SUN On The Rise

February 9, 2010

Lincoln Avenue’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Filed under: Housing, News — Tags: , — organizer @ 3:08 pm

Win the battle, lose the war?

At least 5 Common Councilors (out of 9 voting members) spoke up about how poorly Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare (SBH) treated the neighbors of Lincoln Avenue when they opened a temporary homeless shelter in April of 2009. The facts were not in dispute. Facility residents ran wild with no oversight. The neighborhood was subjected to months of public drunkenness, drug sales, prostitution, abusive noise and trash/debris.

Many councilors also singled out SBH’s president for poor community relations, citing his inability to work with area neighbors and his offensive lobbying campaign that sought to defame area residents as opponents of housing for people in recovery.

Yet only one councilor, Bill Ryan, had the courage to vote in support of the neighbors. The Syracuse Common Council voted 8-1 to support SBH, an non-profit that they had just finished painting as incompetent and disrespectful to the neighborhood, and issued them a special permit so that they can transform the facility into a drug treatment center.

The compromise is that the permit is allegedly conditional–that if the same problems occur within six months the permit will be revoked. We’re in new territory here and we are skeptical of the Council’s ability to truly revoke the special permit, regardless of the good faith they exude.

What we did win was another six months of meetings with SBH, who has promised to form a Neighborhood Advisory committee. No good deed goes unpunished–but stubbornness and incompetence is apparently rewarded.

February 8, 2010

SUN’s Position On 168 Lincoln Ave.

Filed under: Housing — Tags: , — organizer @ 7:49 pm

Why SUN opposes the establishment of a drug
treatment facility at 168 Lincoln Avenue.

1) Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare (SBH) is incapable of running a facility respectful of the neighborhood.

Beginning in April of 2009, SBH ran a shelter for homeless people at 168 Lincoln Ave. This was done on a temporary contract for Onondaga County. The facility was poorly run, allowing facility residents to defile the neighborhood–open drug use and sales, public drunkenness, loitering, prostitution, trash, unauthorized parking, loud music and other noise complaints.

2) SBH does not respect the neighborhood residents.

No prior notice was given to area residents that the highly respected Lincoln Elms facility was going to change into a homeless center. At subsequent meetings, SBH’s attitude was one of “accept us, or face a vacant building.” not a desire to work with the neighbors.

3) This is not an instance of NIMBY-ism (not in my backyard).

This is an example of our backyard being full. Within a several block radius of the 168 Lincoln property there are 7 similar facilities ministering to the needs of the homeless and the substance abuser.

4) How much more are you going to dump on this neighborhood?

The Lincoln/Bellevue/Midland neighborhood is home to the Midland Ave. Sewage Treatment plant, The Oxford Inn–the city’s homeless shelter of last resort and the aforementioned treatment facilities. Could this be because our neighborhood is overwhelmingly poor and African-American? When will the wishes of the residents of our neighborhood be respected by the powers-that-be?

Common Council, February 8, 2010

February 1, 2010

SUN Victory–$1 Million More For Neighborhood Housing

Filed under: Housing — Tags: , — organizer @ 4:18 pm

What a difference a year makes. A new year, a new administration, a new approach to the Community Development Block Grant. Oh, if you didn’t see the news today, here’s the headline: Syracuse mayor says she’ll shift $1 million in aid from city salaries to housing programs

SUN has been working for this day for the entire 8 and 1/2 years of the prior administration. To the old regime, the Community Development Block Grant was a giant slush fund that they could use to plug the holes in their city hall staff budget. The result? Money that should have been going to help families repair their homes or start a strategy to rehabilitate the 1,500 vacant homes in our city went to pay for a bloated staff–a staff known for being a patronage dumping ground.

