PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Manny Martinez, Resident Council President of South Jamaica Houses, on NYCHA Compliance and Resident Organization Issues
2:52:42
·
3 min
Manny Martinez, Resident Council President of South Jamaica Houses, testified about compliance issues within NYCHA and concerns regarding resident organization rights. He highlighted the importance of the 2019 agreement's line 53, which mandated the creation of NYCHA's compliance department, and raised issues about NYCHA's creation and recognition of resident organizations.
- Martinez challenged NYCHA's creation of the citywide council of presidents, arguing it violates residents' organizing rights
- He requested the Public Housing Committee to investigate disputes related to resident council recognition that have gone unanswered for over a year
- Martinez also mentioned concerns about HUD not following their own clearance procedures in communications with the public
Manny Martinez
2:52:42
Good aft good afternoon.
2:52:44
Council member and public housing committee.
2:52:49
Listening to the testimonies today and throughout the years that I've done my advocacy.
2:52:54
My name is Manny Martinez.
2:52:55
I'm the resident council president of South Jamaica Houses.
2:52:59
I'm also the Queen South District Chair.
2:53:02
Which is an alliance of resident councils from Far Rock Way to South Jamaica.
2:53:08
The today's meeting was about public, about the federal monitor, about the 2019 agreement in that 2019 agreement, line 53 is very crucial because it's the only component in that agreement that speaks to the residents, right, indirectly, in the sense that compliance is a issue.
2:53:29
The NATO compliance department was created because of line 53, which had mandated for that compliance department to be created and to make sure that factual statements come from NATO given the laws that were given out with the lead, scandal, with shoulder to toe, and, also, they have to make sure that Nike is in accordance with local federal and state laws.
2:53:54
Currently, right now, we have challenged.
2:53:56
We have several resident councils who have put a challenge, a dispute, right, within our rights as resident councils, as representatives to demand recognition of the citywide council of presidents.
2:54:08
We've also demonstrated evidence tonight to that up with Nitro's own documentation that they created, the citywide council of presidency, that the citywide council of presidency is the creation of the housing authority, which violates the resonating organizing rights that we have as public housing residents.
2:54:25
A lot of people don't realize that today's public housing comes from civil rights era amendments, the Brooke Amendment in 1969 that is supposed to counter these experiences that we still continue here.
2:54:37
When we have the housing authority that is creating resident organizations to silence us and also, if if I may.
Chris Banks
2:54:46
30 seconds.
Manny Martinez
2:54:48
And to silence us and to also manipulate our rights to diminish our voice and have our population because nitrogen population is the largest public housing black and Hispanic population in the country in the western hemisphere of Earth.
2:55:04
Right?
2:55:05
And so to have them manipulate elections, to create resident organizations, and then to not respond to our disputes because they can't, I guess, for over a year, That's a problem.
2:55:19
And we're asking for the public housing committee to take a look at this.
2:55:25
I've sent some documents to your office council member.
2:55:29
That's evidencing this, and I have some more.
2:55:32
And we also have issues with HUD.
2:55:35
Where HUD now is not following their own clearance procedures as they communicate to the public, and NYCHA is using that to the advantage.
2:55:44
Thank you, sir.
