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES some pride and put us back where we came from without a mortgage if that's what we want.
I'm asking. This is what I'm asking. Can we you do this or do you have to talk to someone else? Or should I put it to them since they're the ones that's the taxpayers' money? Is that what I do? You're not answering me. Or you can't answer me? Hello. Knock, knock. That's what do to my kids, you know. Because when you take my house, you're taking my job. I work in my neighborhood. And I'm not the only one. Now, should I talk you? Or you can't answer me? Or should I talk to them? Can he answer me? Have I stumped you at least?
I think that probably is the end of the testimony. Thank you very much.
Sir, could you please identify yourself for the record.
My name is Eldridge Brown. I'm here today because of my mother, Alberta Brown, 316 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES that lives at 1947 West Harlan Street. She called me last night and got a letter saying that her house was scheduled to be torn down and she's living in it. We've been living in that neighborhood over 50 years. And she still living in it with my brother and my nephew, and the house is scheduled to be demolitioned. And I don't understand that. She called me upset and everything like that. She had a stroke and heart attacks and things like that. Do you know that that means to her, they're going to tear her house down. Do you know how she felt? I don't understand y'all saying all these errors and mistakes in something like that. She passed these letters out to Ortiz and he's passing them out, these are the letters that we got yesterday. So I had to come down here because she couldn't speak for herself because she's that upset. I work every day. I work 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. And I had to take this time off to come down and find out what's going on. It's not fair. I was raised in the house, stayed in there 40 years. I'm 50 now. I have my own 317 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES location. It's time for me to move on, be a man that I'm supposed to be and help my mother and that's why I'm here. My mother its 79 years old. How could she pay what you asking her to pay? It's not fair. You say you're going to give her $20,000 to fix up her house. It's not enough. Then, where is the sentimental value? What you going to put on that? It's not enough. Ain't nobody said about they're going to fix the outside of the house, new roof, windows in the back of the house. Whose going to pay for that? $20,000 is not enough. You want her to sell out. She is not moving. If I have to take more days off and come down here and protest and speak our mind like everybody else, that's what we have to do. I don't understand where all these mistakes come at. For her to receive a letter in the mail saying her house is scheduled for demolition and she's living in it. Totally wrong. Totally wrong. Second thing. You want to build these houses in our neighborhood and we want them there, but the people that don't want to move don't have to. You know what I mean? Ya'll should make some 318 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES compensation about that. I don't understand what's going on here. Everybody saying the same thing, but you're not listening. You're not answering no 5 questions. It's all about money. It's all about. That's what it's all about. You're taking our own money and giving it back to us and you're going to tell us who can buildup our house. We can't take the 20,000 and hire our own contractor. The money has to go direct to your contractor and we never see the money.
Sir, let me explain because you need to be clear. I'm going to explain this as clearly as I can. Five years ago -- you've got to listen. I sat there and listened to you. I'm asking you to listen to me. Five years ago the City of Philadelphia submitted a proposal in response to grant/loan program from the federal government. We were successful. We won that proposal for the Cecil B. Moore area. We started building houses. What we are now doing is hopefully entering into an agreement to authorize the Redevelopment Authority to acquire certain properties. Some of them are occupied. Most of 319 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES them are not. What it is our intention to do and my responsibility to do, to make sure that if anybody has to be relocated to be relocated not only in a comparable situation -- that is he the federal law -- but I believe it should be better than the federal law. To be relocated in an environment that's better than the environment that's better than the environment and in a property that's better than the property that they left. We have done this time after time. And I'm telling you that in every instance that I know of, the person ended up in a better condition. Unfortunately, most of them were not in North Philadelphia because they took the money and they moved to another community and then they were in when they condemned the property. This process in the early stages. It is still not clear what properties will ultimately need to be relocated. I can tell you based on the review that probably 40 of the properties that are currently on the list will not have to be relocated and there may ultimately be more of those properties. Now, my concern -- because I've been given a charge when I got elected to help rebuild North Philadelphia, which I'm trying to do -- is 320 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES that when I have the responsibility of getting some federal dollars to rebuild that community, I just want to make sure that we don't lose that opportunity because we've got a time line. Now, as it relates to your mother --
You know what I want from you? A letter retracting that demolition order.
Look, she need a letter saying that her home won't be taken and torn down. She don't want to sell.
Just like you said you can provide a letter for the ones in the 1800 block of Master Street, she live in the 1900 block of Harlan Street, you could do the same for her.
