I have been busy filling up our new blog: http://duffieldst.blogspot.com/. There are many developments in the effort to promote the Abolitionist heritage on Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn. City Council Representative John Liu lead a press conference at 227 Duffield on Juneteenth (last Tuesday), and we got sympathetic coverage in almost every paper.

Only one paper came out in favor of using eminent domain against the historic buildings. The Daily News published an article saying that it was cynical to stop the development of Brooklyn. The Daily News subscribes to the EDC's logic that the economy of Brooklyn would grind to a halt if the proposed parking lot and 1.5 acre grassy knoll were not built... well I'm slightly exaggerating, but check out this link to read for yourself:
http://duffieldst.blogspot.com/2007/06/daily-news-calls-grassy-knoll-key...

In a move that could mark a turning point for the residents on Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn, Yvette Clarke has written a letter of support for the preservation of their homes. The properties, purportedly part of the historic Underground Railroad movement of the Civil War era, are threatened with seizure by the New York Economic Development Corporation (EDC). The EDC wants to build in their place an underground parking lot and access road for a hotel.

Yvette Clarke was recently elected to Congress, beating out three other candidates in a grueling contest. This move suggests a growing sense of leadership for Clarke. In the wake of Clarke's letter, David Yassky and Congressman Ed Towns have expressed their intention of standing up in favor of the Abolitionist homes. The Brooklyn Papers published Clarke: Save Duffield Houses in this week's edition.

This is just so bad.... yet I can't resist....

Finally! A good reason to support the Atlantic Yards! It will increase efficiency of mass beheadings! In any case, this video is certainly a worst case scenario not imagined by the ESDC.

Several news outlets have covered the Duffield Abolitionist homes.

The Real Estate Observer gives us a nice shout out.

Curbed summarizes the last DailyGotham post.

The Gowanus Lounge also wades in, and NY Magazine offers a few words.

NoLandGrab offers original analysis by picking up a point published here. AKRF/NYCEDC chose to print a map without its legend, and NoLandGrab suggests that the missing legend offers support of the residents' oral histories.

Thanks y'all for keeping this on the burner!

Warning: the following post includes confusing details meant to discourage public participation. Some patience and bravery is advised.

In a stunning move of extreme waffling, the office of Melinda Katz has rescheduled the public hearing on Duffield Street from April 11 to May 1. Or maybe it will be April 17, but we won't know for sure until a few days before the meeting.

Action Advisory:
Email Christine Quinn at quinn@council.nyc.ny.us and
Melinda Katz at katz@council.nyc.ny.us

Write that the destruction of the Underground Railroad deserves a fair hearing. The City should not waddle through the seizure by eminent domain of private homes in a haphazard manner.

Stick to the announced date of May 1 for the public hearing on the Duffield Street Abolitionist homes!

In their messy attempt to help squelch any further exploration of this history, the City Council has in the space of about three weeks rescheduled the public hearing on this three times. The EDC, with AKRF (a private entity dedicated to destroying communities in the way of big development plans), spent two years studying the historical record. The 500+ page report was released 3/13/07 and the first public hearing was scheduled 3/20, giving the public no time to review the report. After some pressure from Tish James and others, they rescheduled the meeting to 4/11. On April 5 at about 5:00 pm, Council Member Katz's office let word out that the meeting will be delayed until May 1. Or maybe not.

In a tiny basement on a scrapy block of 4th Avenue you will find a neatly arranged collection of books that are a lifeline for so many isolated people. Welcome to Books Through Bars, one of those perpetually underfunded groups that somehow are still able to help people in a substantial way. They donate books to people incarcerated across the country. Paperbacks, especially dictionaries, thesauruses, history, politics, art and social science books are always appreciated. Isn’t it time you did something with those college books gathering dust? Are you done reading that history of Africa in the 13th century? Are they gathering dust? If so, consider giving them away to the so many people who would really make good use of them. You can donate to Books Through Bars by making a donation to them at BookMooch.com, which is another great resource for those with DailyGotham inclinations.