Here’s SUN’s comments at last year’s CDBG hearing:

$2.8 million out of the $6 million of CDBG entitlement funds given to the city by HUD is going right into the pockets of City Hall bean-counters. Why should homeowners give up the chance at a home improvement loan to fund a Department of Economic Development that does nothing while the only grocery store on the Southside disappears? Why should neighbors give up hope of dangerous vacant houses being demolished because the city wants to create a slush fund called Special Housing programs that it refuses to describe in any detail whatsoever? Why should low-income neighborhoods plan for rehabilitation of vacant houses for new owner-occupants? The money will instead go to the administrative costs that eat up 46% of the CDBG budget–despite the fact that these costs are supposed to be capped at 20%.

Congratulations to SUN’s Housing Leadership Team, the group of SUN leaders that have focused on this issue for several years. It feels good when people actually listen to you, doesn’t it?

January 6, 2010

SUN’s Sweetest Fundraiser

Filed under: News — organizer @ 9:16 pm

How do organizations make money? Banks charge excessive fees and accept federal bailouts, Politicians sell access and votes for campaign contributions–SUN sells World's Finest Chocolate bars!

Each chocolate bar is one dollar. We have cases of 50 bars that you can sell to family and friends–at school, at work at church at the bowling alley! Each case has chocolate with milk chocolate (15), almonds (10), caramel (10) dark chocolate with almonds (10) and crisp (5). 

We also have half cases of 25 bars of both milk chocolate and caramel. 

Help keep SUN's independent voice strong in 2010. 

Call SUN at 476-7475 and we'll hook you up!

Posted via email from Syracuse United Neighbors

December 11, 2009

Sneakers On The Wires

Filed under: News — Tags: , — organizer @ 3:10 pm



Sneakers On The Wires

SUN has taken on some really big issues in our day: city-wide reassessment of property taxes, bank redlining and others.

However, issues that don’t seem that large are also important. They sometimes say a lot about our community and how it responds to challenges.

Such is the case of sneakers dangling from utility wires in our neighborhoods. The whispered rumors have always said that the sneakers are code, a way to direct buyers to drug dealers. Some think it’s just a way for tougher kids to intimidate younger kids. Everyone agrees that the sneakers look like hell and they encourage people to consider our neighborhoods to be unsafe and declining.

While the current administration came in on a mission nine years ago to clean up the city and not tolerate abuses of residents’ quality of life, their enthusiasm dried up a few years ago. When we called about the sneakers, the mayor’s neighborhood services office blamed the utilities. The utilities blamed the city. Nothing got done.

At community meetings of the Southside Coalition and the Skunk City Neighborhood Assn., SUN attempted to light a fire under the city by pointing out that the city of Utica actually has a team of workers that responds to complaints and takes the sneakers off the wires. As a result, the city has started to push the utility companies a little harder. But the problem continues.

SUN conducted a survey of our neighborhoods in late November/early December and documented 220 pairs of sneakers up on the wires–123 on the Southside alone. We have shared this information with the city, hoping we can take advantage of the natural enthusiasm that new administrations possess when they first come into office.

Everything starts again January 1.

October 30, 2009

Showdown In Chicago: Links To Photos And Video

Filed under: Financial Justice, Housing, News — Tags: , — organizer @ 6:55 pm

Showdown In Chicago Link-a-rama: Press Coverage

Filed under: Financial Justice, Housing, News — Tags: , , — organizer @ 6:38 pm

Sunday October 25th–Sen. Durbin; Crashing Bankers Ball

The Nation: Anger At Last

In These Times: ‘Showdown’ Protests Envision ‘New Economy’

Huffington Post: Sen. Durbin Denounces Unfairness

Chicago Tribune: Durbin calls for bailed-out banks to help on foreclosures

Monday October 26th–Sheila Bair–FDIC; Hits On Goldman Sachs & Wells Fargo, Street Theatre at A.B.A. Hotel

Huffington Post: Sheila Bair Speaks To Protestors, Backs CFPA

In These Times: Protesters Deliver Letter to Goldman Sachs—And Await Response

Wall Street Journal: Protesters in Chicago March on Offices of Goldman, Wells Fargo

