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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Tammy Meltzer, Chairperson of Manhattan Community Board 1
5:59:07
ยท
150 sec
Tammy Meltzer, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 1, testified about concerns regarding the proposed new jail in Manhattan. She highlighted issues with budget increases, lack of community input, and disconnects between plans and implementation.
- The budget for the new jail has increased from $8.3 billion to $16 billion, raising concerns about potential further increases.
- There's a perceived disconnect between the Lippman Commission's findings and the current jail plans.
- Promised programming to reduce jail population and make the new facility more contextual hasn't materialized.
- Community input and working group meetings have been lacking, with no meetings in over two years.
Tammy Meltzer
5:59:07
As you wish.
5:59:08
Yes.
5:59:08
Thank you.
5:59:09
Okay.
5:59:10
Thank you very much.
5:59:11
My name is Tammy Meltzer.
5:59:12
I'm chair of Manhattan Community Board One.
5:59:14
Therefore, I'm chair of the area where this new jail is proposed to be built.
5:59:19
We have egregious numbers of resolutions and concerns that have been brought to City Hall with nary an answer for the most part.
5:59:27
There were working groups set up with no information given, no input to the contract, conversations as promised by City Hall.
5:59:35
The original budget was $8,300,000,000 We are currently at this day looking at $16,000,000,000 That alone should be egregious and a concern for where the ceiling could be on this, But I want to bring back some really salient points.
5:59:49
As far as we understand, none of the findings of the Littmann two point zero commission have been reflected in this contract.
5:59:56
A group that was meant to oversee this entire process, we have no understanding of the connection between the contract and the commission, and to our understanding there is actually a disconnect between the two.
6:00:08
Part of that comes with the fact that we were promised back in 2019 that there would be robust programming that would lower the jail population, And therefore, the building that is being squished, a hippopotamus sized jail being squished into a mouse footprint in Chinatown, would be as contextual as it could possibly be, and they would lower the height and density in bulk to try and fit into said mousetrap.
6:00:34
However, the hippopotamuses continued to grow and grow and grow, and so is the budget for this.
6:00:39
And yet none of the findings of the Littmann Commission, none of the programming that were for justice reform that we all supported and begged city hall for have done anything to reduce the population.
6:00:50
So we have zero faith that this will not be a repeat of Rikers, and that once this building is built, there is no faith.
6:00:57
The budgets have blossomed and bloomed, the populations have bloomed, and there has been nary an oversight.
6:01:03
The connections that were given with the community have not been had.
6:01:08
There has not been a working group meeting in over two years, and I've been chair the whole time, and so I can tell you there's not been a meeting.
6:01:15
Right?
6:01:16
The lack of public comment review input and city hall proceeding on with no ceiling for programs, people, or the city's public dollars is egregious.
6:01:28
Before this contract is signed, please let's have a great public discussion and understanding.
6:01:34
Thank you.