Today, @NYCCouncil is holding an emergency hearing to investigate NYCHA’s response to concerns over water safety at Jacob Riis Houses.
— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) September 23, 2022
For weeks we have demanded accountability and full transparency from NYCHA. We expect that today.
My opening remarks ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/103nB89ZsK
Saturday, September 24, 2022
NYCHA officials appear before City Council: The latest from the Riis Houses water scandal
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Community groups advocating for low-income housing on these 2 East Village sites
Saturday, September 17, 2022
The latest headlines from the Riis Houses water scandal
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Mayor Adams gives the all clear to the water at the Jacob Riis Houses
This comes after the news Friday in which Environmental Monitoring and Technologies Inc. admitted that its earlier findings of arsenic in the water were incorrect.This morning, @nycHealthy reviewed the final test results for contaminants and we can confidently say the water at @NYCHA Jacob Riis Houses meets EPA standards. I wouldn’t ask residents to do anything I wouldn’t do, which is why I stopped by Riis Houses to drink the water myself. pic.twitter.com/0eTnIBDyaZ
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 10, 2022
Other reactions...I know the last eight days have been unbearable for the residents of Jacob Riis Houses, but, this morning, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reviewed the final test results for contaminants and found the water to be well within EPA drinking water quality standards. We can confidently say the water at Riis Houses is and has been free of any discernible amount of arsenic since the initial tests were initiated in August and meets EPA standards. I would not ask the residents of Riis Houses to do anything I wouldn’t do, which is why I have already stopped by Riis Houses and drank the water myself.As we stated yesterday, NYCHA nor any other city agency will test water through Environmental Monitoring and Technologies any longer, and the city intends to pursue all available legal options on behalf of the residents of Riis Houses and will look for how we can reimburse residents for costs incurred over the last week. In regard to the Legionella bacteria reported earlier this week, we suspect these results are inaccurate.As public health experts have noted, Legionnaires Disease cannot be contracted by drinking water. Additionally, we are actively reviewing our Legionella surveillance data, and have found no reported or confirmed cases of Legionnaires Disease at Riis Houses over the last 12 months.
After being on the ground hearing directly from residents this week and laying out questions + demands below, we heard little from the City at tonight’s mtg with Riis families.
— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) September 10, 2022
Blaming an outside vendor for NYCHA’s mistakes is not accountability. These families deserve better. https://t.co/rcSWQMA1Wg
Saturday, September 10, 2022
Officials now say water tested at the Riis Houses never had arsenic in it; lab says results were 'incorrect'
Officials made a stunning announcement yesterday about the week-long water crisis at the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D.An update from the Mayor’s Press Secretary @Fabien_Levy on the water situation at Jacob Riis Houses in Manhattan:https://t.co/j1foCteceU pic.twitter.com/xUs2uLTRV0
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) September 9, 2022
Today, Environmental Monitoring and Technologies — the original lab that provided the initial test results claiming there was arsenic in the water at Riis Houses issued a full retraction and released revised results, calling their initial results 'incorrect.' Worse yet, the company has now admitted to being the ones that introduced arsenic into the samples, leading to the false results.
The audience erupted, with tenants shouting that they don't know what to believe after being whipsawed back and forth over eight days, beginning on the Friday night of Labor Day weekend, that left them furious and exhausted."This one week has felt like an eternity," said Riis tenant Dianna Fernandez. "Water is essential. NYCHA needs to do better. Mayor Adams: Where are you?"Adams was in Washington, D.C. trying to woo the Democratic Committee to hold its convention in New York, but NYCHA Chairman Gregory Russ was present, facing the angry crowd and quickly becoming the target of much of the room’s explosive anger.
And as NBC New York reported: "City leaders plan to explore all legal avenues while guaranteeing the end to all work with Environmental Monitoring and Technologies."Angry residents of the Jacob Riis houses at a public meeting tonight demanding answers from officials about the complex’s water. @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/mBDygvJdFi
— Thalia Perez (@ThaliaPerezTV) September 10, 2022
NEW: I, along with many of my colleagues, want answers from @NYCMayor and @NYCHA Chair Russ. Residents at Riis Houses have been through a lot. They deserve answers, transparency, accountability and compensation. We look forward to the response. pic.twitter.com/sJ7Rb0CKPH
— Harvey Epstein (@HarveyforNY) September 9, 2022
Friday, September 9, 2022
Sept. 9: The latest headlines on the water crisis at the Jacob Riis Houses
... and here's a flashback to a piece via PIX 11 about the water at Riis Houses from Aug. 12 titled, "Cloudy tap water has East Village NYCHA residents worried."Out here at Riis Houses, w/ @CarlinaRivera & @HarveyforNY, helping w/ hot meal distribution for tenants who are enduring yet another day without useable water.
— Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) September 8, 2022
We need this crisis resolved once and for all. And we need accountability for what residents here have endured. pic.twitter.com/FsgxLs0Tzx
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
The latest headlines on the water crisis at the Jacob Riis Houses
Saturday, September 3, 2022
[Updated]: Unsafe levels of arsenic found in the drinking water at Riis Houses; when did city officials know?
An NYCHA spokesperson said the results from the tests only came back yesterday.JUST IN: @NYCMayor joins officials and volunteers to distribute water bottles at @NYCHA’s Jacob Riis Houses. pic.twitter.com/By7EdPoXUk
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) September 3, 2022
The report that NYCHA found arsenic in the drinking water at the Riis houses before notifying residents is deeply concerning.
— Comptroller Brad Lander (@NYCComptroller) September 3, 2022
NYCHA residents deserve clear communication and immediate access to clean water.⁰⁰My office is following the situation closely.https://t.co/OQ72N0HCb3
Per Gothamist:⚠️ RIIS WATER UPDATE: We’re alarmed by yesterday’s news at Riis Houses. We’ve been on site ensuring families have updates + drinkable water. As we await more test results, DO NOT consume water from the building.
— NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera (@CMCarlinaRivera) September 3, 2022
NYCHA + DOHMH must give answers on previous findings + remediation.
Levels of arsenic above 10 parts per billion can cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, paralysis, and blindness, and prolonged exposure can lead to several types of cancer, according to the EPA. The mayor's office declined to say how high arsenic levels detected were.
I don’t know what to say. Other than my mom lives in this development and it’s a really scary situation. https://t.co/kidQg65YPs
— John M. Blasco (@JBlascoNYC) September 3, 2022
Here's more from a new story at The City:
According to an internal NYCHA email obtained by THE CITY, DOHMH [Department of Health & Mental Hygiene] doesn’t believe the contaminant emanates from the water supply but is somehow coming from the plumbing system at Riis itself.
A key concern for DOHMH is whether construction from ongoing work related to damage inflicted 10 years ago by Superstorm Sandy, as well as current work on the development’s heating system, have stirred up the soil and contributed to the contamination of the water.
From CBS New York:
NYCHA's federally imposed watchdog monitor, Bart Schwartz, notified NYCHA officials to "ensure the integrity of any inquiry," and for the safety of residents "preserve all documents related to this issue"... including electronic and paper communications, test results and timelines.
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
An idea for this 'vacancy hotspot' on Avenue A
Urge the NYCHA to make their vacant spaces on Avenue A available for vendor markets, micro-entrepreneurs living in NYCHA developments, and local businesses more generally.
We don't know why the city/NYCHA hasn't made more of an effort to lease these high-profile spaces.
The other two vacancy hotspots are the retail spaces at Steiner East Village on Avenue A between 11th Street and 12th Street (for lease signs have been posted for the past four years) and the renovated storefronts at 250 E. Houston St.
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Proposed plans now call for a 24-story residential building on 14th Street and Avenue C
The application seeks to modify the boundaries of the previously approved plans and zoning calculations by expanding the zoning lot to include 644 East 14th Street (Block 396, Lot 29). Through the zoning lot merger, the development rights from the existing LSRD comprised of Campos Plaza I and II, which are owned by a joint venture that includes NYCHA ... can be transferred to Block 396, Lot 29, a vacant property owned by Madison Realty Capital.
Concerns over new plans
Thursday, June 2, 2022
City Councilmember Carlina Rivera makes bid for Congress official
District 2 City Councilmember Carlina Rivera made it official yesterday, announcing that she is running for Congress in the newly redrawn 10th District that spans parts of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.NY-10 is my home. It's where I was born and raised, where I learned the importance of community.
— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) June 1, 2022
My love for this city drives everything I do—and now, I'm running for Congress to help build a future that every New Yorker can see themselves in.
¡Vamos!: https://t.co/SdCbxwn3BB pic.twitter.com/cdjdorxGDU
The new 10th District leans heavily Democratic, spanning all of Manhattan below 14th Street and areas of Brooklyn spanning Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights to Park Slope all the way to Sunset Park and Borough Park. Whomever wins the Democratic primary in August is expected to cruise to a November general election victory.First elected to the Council in 2017, Rivera now represents several Manhattan neighborhoods where she'll be wooing voters, including parts of Chinatown and the Lower East Side, the East Village and Alphabet City.
In a phone interview on Tuesday, Rivera listed housing and climate change among the top issues in the district and touted her efforts to expand affordable housing development and climate resiliency.
