PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Zulai Velasquez, NYCHA Resident from Jacob Riis Houses
2:21:52
·
3 min
Zulai Velasquez, a resident of Jacob Riis Houses, testified about ongoing issues with NYCHA's RAD/PACT conversion process and other serious concerns at her development. She criticized the lack of transparency and fairness in resident engagement, as well as unaddressed safety and health hazards.
- Highlighted unfair voting process and lack of transparency in RAD/PACT conversions
- Raised concerns about potential asbestos contamination from underground pipes near a playground
- Discussed water quality issues, including an arsenic scare and personal health impacts from contaminated water
Zulai Velasquez
2:21:52
Zulai Velasquez from Jacob Reis.
2:21:55
So to add to that day, what's going on, that person was it wasn't recent.
2:21:59
The person was arrested.
2:22:01
And the reason why we invited her was exactly what Mister Torres said, But in addition to that, it's being a very unfair process at least because we're supposed to get a vote, and it's supposed to be transparent, and they say they they doing this resident engagement, but they're not.
2:22:19
All they're doing is showing they're doing like this fake facade.
2:22:23
They don't let you ask questions or they don't let the people who are vocal ask questions.
2:22:31
So for an example, I there was a meeting last week they was letting every other resident ask questions.
2:22:37
And so I walked in the room, and then they wouldn't let me ask a question.
2:22:42
And everyone deserves to hear the answer because they're not being transparent.
2:22:47
But we're supposed to get a vote.
2:22:49
And then somehow, there's something wrong with the binaries.
2:22:52
They're switching the vote over to March, but so is the Rad Pak vote supposedly.
2:22:57
But how did we how do we have a developer?
2:23:01
Is essence.
2:23:02
So we found out out last week, but how is that possible if we haven't even voted?
2:23:07
Number 1.
2:23:08
Number 2, who made that decision?
2:23:10
Because in in the cover letters, It says that we will be they would include the members and every the residents in every single step.
2:23:18
And they have not done that.
2:23:20
All they're doing, they'll pretend, and they'll take pictures.
2:23:23
And, like, in the last two meetings, they have these little dots.
2:23:27
They give people.
2:23:29
If you like the program, you put green.
2:23:30
If you like don't like it put orange.
2:23:32
They were giving the elderly people and the Asian people the only the green dots.
2:23:38
So what they're trying to do is they're trying to give this illusion like, oh, the residents voted for that.
2:23:43
The residents did this, but that's a lie.
2:23:45
We still have questions.
2:23:47
The subcommittee doesn't even meet regularly, and the questions and concerns that they have are not even being addressed.
2:23:54
It's a problem.
Chris Banks
2:23:56
30 more seconds.
Zulai Velasquez
2:23:57
And I wanna say that the park at Rees was put up because of something for atoms, and we still have heat coming off from the ground that should have been corrected before they put up that park.
2:24:09
Or the fence should have went down because if those pipes explode, there's gonna be asbestos all over their playground and their basketball court, and it's getting worse by the day.
2:24:21
It's really scary.
2:24:22
You walk past there is not only does it smell, but the heat is under the ground so far that the that the sidewalk is cracking.
2:24:33
So, I mean, like, are we gonna cave in?
2:24:36
They're not fixing it, and it was supposed to fix it months ago when they have it.
2:24:40
And it's just I mean, I could keep going, but it's just really upsetting and the monitor in regards to water for the Harsenic scare.
2:24:50
It was a crisis.
2:24:51
And we have well over 40, 50 residents who have proof from different different facilities, different hospitals.
2:24:58
There's no way that a lab could say this was a mistake.
2:25:01
When you have 50, 40 residents from going reporting from 40 different or, like, you know, 3 or 4 different hospitals.
2:25:09
This is impossible, but guess what?
2:25:12
The monitor is not even providing water.
2:25:15
Whole showering in the filthy water.
2:25:17
I have a piece of metal stuck in my navel because I took a bath, and I have contact I have allergic.
2:25:23
I have contact dermatitis.
2:25:26
Who's gonna take this metal out as exploratory procedure.
2:25:30
What's gonna happen to me?
2:25:31
I could die just because I need to take out a piece of metal.
2:25:36
Like, this is real serious.
2:25:37
Right.
2:25:38
And it's the East Coast of resilience project because they say it's for our steward, but it's not THEY'RE BUILDING FOR THE EAST COAST OF RESILIANS AND THEY'RE KILLING US.
2:25:46
THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.
