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It was also politicians purposefully stalling development there as long as possible in order to ensure their voting base wasn't diluted. These people were also potentially living at market rate at the time, but market rate was low. They got eminent domain'd out with the promise that they'll be first in line for affordable development later.
That's exactly it. The city wasn't handing out alternative subsidized apartments when they wiped out that neighborhood. It's only now that they're finally--40 years later!!!--building the developments the families have priority for.
I see that the letter (stating that the displaced occupant should have priority in returning to the same area) was written in July 1978, addressed to Carmen Guzman, who I assume was the mother of Beatriz Guzman who is the subject of this article. If this Beatriz Guzman is 57 now, she was 16 in 1978, ie, she was a minor.
I am 2 years older than Beatriz Guzman, ie, I am 59. In the summer of 1978, I was already buried in textbooks, between the first and second year of pursuing higher education. Five and a half years later, I came to the US, penniless, for more education and training, while living on a $8,000 per year research stipend. My home country then fell apart in a civil war, while I continued working extremely hard, and of course paying for housing and everything else from my own income which was very meager until the year 2000 (when admittedly I suddenly became a high earner - as a result of all the years of sweat). I bought my own condo in 2000, and then got two more of them.
What did Beatriz Guzman do during this time? The article mentions that she was an "activist" and now is a "disabled" senior. Did this woman actually do anything to earn her own keep and contribute to society? From what job is she disabled (and I would love to know the nature of "disability")? She is not of very advanced age, I am 2 years older and still work in a hard profession (although I was able to afford to partly retire - and waste my time on this forum :-) - but out of my own savings; I am not taking anybody else's money, and never did, not even when I was living on egg & lettuce sandwiches).
Back to the letter to Carmen Guzman, the mother of Beatriz Guzman. Some people on this forum protest loudly against professional and business people leaving inheritance to their children - how about Carmen Guzman leaving generational welfare privileges to her daughter? Why should anyone have any automatic right on public housing assistance in NYC just because their parent (in their childhood) received public housing in NYC?
Young people with professional skills who have jobs in NYC struggle to find affordable housing. Why is Beatriz Guzman, a disabled 57 year old who will never contribute anything to NYC (and likely never did), entitled to live in NYC? In Manhattan, no less. Why is she entitled to "return to the same area of NYC" based on a letter confirming a welfare privilege issued 39 years ago TO HER MOTHER? Her mother did not own anything in Manhattan, this is not even a case of eminent domain. Since when do people anywhere except in NYC have any automatic rights to return to an area of a city where they were previously renting something?
This is just another disgusting example of generational welfare, of people in the same family milking the taxpayers forever. Now, that is something that European social systems do not have to support, the reason why there is enough money for a far better social net in Europe for the services that people genuinely and honestly need, whenever they need them - because generational welfare (ab)users are rare in Europe.
(a) They weren't in public housing. They were in private housing that was destroyed by power-mad Robert Moses.
(b) Jesus, what a nasty piece of work you are, in addition to your bad reading comprehension. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. How the [blank] do you know what she contributed to this city? On what basis are you questioning her disability? (It's not exactly easy to get disability in this country.) Purely on the basis of spite and envy. Your spirit's going to eat itself up with hatefulness.
(a) They weren't in public housing. They were in private housing that was destroyed by power-mad Robert Moses.
(b) Jesus, what a nasty piece of work you are, in addition to your bad reading comprehension. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. How the [blank] do you know what she contributed to this city? On what basis are you questioning her disability? (It's not exactly easy to get disability in this country.) Purely on the basis of spite and envy. Your spirit's going to eat itself up with hatefulness.
The article says that she was a former "site tenant". It does not say that she was in private housing, and it most certainly says that she (or her family) did NOT OWN any housing there. She was a site tenant there when she was 16 years old. She was a tenant, and the property could not have been leased to her (even if it was an unsubsidized lease) because she was 16 years old. What gives any automatic right to anyone to return anywhere, just because their parent was renting something there while they were kids - so, what gives such right to anyone in the US, except the welfare rules in NYC? I have not heard of such rules anywhere else.
I am questioning what she contributed to NYC (or to anything) because the article readily mentions that she was an "activist" but is mum on anything else she might have done in the last half century. "Biographic" articles of this kind generally do mention a person's past job. I am questioning her disability on the basis of the fact that she is only 57, and that (working in healthcare) I am very aware how easy it is to play the disability system, one of the probably most abused social programs in this country.
While I have no reason to envy anything to characters like Beatriz Guzman, I am disgusted, yes.