Master Street was a mistake. That should have never been on the list. I can't say the same about Harlan Street.
I can't say the same about Harlan Street. I know Master Street, that's 321 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES probably 90 percent occupied. There's no reason to relocate people off of that block. You don't fix something that's not broke. Harlan Street, my understanding is that there is probably four or five occupied properties on Harlan Street.
I don't know if that can be done, but that's a part of the planning process. And it's going to be a long planning process to talk about where the development will take place, where the new houses will take place, where there will be relocation. That process hasn't started yet. That's all I'm saying. But it's my responsibility as the elected official for those residents to make sure that they first overall get treated fairly -- and to some degree that hadn't been done because people haven't received what they believe to be the adequate notification -- and to be compensated in an equitable way, better than the federal regulation. And that's my full intention of doing that because I have done that in the past and 322 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES I've got a track record of making sure that people are taken care of in the event that we have to relocate them.
Well, you have to prove yourself and give me a track record by doing something about this here.
Do something about this here. The only person said something about this was Ortiz, and he's the one that got the letters together and distribute them. This is ridiculous.
At the end of the day, if things don't happen in a positive way in North Philadelphia and there's not development and there's no stores, no rebuilding of commercial corridors in our residential communities, I'm going to be the one that's going to take the weight, as I should be because I'm the District Councilperson.
We're losing our homes. 323 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES What difference does it make?
I'm the District Councilperson so I've got to take the responsibility to some degree of making sure the funds flow to that area, because at the end of the day they're not going to blame it on Councilman Ortiz, they're going to say, "Darrell, you didn't do nothing for North Philadelphia." That's all I'm attempting to do. What I'm asking people to do is to participate in a process. This is going to be a while. Nobody is going to be to asked to leave their homes this year. We're talking next year.
I understand that. And she can clearly communicate that --
And we're not going to stand by and see you take her home like that. 324 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
I want something written saying that's not going to happen. Then she can sleep and I can go to work.
I can't give you that letter today. I can only speak about Masters Street because I'm familiar with Masters Street.
Well, who can we go to, to do something about this? Who can tell do something?
I don't know who can tell you that today, sir. I'm going to be honest with you. I don't know who can tell you today that that property will remain in that location. The only way that that will happen is if somehow we don't do the development, we don't do the Bill, then that property will more than likely stay there because there won't be any money to develop that area.
Thank you for your testimony. Please identify yourself, sir.
My name is Sweeney Brown. I have a property at 2702 Susquehanna 325 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES Avenue. I watched my brother-in-law go to his grave trying to get the vacant property next door to him torn down. It hasn't had a roof on it in years, 5 whereby, sabotaging our house. On the other side is 6 another vacant house. My sister endured it, 7 rainwater, filth, as long as she could. Now, I've 8 been working in the house for the last four months. 9 And the particular group that's asking for the 10 problem knows that. Did they notify anyone to say 11 it's occupied, being worked on, status has changed? 12 No. I looked at the paperwork yesterday, it's still 13 listed as vacant. 14 What I want to know is this: When 15 people start working on their property, shouldn't it 16 be moved from the status of vacant to occupied? 17 They know I'm in there. The group is Project Homes. 18 They know I'm in there. They watched me work on the 19 property. Do you understand? They know I'm there. 20 But they have not notified the program to say someone is in the house. I missed Verizon today for the phone. I'm here trying to -- we want to stay there. It's family property. I'm not a speculator. I'm not a guy that's a carpetbagger. You know what I mean? It's the family's house. 326 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES How did I get here, Mr. Clarke? I called your office about the two adjoining vacant properties. Only to find out I'm in trouble. Never notified. Never got nothing. Do you live in North Philly, Mr. Clarke.
I hear you talk about money, we'll lose the funding, the money, I hear you talking about the grant. But I don't hear you talking about human misery. See, it's human misery in here. It's people suffering in here. They don't like it. And if I'm right in my thinking, I think all of these projects came forward 327 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES because they said the community wanted it. But the community don't appear to want this. So that's a lie right there at the beginning.
You're saying the community didn't want the Homeownership Zone?
The community didn't want this. Do they look like they wanted it?
Sir, I have been in so many meetings, marketing meetings in the Cecil B. Moore Avenue area about the Homeownership Zone where we have sold houses to people in that community. You can't sit here and tell me people don't know anything about it.
Let's talk about your situation. You've got a property --
Here's the thing. It's not vacant. Can we note that for the record? I'm in there; it's not vacant.