A POLITICO analysis of the 2018 Democratic primary for governor — the last year New Yorkers voted in a midterm election — showed that parts of Rivera's lower Manhattan district, including Chinatown and the Lower East Side, voted in far fewer numbers than Park Slope and Cobble Hill. Not only did those Brooklyn areas lead turnout in the newly drawn congressional seat, they are consistently among the highest-performing districts across the city, election returns and data from the CUNY’s Center for Urban Research show. They are also the home turf of competitors, including de Blasio and Simon.
And...
While she doesn’t have the baggage of former Mayor Bill de Blasio ... she also doesn't have his near-universal name recognition. What's more, Rivera hails from lower Manhattan and hasn't appeared on the ballot in some of the most civically active neighborhoods within the district, which de Blasio represented for eight years in the Council.
While she grew up in the district — unlike fellow hopeful Rep. Mondaire Jones , whose nearest office is more than 20 miles away — she now lives eight blocks north of its boundaries. And she has just begun to fundraise, whereas Jones already has $2.9 million in the bank as of the most recent filing.
Still, her team believes she will prevail, as outlined in an email — titled "Carlina Rivera NY-10 Path to Victory" — sent to media outlets yesterday.
We believe that Council Member Rivera has the clearest and most straightforward path to victory in NY-10 of any announced or potential candidate in the race.
Rivera has a reliable voter base in Council District 2, the clear ability to win Hispanic voters across Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, a history of winning in NYCHA and housing cooperatives, and a proven appeal to high-turnout liberal voters in racially and economically diverse neighborhoods throughout the district who aligned with Maya Wiley and Kathryn Garcia in the 2021 Democratic mayoral primary.
No other candidate in this race combines such a strong existing constituency with such a clear path to building a district-wide coalition, and no other candidate has been able to secure such a strong level of support from elected officials both within the district and around the city.
A recent poll conducted by PIX11/Emerson College/The Hill (before Rivera entered the race) found that 77% of Democratic voters in the district are undecided on who they would vote for in the Aug. 23 primary.
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For further listening: Carlina Rivera on Running for Congress in the New NY-10 (Podcast at Gotham Gazette)
Sunday, May 29, 2022
EVG Etc.: the new 10th Congressional District candidates; the pop-up version of Angel's Share
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
After deadly shooting, fearful residents speak out about the drug activity on Avenue D & 3rd Street
Friday, April 29, 2022
Man dead in shooting this morning outside Mariana Bracetti Plaza on 4th Street
Saturday, January 29, 2022
EVG Etc.: Nor'easter updates; red-tailed hawk archives
Friday, December 17, 2021
A rally in support of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project; activists lose appeal
ESCR is one of many critical life-saving infrastructure projects needed to protect NYC residents from the devastating impacts of climate change. Without the completion of ESCR to provide flood protection, a resilient park, and improved drainage systems, Lower East Side including NYCHA's infrastructure will remain susceptible to deterioration, putting the future of residents at great risk of loss of life, evacuation, and potential loss of homes.
Frontline Communities Coalition refutes the misinformation campaign specifically targeted to play into the fears of people of color and the residents of public housing. ESCR is about saving lives and in doing so it will also save the homes and East River Park itself for future generations.
This morning, the rally takes place at 11 on Sixth Street at FDR Drive between the Jacob Riis and Lillian Wald Houses.
2) Yesterday, the state Court of Appeals denied activists' bid to hear their case.
In a terse, 20-word ruling, the court rejected allegations that the city side-stepped state law by not seeking a vote approving the plan in the state legislature. Judges in earlier phases of the suit had already ruled in the city’s favor twice.
The court also rejected the activists' motion to hold the city in contempt of court, after the city continued to cut down trees in the park following a judge's order in the case, issued last week that appeared to require the city to pause construction.
This is truly a sad day, not only for us but for all parkland. This decision sets a terrible precedent for all parkland... All they have to do now is tack on some park-related excuse to whatever they're doing and it will not need to go through alienation or state oversight. They could put a building in a park and say it's for environmental research for the park and it will be ok. Thank you for your support. We are in mourning.
Monday, December 13, 2021
Dry cleaners and laundromats make a return
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Sidewalk bridge fakeout at the beleaguered Mariana Bracetti Plaza
Landlords put up these dark ugly scaffolds as a resolution instead of actual repairs. Then they stay up for years without any actual work being done. But someone is getting paid to have these sidewalk bridges just up with no real purpose. It creates dark hidden places for illegal activity.With the sidewalk bridges came more and more and more homeless, drug addicts and alcoholics. The money being spent to have these useless sidewalk bridges up should be used to actually improve the building conditions.