The article says that she was a former "site tenant". It does not say that she was in private housing, and it most certainly says that she (or her family) did NOT OWN any housing there. She was a site tenant there when she was 16 years old. She was a tenant, and the property could not have been leased to her (even if it was an unsubsidized lease) because she was 16 years old. What gives any automatic right to anyone to return anywhere, just because their parent was renting something there while they were kids - so, what gives such right to anyone in the US, except the welfare rules in NYC? I have not heard of such rules anywhere else.
I am questioning what she contributed to NYC (or to anything) because the article readily mentions that she was an "activist" but is mum on anything else she might have done in the last half century. "Biographic" articles of this kind generally do mention a person's past job. I am questioning her disability on the basis of the fact that she is only 57, and that (working in healthcare) I am very aware how easy it is to play the disability system, one of the probably most abused social programs in this country.
While I have no reason to envy anything to characters like Beatriz Guzman, I am disgusted, yes.
Once again we prey on the individual and don't question the system
Because that way its easier to make a scapegoat
__________________
"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
Once again we prey on the individual and don't question the system
Because that way its easier to make a scapegoat
No, I am actually not preying on anyone. The article mentions this person's name, so I mentioned it too, but this person individually is not of interest to me or to anybody. She is only a single example, and if she were the only example, there wouldn't be much of a problem. Obviously, she is not even a scapegoat - nobody is bothering her about anything, she is enjoying her public charity apartment, while people paying taxes for that apartment have to live with roommates until the age of 40. She is not legally guilty of anything, she is just taking legal advantage of legal rules - but I think the rules in this case are absurd, and I DO question the system, not an individual. My post (and my other similar posts) express my shock and dismay with the system that allows giving a housing in Manhattan to person A for no good reason at all, and asks person B (who cannot afford to pay for their own housing in Manhattan) to pay taxes that enable person A to have a free (or heavily subsidized) housing.
No, I am actually not preying on anyone. The article mentions this person's name, so I mentioned it too, but this person individually is not of interest to me or to anybody. She is only a single example, and if she were the only example, there wouldn't be much of a problem. Obviously, she is not even a scapegoat - nobody is bothering her about anything, she is enjoying her public charity apartment, while people paying taxes for that apartment have to live with roommates until the age of 40. She is not legally guilty of anything, she is just taking legal advantage of legal rules - but I think the rules in this case are absurd, and I DO question the system, not an individual. My post (and my other similar posts) express my shock and dismay with the system that allows giving a housing in Manhattan to person A for no good reason at all, and asks person B (who cannot afford to pay for their own housing in Manhattan) to pay taxes that enable person A to have a free (or heavily subsidized) housing.
Much better.
__________________
"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
Big deal. A lot of people live a market-rate life up here, take their proceeds and move down South, then want to move back, and can't because its too expensive.
It was the family not doing their due diligence to remind the city to honor their agreement, they prolly could have been placed elsewhere years ago.
I have a friend who owned a gorgeous 1000 square foot 1 bedroom apt. in the Galaxy (Guttenberg, NJ) and worked in the wholesale fashion industry. After losing her umpteenth job, she sold her place for a song in a bad market and ran back home to York, PA. It slowly drove her nuts so she transferred her ad-sales job to Manhattan and rented a cute, tiny studio on E. 85th . After about 5 years she lost THAT job and packed in the now $1800 studio and ran back to Lancaster, PA. and retired in a nice(I hear) townhouse for $950. Lancaster is driving her bonkers.
Last I spoke with her she wants back into Manhattan.
Without a lottery win, or an inheritance (Mom is pushing 100) I do not see how this is possible.
Wait until she starts researching housing prices here.
I have a friend who owned a gorgeous 1000 square foot 1 bedroom apt. in the Galaxy (Guttenberg, NJ) and worked in the wholesale fashion industry. After losing her umpteenth job, she sold her place for a song in a bad market and ran back home to York, PA. It slowly drove her nuts so she transferred her ad-sales job to Manhattan and rented a cute, tiny studio on E. 85th . After about 5 years she lost THAT job and packed in the now $1800 studio and ran back to Lancaster, PA. and retired in a nice(I hear) townhouse for $950. Lancaster is driving her bonkers.
Last I spoke with her she wants back into Manhattan.
Without a lottery win, or an inheritance (Mom is pushing 100) I do not see how this is possible.
Wait until she starts researching housing prices here.
But the fact that someone lost a job, had to go to Lancaster PA, and does not like Lancaster PA should not oblige anyone in NYC to pay for your friend's subsidized relocation to NYC. I actually lived in that part of PA for about 5 years (between 3.5 years in Upstste NY where I lived first, and the last 27 years in Boston), and the Small Town PA surely did drive me bonkers, but I EARNED my escape, I WORKED towards that goal.
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