You have a property on Susquehanna Avenue. Is it under your name or your family's name?
Yes, it is. It's 328 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES under my name.
And your content is that you should be allowed to continue to renovate your property.
To continue. I have a line of credit with Home Depot, enough to fund it. Sears Home Center, enough to fund it. I have a beautiful credit line. I'm fine. I don't need the bank. And I don't need a mortgage. And I would like to do it. Isn't that what we have the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Don't we have that? Or do we have non-profits hold a gun at our head and threaten us to take our properties from us? This is not right. Common sense should tell you this is wrong. See, the tin man went to the wizard for a heart. Councilman, I'm telling you, you might need to following the yellow brick road. You need a heart, man. This is heartless. This is heartless. It's not right. Look at the people. Staying here from 9 o'clock in the morning -- let me show you 329 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES what I just went through. I just drove to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, two days in a row to confer with my sister, to talk about how we can hold on to the family's property. This is sad. This is sad. It's not right. But I say this: There is November coming fast. It's coming fast. I understand you're not challenged, am I right? Not this year.
Because if we hadn't made that mistake, you wouldn't be there now.
The fact that I'm not challenged shouldn't bear into my decision. You're saying you have a property that you're renovating. If you're renovating the property, if you have the ability to renovate the property, and I'm going to take you at your word that you're in the process. If you're doing that, then maybe we 330 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES shouldn't take your property. My understanding is the purpose of the taking the property was for a project that Project Home was doing, their concern that there was a vacant property in the middle of that row and there ability to market and get insurance for the property --
They knew as long as four months ago it was no longer vacant. They know it. But did they change the status? No, sir.
Let me look into it. If you're in there renovating the property and it's your intention to renovate it and to live in property, then I think you should be given the opportunity to do that, all right.
This is where I stand. I just want to say one other thing, though. This whole thing of property that's vacant and listed vacant, this is me. But how many other people are encountering the same thing that I'm encountering? That's just me we're talking about 331 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES here. How many other people? And how many other people have the ability to fix their places? They know I'm in there. I went around and talked to them. They know I'm there.
You know I been to your office. Should I tell you what Mr. Williams told me?
Listen, I'm in there. It's not vacant and I told them I'm not going away quietly because it's my family's. I promised my brother-in-law I would look out for my sister, and I intend to do it.
Let me look into it. You've been talking to Gary, right, Gary Williams?
Yeah. He said to me you had made a decision not to help me. That's what he said; Mr. Williams.
You're telling me that you've been in there renovating the property? That wasn't my understanding. But if you're saying -- 332 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
For the last four months. They know how the building look and they know how it looks now.
I'm Cecilia Suarez. I live at 2219 North 15th Street. I came confused this morning. I'm still confused at this time.
All I know is that I received a letter and that's why I'm here. If I had received a letter before, I would have been whereever I was supposed to be. This is the first I know about anything. I received a letter. I called up the Inquirer about it. They say they wanted to take the property. I had no one to talk to, so I came here today. I'm missing a graduation because this is more important. And my house, 2219, my mother bought that house in 1944 when women weren't allowed to buy property in Philadelphia. It was under my grandfather's name. And we have been there since 1944. We were looking forward to celebrating 333 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES our 60th anniversary next year. At this time, I don't know what will be happening. Might not even be there, from what I'm seeing. I want to know -- you know, where am I expected to going at this time?
2219 North 15th Street, around the corner from your office. It's the first house next to that store on 15th Street going toward Dauphin Street. And I just want to know what's going to be done, what's the amount of time or whatever. Because in our house -- you know, we have slate pavements out there. I have marble vestibule and steps. I have marble inlaid walls in there, marble fireplace, and upstairs in my bedroom I have a wood paneling that would, you know, give that trouble up there and it's mahogany. Everybody likes it. I mean, the house is set up and this is what I'm used to. We have four generations in there at this time, myself, my daughter, my granddaughters, and their two kids. I have great-grands. And we've all been brought up in this house. 334 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES And he's talking about relocating. Where do I go at my age? I'm a post liver transplant patient. I'm thinking if I have to leave out of here, I have to worry about going somewhere else and paying the taxes and all. And this is just bum rush, and that's all I have to say. I just wanted you to know the way I felt personally of what I'm leaving behind if I have to go. And I really don't want to go. Let's make sure you understand that.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ma'am, have you had any contact with the neighborhood organization, anybody leading up to this process?
