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PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Testimony by Rosa Chang, Co-founder of Gotham Park

2:07:31

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131 sec

Rosa Chang, co-founder of Gotham Park, testified about their grassroots organization's efforts to create and maintain a new community-led public space in a historically underinvested neighborhood near City Hall. She highlighted the importance of the Brooklyn Bridge vaults and advocated for their reopening to house a public library that would serve the diverse local community.

  • Gotham Park is opening a 9-acre public space, with 1 acre already open and 3 more acres to be opened by the end of the year.
  • The Brooklyn Bridge vaults, originally designed as interconnected commercial spaces, are currently closed but have potential for public use.
  • Chang requested support to advocate for reopening the vaults and creating a New York public library to serve the local community, which is 64% BIPOC and has 20% of families living below the federal poverty level.