I just received the following note from my friends over at the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project. They have been instrumental in winning many conservation related cases around New York City. One recent case involved having the opening burning of storm generated refuse at Floyd Bennett Field stopped.:
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Supporters,
Since 1991, I have been running New York Environmental Law and Justice Project as an independent, public interest legal organization, absolutely committed to the principles of environmental justice.
Today, I am writing to ask for your financial support, to help the Law Project continue serving people whose rights to live, work, play and prosper in a safe and healthy environment have been historically undermined in our legal system.
Over the past two decades, the Law Project has zealously advocated on behalf of people whose communities bear disproportionate environmental burdens, and whose interests are systematically disregarded in land use and development decisions. We have taken on work that would otherwise fall through the cracks, carving out a niche between direct legal services and larger-scale impact litigation undertaken by national organizations.
Often on a shoestring budget, the Law Project has been able to survive through thick and thin. For this, we owe a great deal of gratitude to the collective spirit of the environmental justice movement, and the most incredible and dedicated group of like-minded lawyers, legal workers, scientists, organizers, activists, academics, and students, who have freely given the Law Project so much of their time and expertise through the years.
Torres v. NYCHA
Last week, we filed a lawsuit against the New York City Housing Authority, on behalf of over 400 named Manhattan public housing residents, to prevent NYCHA from moving forward with plans to develop luxury housing on historic parks and open spaces at 8 Manhattan public housing developments.
Click here for the Press Release.
Click here for Digital Copies of the Lawsuit Documents.
This lawsuit marks the culmination of work that began early in 2013 - when we first met the intrepid, inspiring resident leaders of Alfred E. Smith Houses - and quickly became a predominant campaign for us during the past year. Throughout this process, the Law Project worked in close collaboration with co-counsel Urban Justice Center and special counsel Hon. Karen S. Smith, J.S.C. (retired); community organizations, such as GOLES (Good Old Lower East Side) and Community Voices Heard; and planning experts, including Professor Thomas Angotti, Director of the Hunter College Center for Community Planning & Development, and Professor Ronald Shiffman, Director Emeritus of Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development.
Media Coverage:
http://observer.com/2013/11/nychas-land-lease-plan-faces-yet-another-legal-challenge/
http://www.downtownexpress.com/2013/11/14/advocates-to-file-suit-against-nycha-land-lease-plan/
We are extremely proud to be able to stand with the residents of 5 of the 8 targeted NYCHA developments; and stand up against the Bloomberg administration's desperate, last-minute attempt to subvert environmental review requirements while giving away public land for private luxury housing.
But we need to raise money in order to continue taking these stands. So, I am asking for your donation. Any amount, whether $5, $10, or $100, will help tremendously with our operating costs, since we do not presently rely on grants from foundations or government programs.
Simply click here to make a donation.
Thank you for all of your support.
Joel R. Kupferman
Executive Director
New York Environmental Law and Justice Project
No comments:
Post a Comment