Nothing. Nothing. They had a meeting, like, a month ago and I went there. Housing wasn't even brought up in that meeting. Nothing. If I was, you know, notified -- like I said, I came here today. I would have been there because this is something important. I haven't been notified of anything. We've been there, like I say, 335 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES next year is our 60th year anniversary.
Thank you, ma'am. Sorry for your trouble. Sir, please identify yourself for the record.
Yes. My name is George W. Davis, Sr. I live on 15th Street also, in the 2200 block. These medals I'm holding up here,they're not just medals I picked up at a flea market. This is Distinguished Honor Roll 2001-2202 Abraham Lincoln. My baby girl will be graduated in two weeks from Abraham Lincoln High. I just enroll her in Penn State for the fall. All those things -- what I'm saying is, what do I tell my daughter -- not so much of telling her. How do I explain to my son in Bagdad that he ain't got nowhere to live no more because somebody want to come in here and they're worried about money. You know what? Not only that. It's a shame that people sweep things under the rug for the simple fact -- and I'm not trying to stay here long because I've been here long enough. The 336 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES thing is, back in the early '80s, we had a fire in the 2200 block of 15th Street. I ran in this fire, pulled a man out of fire. You know much notoriety I got? None. None. I had flesh on my clothes. You know how much notoriety I got? "They gonna to take your house." That's how much notoriety I got. I'm sorry, I'm very angry. I'm very angry. And I got I kids that I don't know what to say to. Just like you're confused -- I'm not confused; I'm messed up in the head right now. "Confused" ain't the word; it's definitely not. I thank you for your time.
Sir, have you not been contacted by the neighborhood the community organization or anybody.
Nobody. See, and the bad part about that is, see, when you get block captains and other people that's supposed to be a part of your community and they are not communicating with the neighbors -- we had meetings and meetings we didn't know about. If certain ones that sneaked in with the enemy and got the information and brought it back to us, that's how we got it.
But there was never 337 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES any discussion about your particular house as a part of the seniors project.
None of that. And not only that -- like I said, I'm gonna finish it up. I own the lot. I got deeds and titles to the lot next door. Why didn't they send me paperwork out on that? Even though they can take it. But if I got deeds and titles to it, that mean I got ownership. So why didn't they send me a letter out for the lot? Send a letter out for the lot. If you gonna do something, take the lot. I don't mind that. But don't skip over the lot and take the only thing that I have left. That's all I'm saying. I want a fair shake. I didn't come to Philadelphia to be swept under the rug. I came here for a fair shake. That's what I came here for. And I haven't got it.
My understanding is it was supposed to be substantial discussion with the residents on that block, there were agreements and all of that.
No, sir. Now, ya'll saying this thing been going on for five years.
No, not that. Yours 338 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES is something different. Where you are is the proposal to put a senior citizens house on the corner. The problem was is that they needed some additional land because the space on the corner wasn't big enough and it was supposed to be a process with the community and other people involved that was supposed to talk to people to find out who was interested in selling their property and all of that.
Ain't nobody came about selling no property. But the bad part -- another thing about this here is where I live at, I live almost like in the middle of the block. There's an abandoned house next to me and -- two abandoned houses right there. But my thing is, how can you take my house and not take the houses where you going to build a center at? To me -- I'm confused. Like I said, thank you for your time, and I wish we do something about it.
