PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kurtis Weatherford on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity
8:01:26
·
109 sec
Kurtis Weatherford, a resident of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, testifies in support of the City of Yes proposal, highlighting personal experiences to illustrate the need for increased housing affordability in New York City. He emphasizes how the current housing shortage affects both his family history and his sister's ability to live in the city.
- Weatherford shares his grandfather's story of finding refuge in NYC after fleeing the Holocaust, contrasting the city's past affordability with current housing challenges.
- He describes his sister's inability to move to NYC due to high rent costs, despite her desire to be closer to her job and build a life in the city.
- Weatherford argues that the City of Yes proposal is a step towards making NYC more inclusive and affordable, urging council members to approve it and work on additional measures to increase housing affordability.
Kurtis Weatherford
8:01:26
Hi there.
8:01:26
My name is Curtis Weatherford, and I live in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
8:01:29
I'm here partially because I like more than half of New Yorkers and rent burden as a result of the massive housing shortage in this city.
8:01:35
But I also want to talk about how the state of housing in New York has affected my family.
8:01:39
My grandfather moved here in 1941.
8:01:41
Before the city opposed before the city imposed parking minimums, ADU bands, and other anti housing measures.
8:01:48
He was fourteen years old.
8:01:49
He and his mother were Jewish.
8:01:51
They were fleeing the Holocaust in their home country of Germany, and they were the only 2 members of my extended family to survive.
8:01:56
Upon arrival, they were able to rent a small apartment in the upper west side on my great grandmother's salary sorting rags.
8:02:03
New York City was a refuge for them.
8:02:05
Housing abundance and affordability in this city may have literally saved their lives.
8:02:09
Unfortunately, we all notice that a story like this would be impossible in the city today.
8:02:14
Separately, my sister's job is based in New York, but she lives in Missouri.
8:02:19
She's visited me many times and loves it here.
8:02:21
She also hates having to work remotely, spending all day on Zoom and struggling to connect with coworkers.
8:02:26
She seldom sees.
8:02:27
When I talk to her on the phone, I always tell her she should move here, hang out with her coworkers, have to work, and start to build a life in this great city.
8:02:34
Every time her reply is the same.
8:02:36
I'd love to, but there's no way I can afford the rent.
8:02:39
I try to convince her otherwise, but I know she's right.
8:02:41
She and many others like her must remain far from the city in states where their reproductive rights are curtailed, and they may face discrimination on account of their sexuality because New York City has gone from a city of welcome to a city of welcome as long as you can pay $4000 a month in rent.
8:02:56
The city of yes proposal takes a step towards returning New York to what it should be, a diverse, tolerant, and inclusive city that we can all be proud to call home.
8:03:05
I hope the council members approve this proposal.
8:03:07
Allow a little more housing in each neighborhood and get to work on more measures to increase affordability in the city.
8:03:13
We don't have time to waste.
8:03:14
Thank you.
