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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Manny Martinez, Resident Council President of South Jamaica Houses, on NYCHA Transparency and Resident Representation
4:14:17
ยท
3 min
Manny Martinez, Resident Council President of South Jamaica Houses, testifies about the lack of genuine resident participation in NYCHA operations and the problematic role of the Citywide Council of Presidents (CCOP). He argues that CCOP, created by NYCHA, blocks real resident power and fails to represent residents' interests effectively.
- Martinez cites regulation 964.135(c), emphasizing NYCHA's obligation to ensure strong resident participation through duly elected resident councils.
- He reveals that many resident councils have denounced CCOP and calls for its dissolution, describing it as "NYCHA's greatest fraud."
- Martinez criticizes NYCHA's approach to RAD/PACT conversions, stating that residents are confused about their rights while NYCHA claims everything is working well.
Manny Martinez
4:14:18
you
4:14:17
afternoon.
4:14:18
Thank you for for having this hearing and I just wanna commend the chair for conducting a a well a well presented questioning of of NYCHA.
4:14:27
My name is Manny Martinez.
4:14:28
I'm the resident council president for South Jamaica Houses.
4:14:31
Also once the queen's CCOP chair I mean, once the queen's south district chair.
4:14:38
I would like to start off the statement with a regulation to answer NYCHA's comment of only having two obligations and they forgot this one and this is nine sixty four one thirty five c which says while a housing authority has responsibility for management operations it shall ensure strong resident participation in all issues and facets of its operations through the duly elected resident councils at public housing developments, something that's not happening.
4:15:05
Many resident councils exercise their autonomy with signed resolutions publicly presented denouncing and dissolving CCAP, the NYCHA created permanent citywide resident organization.
4:15:17
Today, I stand with the voices of resident councils across this city that have denounced CCOP and declared NYCHA's recognition of CCOP a lie.
4:15:26
For thirty four years, CCOP has been NYCHA's greatest fraud, a 218 resident council wide wall built to block real resident power.
4:15:36
It stops us from influencing NYCHA's workplace rules, rules that control our economic rights, our safety, and our dignity in in the very buildings we call home.
4:15:47
Matters of section three compliance are made up by NYCHA's executives and staff inconsistent with the law and changing with every meeting.
4:15:57
NYCHA itself recently admitted to the chair of of this committee that it created CCAP.
4:16:02
NYCHA decided to structure, picked its procedures, and without shame declared its belief that it can speak and decide for us as if we are assets owned, not people served.
Chris Banks
4:16:16
May may I have thirty seconds?
4:16:17
Yes.
4:16:17
Thirty seconds to wrap
Louis Bartot
4:16:18
it.
Manny Martinez
4:16:18
Resident councils are elected by public housing residents on the authority of federal legislation to represent our communities with strong participation in all matters concerning NYCHA.
4:16:27
We see NYCHA's deception in real dollars.
4:16:29
A million dollar city allocation secured by by this council's first black speaker was quietly slashed by 60% without telling residents, without telling the speaker, only revealing it months before construction was set to begin.
4:16:43
And we're at Seacop in secret weekly Zoom meetings with NYCHA every Thursday, not to hold them accountable, but to serve as NYCHA's cover, a box checked off while NYCHA cuts out the voices of resident populations while NYCHA cuts out the voices of a resident population the size of the fiftieth largest city in The US.
4:17:02
CCOP is a wall that keeps us away from NYCHA's top executives while they cut deals collectively totaling billions of dollars with contractors, developers, and nonprofits at our expense.
4:17:13
Resident councils and residents continue to express deep confusion about rad pack changes and their rights while NYCHA claims that everything is working great.
4:17:22
This is because CCOP blocks resident councils from changing NYCHA's policies on its approach to RAD.
4:17:28
They haven't they've stated that they haven't heard complaints from residents on RAD.
4:17:32
That's because the eight CCOP members are the only residents they listen to.
4:17:36
It's time to tear this NYCHA created CCOP wall down.
4:17:39
We demand the rights of our representation restored.
4:17:42
We denounce and demand the dissolution of CCOP.
4:17:45
NYCHA does not speak for us.
4:17:47
Our rights are not discretionary.
4:17:50
Thank you.