Hi. My name is Annie Alvin. We're all neighbors. And my house is 2221 North 15 Street. It's a Philadelphia Housing Authority 339 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES house. I been in that house 35 years and raised my family. I had a problem. I got this letter in the mail. They didn't even tell me. I'm renting. But this is my neighborhood. We're around the corner from your office. We've watched politicians come through there and walk through there with no 9 concern. Not only that, I'm sick now. It was no 10 break here today, no time -- I watched ya'll eat lunch, talk on the phone. It's just pure inconsideration. Not only that, now all of a sudden, when you even complain about getting windows or getting something fixed, you have to endure, endure, endure, be quiet and rent because when you below poverty level under 30 percent, you just trying crawl out of bucket. I was able for my daughter, was a single parent to raise her. She's teaching. She's married to a police officer. I was a stay-at-home mom. I treasure my motherhood and my faith. And if it had not been God on my side just to keep my sanity -- I'm sick right now. I thank God because it's not right. Even though renting, I have a big voice in it because I'm going to call on heaven because the 340 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES earth is the Lord's. The way you moving us out, the way ya'll come into our neighborhoods and our churches for votes, you come in our neighborhoods and act like you want us to vote. Literature was in my mail slot. Ya'll secretaries call on the phone for votes. And now when it's time to get some answers -- it was so poorly held even with some education and the people that were here that had been to college and stuff like that, but do them right. You learn through your faith to do right. Do unto others what you have them do unto you. Don't tell me you North Philadelphia when you don't know -- I might come in and don't even know how to put my key in the door because I don't have a deed but I've been there 35 years. I live next to a lot. I keep that lot clean myself. " I have to live there. I don't want Pampers and trash next to a lot there, and that would be poor raising on my part from my up-bringing. You see what I'm saying? I think it's unfair where you want to build that center, that corner. The minister wouldn't sell and then it was my neighbors house, my house, and a little store that come on the other side of the lot that I kept clean all these 341 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES years and then go down, I'm not moving that fast even though I'm renting. The ceiling fell on me. Nobody took that down to try to help me. When you stand up against big corporation organizations and you don't have a husband and I'm not married, you don't have a husband, all I have is in my faith in God. We pushed around. Usually in these poor neighborhoods -- and I'm going to go back to the riots in the '60s. We endured all of that. We don't got planes. We hardly got education and hardly can get our housing. When we was in school, when the bankings and took our two on three dollars to help build up the banks and stuff, we can't even hardly get loans when we want stuff. But yet the bigger development come and get the money and it's our little bit of money. We can hardly get no fair interest rates. Not only that, when the '60s with the riots, now you took our neighborhoods centers we can go and shop on, they're abandoned. Now downtown is built up. You don't want us down there no more because it's hotels, stores, and theater and all that down there. Now you want to take where we live us. It's going to cost us. It's costing us all away around. 342 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES And then for me trying to get -- I'm in my last year of college trying to embetterment, embetterment, embetterment, where am I going to go and what am I going to get? What am I going to get? I heard ya'll say PHA won't even come down here and be subject to ya'll, so how you thing I'm going to win.
If ya'll don't help back me as a single female in a poor neighborhood that ya'll want to come in, now ya'll want them. My professor told us 30 years ago, North Philadelphia is going to be the richest part of the City. It's in the heart. And the thing about it, the disrespect. We're not dumb. You're sweeping stuff under the rugs and you passing all this legislation and stuff and saying if we're interested. Where are we going to live? I'm sick. Sometimes I don't even know if my -- when I shake when I come around the corner from your office because I don't know if my key is going to fit in my door, if ya'll going to padlock it, take it over because ya'll just gonna build. Ya'll got the money. You're not even considering revising to even consider us when we have spoken that we don't want that. 343 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES Even though I'm renting, I'm one block to Broad Street, it's convenient for me too. And I stayed. I fought drug dealers and we stood the test. Little grandmothers, little mother and stuff, hardly no men because they in jail. And thinking build a jail in our neighborhood. I mean we just tired of always being last. We're just tired of always being last and know then like we have no 10 say-so. I'm tired myself. And I'm a female. I don't have a husband to cry on. But I have to look up. And I'm asking God to look down because he can do something to the hardest of situations. It's not right and it's not fair. And I'm not going away quiet anymore. I want to stand up against big guns and PHA and all them. And then my name will be black-balled of I complain. It's not fair. And I want help. You're around the corner from me. I want some help, not just take our names and like we're nothing and, you know. I want some help. I want to be promised some help that they're not going to squeeze me out, you know. If I'm in there I under poverty level. But you be trying to get out. And that was a good law-abiding citizen. And I help keep peace on my block. And my 344 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES parents raised us. I raised my family, my grand. I want to be able to even buy the Philadelphia Housing house so I can put a porch on there for my grand. My mother's almost 70 to visit me to come down. I love my neighborhood and I want to be a part of it. I love being one block from Broad Street in the heart with Temple University. I love it and I want some help. Thank you for hearing me.
Mr. Chairman, he already spoke. You've got to give other people a chance.