The Nation: Bankers And Their Victims

Tuesday October 27th–Worship Service, Large March & Rally

Chicago Breaking News.com: Bank protesters descend on downtown Chicago

Associated Press: Demonstrators Protest At Chicago Banker’s Meeting

Huffington Post: Thousands Of Protestors Gather At Banker’s Convention

In These Times: 5,000 Protest Bank Power, Abuses, as ‘Showdown’ Culminates

The Nation: Here Come The Unions

Summaries, Op-Ed’s, What’s Next?

Chicago Sun Times: Bankers Facing Chicago Firestorm–Jesse Jackson

Bloomberg News: Bankers group says it won’t be deterred by protesters

Huffington Post: Enough Is Enough–George Goehl

Huffington Post: Time For Congress To Investigate The Banks–Anna Burger

Huffington Post: A New Crossover Hit–Break Up The Big Banks–George Goehl

Huffington Post: Ed Yingling Banking Industry’s Top Defender

Huffington Post: Banks v. People, Where’s The White House?

In These Times: After Chicago: Forcing a Real Response to Foreclosure Crisis

In These Times: Fuel for Real Reform? Populist Anger Drives Big Bank Protests

Wall Street Journal: Coming Tea Parties Against JP Morgan

The Nation: Editorial–Break Up The Banks

SUN’s Trip To The Showdown In Chicago

Filed under: Financial Justice, Housing, News — Tags: , — organizer @ 6:04 pm


Carolyn Stanley of SUN: "I’m tired of people losing their homes and threatening our whole neighborhoods,"she said. "This protest is the only way we have to tell the banks that enough is enough." (photo by Peter Holderness–In These Times)

15 SUN folks jumped on a train late Saturday night October 24th and began the 13 hour trek to Chicago. We were joining over 5,000
other folks from community groups, religious organizations and labor
unions for a three-day protest at the American Banker’s Association
annual conference.

Dubbed the Showdown In Chicagothe event was the brainchild of National People’s Action, the national community organizing network of which SUN is a proud member. The action was opened up to anyone willing to come to Chicago and support the basic principlesof bank reform: immediate relief to keep families in their homes, a stop to abusive lending practices and the creation of a solid foundation for homeownership.

Buoyed by supportive speeches from important allies such as U.S.
Senator Dick Durbin (IL) and the head of the FDIC, Sheila Bair, the
attendees marched out of our hotel to bring our message to folks a bit less supportive: A protest at the headquarters of Goldman Sachs. There we requested a meeting to discuss a suggestion that the huge financial
firm (that had received billions in taxpayer bailout support) use its projected 2009 bonus pool of $20 billion to start a fund to help families facing foreclosure. A demand for a meeting at the headquarters of Wells Fargo, so they could explain NPA’s recent report detailing their abusive lending policies, especially in neighborhoods of color.

We always came back–all three days–to the American Banker’s
Convention annual conference at a nearby hotel. The first night a
procession stretched several blocks long, where we met up with about
100 of our fellow protestors who had managed to go undercover,
dressed in suits and ties, get into the Banker’s opening cocktail
party and stage an impromptu rally with bullhorns and chants of
"Shame On You!" Ask SUN Board President Dick Breland about this experience–no one ever looked better in a 3 piece suit than out tall and suave Board chair!

The highlight was Tuesday’s massive march and rally–this time the
procession was over a mile long, featuring the heads of both the AFL-
CIO and the Change To Win labor federations, clergy from across the
country (including Rev. Jesse Jackson), union members from across the
midwest, and community groups like SUN from National People’s Action.

The speeches were impressive, the message was uplifting and the event
was inspirational. But perhaps the most impressive part of the trip
was the discussions held by the SUN members returning from Chicago.
15 SUN folks, all inspired to bring that enthusiasm and desire for
change back to the Salt City.

