People want to know I’ve been covering Red Hook since 2010 and I don’t really understand why nobody, neither community leaders from the back or front, nor elected officials, stepped up to hold a public forum about NYCHA privatization, or PACT. Our reporting indicates that many who live in Red Hook West have no idea about the consequences of what […]
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OP-ED: Tenants should not have to trade their rights, stability, or community to get safe living conditions
The Trump administration is advancing proposals that would limit how long families can remain in federally subsidized housing, including Section 9 and Section 8. For public housing residents in New York City, that’s not an abstract policy debate—it’s a direct threat to housing stability. At a moment when federal support is becoming more precarious, New York City should be doubling […]
Under Karen Blondel’s Leadership, Red Hook West Going Private
Newsletters from the neighborhood. Red Hook & Gowanus Subscribe to get news from the Star-Revue throughout the month. No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · Privacy policy On Nov. 20, 1939, public housing came to Red Hook. Now, some 86 years later, one of Brooklyn’s first public housing complexes is set to be turned over to private management. The Red Hook […]
Karen Blondel crashes Save Section 9 informational event
On April 9, Red Hook West Resident Association President Karen Blondel crashed a canvassing event meant to inform residents about PACT-related risks, disrupting conversations with residents and yelling expletives at an organizer. “Don’t fuck with me, alright, cause I’ll get you barred from this neighborhood,” Blondel said to a young man who showed up to the canvassing hosted by Save […]
Running a City Council Office
Stay in the neighborhood. Red Hook & Gowanus Independent, uncensored local journalism — free to your inbox. No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · Privacy policy Tucked between a supermarket and a café just outside the 45th Street R train stop in Sunset Park sits the modest storefront office of City Council Member Alexa Avilés. From the outside, it blends easily […]
Saying goodbye to a great woman, Khadijah James
Stay in the neighborhood. Red Hook & Gowanus Independent, uncensored local journalism — free to your inbox. No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · Privacy policy Khadijah James (also known as Toni Jones) passed away last month. Her funeral took place at the River of God Christian Center on Wolcott Street, and it was a packed house. Khadijah and I became […]
EDC extends BMT public comment
Stay in the neighborhood. Red Hook & Gowanus Independent, uncensored local journalism — free to your inbox. No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · Privacy policy It was a close one. March 31 was the last day for the public to comment on the scope of the environmental review for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal redevelopment, and into the evening, community members, […]
Lawyers may have figured out a way to get long delayed Public Place housing started
Stay in the neighborhood. Red Hook & Gowanus Independent, uncensored local journalism — free to your inbox. No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · Privacy policy Shovels might soon hit the ground on Gowanus Green, the affordable housing complex on the Gowanus Canal’s western bank. At least according to the consortium of developers behind the project. The developers and the New […]
Who is it for?
Stay in the neighborhood. Red Hook & Gowanus Subscribe to get news from the Star-Revue throughout the month. No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · Privacy policy On the corner of Columbia and Lorraine Street, the latest and largest affordable housing development in Red Hook is taking shape, yet little is known about it, according to residents we spoke with in […]
CB6 declares itself Non-Nimby
Stay in the neighborhood. Red Hook & Gowanus Independent, uncensored local journalism — free to your inbox. No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · Privacy policy At the March meeting, CB6 members faced a dilemma: approve a land use application that would bring more housing to the area, or reject it for not welcoming more affordable units. The board approved the […]
NYCHA PACT plan rejected
Stay in the neighborhood. Red Hook & Gowanus Independent, uncensored local journalism — free to your inbox. No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · Privacy policy It’s official: residents of Isaacs Houses are staying in the Section 9 public housing model, according to election results from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The Manhattan development had three options: keep Section […]
OP ED: Save Nycha from PACT privatization, by Ramona Ferreyra, Mitchel Houses Resident
When privatization comes to public housing, tenants are told to expect repairs, investment, and better living conditions. But what many of us are not told is what we stand to lose. Across the country, RAD/PACT converts traditional Section 9 public housing into project-based Section 8 managed by private companies. These conversions have been found to often weaken tenant protections and […]
Column: Brooklyn Deserves A World-Class Waterfront — Nothing Less
This is New York. Not just any city, but the capital of the world. And Brooklyn—our Brooklyn—is its heart. So why are we being asked to settle for something so ordinary? The proposed plan for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal isn’t bold. It isn’t visionary. And for a site of this importance, that’s not just disappointing—it’s unacceptable. What’s on the table […]