Yes, I will. Mr. Chairman, you asked for some information concerning the process, and that's what I'm trying to address. There again, there was some of our neighbors from the Latino community here and they were talking 345 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES about the process, about the one house that they were looking to demolish that was declared a lot. Well, with the NTI process, the way it's supposed to work is that somebody is supposed to go out with the L&I Commissioner and they take pictures of every property. That's the properties as well as the lots. I've been saying from day one that it's not a complete process because how can you take a standing building and mistake it for a lot? It's not happening. They're not doing the right documentation. They're not doing the right notification. And as I said, and I want to say it again for the record, this whole idea about NTI as it stands right now, is a process to drive demolition for the developers and for the contractors that live outside of Philadelphia. And they don't add to the tax base in Philadelphia. They don't bring revenue into the City. They take money out of the City. And it makes no sense to take these people homes as a consequence to that. And that's all I want to say for the record.
Mr. Chairman, I 346 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES have no idea under what authority he speaks for the Latino community. If he speaks for Mill Creek and if he speaks for Belmont, we don't have a real Latino contingency there. I have no idea under what authority he speaks, just as I don't under what authority he even says he lives in Mill Creek because, again, he uses an address of a trailer. Thank you.
My name is Thomas H. Hughes, Sr. I'm here to represent my oldest brother which is Edward Hughes. He lives at 1945 West Nicholas Street and that is our family home. We received a notice about a week ago that this home was going to be torn down, which it upset him. And he's not a very good speaker so he sent me. I would like to know, if that home is going to be torn down, what will happen to the rest? I'm the second oldest of seven kids that's still living. We lived on 1945 West Nicholas Street since 1948. We were all raised up around there. And I would like to know what would happen to the home after you tear it down and he's the only one living there? 347 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
Sir, I don't have any idea. It's the Redevelopment Authority and your District Councilperson. Why are you shaking your head? I don't know who else to ask. If you don't know --
What I'd like to see is if it's a notice to demolish, that's not coming from us. I'd like to see it. Was it a notice from L&I?
It was in paper. These houses in 1945 West Nicholas Street was one of the houses that said was to be demolished.
Yes, my oldest brother, Eddie. See, what happened is, I didn't see the notice. We were at a funeral and one of my cousins says, "Hey, you better get down and see about this. Your mom's house is going to be tore down." She brought this little notice and it had the section on Nicholas Street, which is not that many houses on Nicholas street. But the home that when lived in is 348 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES pretty well kept up. But it's upsetting my brother.
Did you see the notice and the notice said -- because some properties that are vacant on Nicholas Street were scheduled for demolition, but all of them were vacant.
It's a lot of houses that's vacant on that street. I'll go along with you. But 1945 and 1943 are two homes connected to each other. And I can't say what's going on down the street because I do not live in the house. My oldest brother is there and it is our family home.
And you received a notice that that property will be demolished? Sometimes when people see -- and I've heard that because people see if says "condemned" some people sometimes think that means demolished. So could it be that he got a notice that said the property will be condemned? He might have thought that meant it was going to be demolished. That could have been, because a lot of times when the people see condemnation they think that means demolition.
See, I wasn't there when he 349 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES got this notice. But he called me --
He did get some kind of a notice. He was at a meeting last Saturday. I was thre at that meeting, I was there too. And the understanding that we got, that this home had to go on Nicholas Street.
That was probably a condemnation notice. If he got a request to come to that meeting, then that was a condemnation notice. It wasn't a demolition notice. But that's significant, the fact that he got that condemnation notice. So there needs to be some follow-up to make sure, first of all, that that was one of the properties that ultimately would need to be relocated. Because as I said earlier, a lot of people got notices that probably shouldn't have gotten them because they were not in any targeted area for relocation, so he needs to follow-up on that. I'm not sure if that's in that area.
Could I just see a show of hands of people left in the room to testify 350 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES on these bills? Because I want to let you know now there's going to be no action on these bills today. Most likely this committee's going to recess tomorrow until o'clock a.m., because there's not 6 enough -- because my brain is fried. And if I've 7 got to make decisions on these bills based on -- we 8 read overnight to deal with this. 9 We'll let everybody testify. The 10 hearing is going to be recessed until tomorrow at 10:00. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Everyone that's here will be able to speak. I just want to make sure people understand that there's going to be no vote today. There will be no action. There will be a hearing tomorrow. This hearing will be recessed to 10 o'clock tomorrow when we're through. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Will there be a vote tomorrow after this?
We don't know. I said earlier, I'm not voting for any bill that's taking any house that anybody is living in. That, I'm not doing. Vacant lots, side yards, that kind of stuff, commercial property -- my own personal perspective, speaking for me now, I'm fine. Any 351 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES property that's got a person living in it is not getting my vote tomorrow on that Bill. So we'll see what happens tomorrow as it plays out.