October 22, 2009

Responses To SUN’s Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire

Filed under: News — Tags: , — organizer @ 2:51 pm

A City Is Only As Strong As Its Neighborhoods
October 22, 2009

Responses from the candidates for Mayor of the City of Syracuse to questions posed to them by the Board of Directors of SUN..

Housing

1. Will you set a goal of constructing 50 new homes and/or the rehabilitation of vacant homes on the south, southwest and near-westside a year?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes, uncommitted on funding level Miner: Yes

2. Will you seek funding of at least $300,000 a year for the S.H.A.R.P., a handyman program using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes, uncommitted on funding level Miner: No

3. Will you increase the funding of the low cost housing owner-occupied loan program, called Urgent Care ($10,000 to $20,000) using CDBG funds?  Currently funded at $700,000.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: No

4. Will you see that the Home HeadQuarters’ Foreclosure Prevention Program continues to get get funding from CDBG ?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

5. Work to eliminate the HUD 108 payment in the annual CDBG budget?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

6. Will you work to get local banks to play a major role in making low cost mortgages in SUN neighborhoods on the south, southwest and near-west?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

7. Will you support awarding the city’s banking business to the bank that best meets the credit needs of all of Syracuse’s neighborhoods?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

8. Will you work to get private, local, state and federal money used to give grants to write down the final price of home purchases in low – income neighborhoods. 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

9. Will you conduct an active city campaign to market non-profit homes for sale, HUD foreclosed homes and the City’s Tax Negotiated Sale homeownership opportunities using the media, city’s website and posters to churches and community centers in SUN’s target area?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

10. Sell non-buildable vacant lots to adjacent homes for a flat $100 fee?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes, uncommitted on price Miner: Yes

11. Active city campaign to publicize property tax exemption in tax bills and coordinate outreach with senior citizen, veteran and disability rights groups. 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

12. Will you reform the city’s policy on tax trusts that will allow a lower startup payment. 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes, uncommitted on threshold. Miner: need more details

13. Will you support city-wide revaluation of property assessment within  the next four years? The last one was done 15 years ago. 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: need more details

14. Are you in favor of systematic neighborhood sweeps by Code Enforcement rather than solely reacting to complaints. 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

15. Will you take steps to see that all absentee owners comply with the Rental Registry program and that this program is extended?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: need more info. Miner: Yes

16. Will you enforce laws on trash, graffiti, signs, dumpsters at corner stores.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

17. Will you cite tenants for trash violation when it’s their fault?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: No, landlords are cited

18. Train code inspectors to refer violators to sources of help for rehabilitation and other city services, have materials available to owner or tenant.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

19. Create a team of police, code enforcement and DPW to sweep problem properties, especially vacant houses, drug houses and corner stores. 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

20. Enforce laws on trash, graffiti, signs, dumpsters at corner stores.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

21. Under the Certificate of Use Ordinance would you hold public hearings for corner stores that persistently violate city ordinance?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

22. Housing Court should handle at least 50 new cases every two weeks
when the court is in session.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: No

.23. Corporation Counsel should staff Housing Court with 2 full-time lawyers.

all candidates need more details before committing.

24. Don’t allow property owners to escape sanction in Housing Court by keeping a house vacant.  Make them repair or sell the vacant building.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: need more details

25. Cite vacant houses for exterior code violations.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

26. Continue to take owners of vacant houses to State Supreme Court for disposition. 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

27. Allow Housing Court judge to demand repairs and impose sentences of jail time for contempt in cases of deterioration. 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: need further analysis Miner: Yes

Crime and Public Safety

28. Do you support a description of Community Policing that puts the same team of officers in a specific neighborhood with a long term commitment to learn about the neighborhood and work to eliminate gang, drug crime and guns? 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: depends on staffing Miner: Yes

29. Will you work with SUN to develop strategic plans to clean out problem corners or hot spots of gangs or drug houses?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: depends on staffing Miner: Yes

30. Will you continue to maintain one Crime Reduction Team (CRT) to address quality of life issues? 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: depends on staffing Miner: need more info.

31. Will you add add a second CRT unit to address noise, loitering, fights or Priority 3 calls that would focus on the south and westside neighborhoods?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: need further analysis Miner: need more info

32. Will you continue to have police officers assigned to attend monthly SUN meetings in our four neighborhoods on the south and west side of the Syracuse?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

33. The Police Department should hire more minority officers.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

34. Will you see that the Police Department enforce the Noise Ordinance?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

35. Police Officers will escort truants off the streets and back to school?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: need more info.

36. The Police Department should monitor its issuance of appearance tickets and arrests to determine if officers are engaging in racial profiling?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

37. Will you continue to conduct administrative Nuisance Abatement Hearings with a non-police officer as administrative judge? Nuisance Abatement Ordinance allows the city to hold hearings when 3 or more illegal drugs, weapons, assaults or prostitution arrests occur on the property within a 2 year period. 

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: need further analysis Miner: need more info.

38. Conduct alcohol and tobacco stings on underage sales at corner stores.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

39. Use of the police traffic and motorcycle unit to reduce speeding on residential streets and work to eliminate unlicensed 2, 3,+ 4 wheel mopeds on neighborhood streets.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

40. Enforcement of off street parking rules on neighborhood streets.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

Neighborhood Infrastructure

41. DPW staff should be requiree (and equipped) to pick up the trash that misses the truck.

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

42. DPW should immediately pick-up large trash set outs and fine owners.

Jennings:Yes, but give 24 hr. notice Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

43. Develop a long-term plan for paving unimproved streets

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: need more specifics

44. Develop a plan to sweep unimproved streets

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

45. Develop a plan to replace our 100 year old + water and sewer pipes?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

City Government

46. As in Utica, would you support the city being responsible for taking down sneakers on electric and telephone wires?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

47. Will you support municipal Public Power ?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: need more specifics

48. SUN believes all city workers should live in the city.  Would you encourage those exempted by state law be given tax breaks and home purchase incentives?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

49. Will you hire more minority residents for city jobs?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

50. Will you seek opinion of members of SUN on issues directly facing residents of the city of Syracuse?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

51. As mayor will you furnish SUN upon request copies of studies and reports generated for or by your administration?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

52. Will you meet with SUN once a year to discuss  progress on the goals contained in this platform?

Jennings:Yes Kimatian: Yes Miner: Yes

August 20, 2009

Fall 2009 Financial Justice Workshops

Filed under: Financial Justice, News — Tags: , , — organizer @ 2:31 pm

SUN’s Financial Justice Committee is pleased to announce:

Three Fall 2009 workshops designed to help neighborhood residents understand their credit, avoid the predatory loans designed to defraud families and become a first-time homebuyer.

These workshops are sponsored by SUN and run by our good friends at Cooperative Federal Credit Union. All workshops are to be held at the SUN office (1540 S. Salina St.) and run from 6 PM to 8 PM

Thursday September 24th: Understanding Your Credit
Learn the basics of credit–what’s a credit score, how your score is calculated, how you can improve your score. Also get a free credit report and personal consultation with a Cooperative Federal counselor.

Wednesday October 7th: Predatory Lending
Don’t get trapped by high-pressure salesman, pushing high interest rate, high fee loans. Protect yourself and your family’s budget.

Monday November 9th: Understanding Your Credit
Learn the basics of credit–what’s a credit score, how your score is calculated, how you can improve your score. Also get a free credit report and personal consultation with a Cooperative Federal counselor.

Please reserve your seats now–classes are limited to 10 people. Please call SUN at 476-7475 and we will reserve your place and get the information necessary to have your credit report available for your personal consultation after the workshop.

There is a $5 fee that is required before the workshop–it will be refunded when you attend.

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