Struggle heats up in the Bronx

“Hey Goldman Sachs, we want our money back!” chanted about 60 mainly young protesters from the Bronx in front of the posh home of Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein on the morning of Oct 25. Police guarding the rich man’s high-rise home on Central Park West threatened and cajoled the demonstrators repeatedly.

Community rallies at St. Nicholas Church on Oct. 25. WW photo: Dee Knight

Members of Sistas & Brothas United, part of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, shouted, “That ain’t right!” in response to hearing details about the Goldman Sachs world, like the fact that Blankfein “earns” more than $42 million per year before bonuses and gets about $72 million after bonuses, and that the investment bankers who “work” for the institution have a bonus fund of $23 billion—much of it courtesy of taxpayers. (Goldman Sachs returned about $10 billion in direct loans from the U.S. Treasury, but not the tens of billions in Treasury funds it got through the bailout of AIG or even more in give-away credit it got from the Federal Reserve.)

The demonstration was a warm-up for a larger rally of 1,200 people later that afternoon at St. Nicholas Church in the Bronx. The church’s school auditorium filled to overflowing with people of all nationalities waving little red flags with “Blueprint for the Bronx” printed on them. Coalition president Teresa Anderson led off the rally with a strong statement against bankers and developers that drew thunderous applause and chanting.

The Bronx actions in turn are part of a campaign against the banks led by the National People’s Action Network, which is targeting the American Bankers Association convention in Chicago. A thousand protesters gathered outside the ABA’s opening ceremonies on Oct. 25 while about 100 crashed the party inside.

On Oct. 26 a demonstration targeted Goldman Sachs in Chicago, demanding that the investment bank redirect its $23 billion bonus bundle to alleviate the mortgage crisis it helped cause, a crisis which is pushing thousands of people out of their homes every day.

Unions, community

fight Bronx developer

Demonstrations, rallies and mass community meetings in the Bronx have taken place for months to demand a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) from Related Companies, a developer that wants to turn the Kingsbridge Armory, a historic landmark in the Bronx, into a shopping mall. The struggle is led by KARA, the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance, a coalition of community organizations, unions, clergy and neighborhood businesses.

“This is our armory, and we will not allow it to be used solely as a profit center for Related,” said Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, a KARA leader with the Northwest Bronx Community Clergy Coalition. (ourarmory.org)

Activists are demanding a CBA that includes a living wage with benefits, guaranteed jobs for Bronx residents, prevailing wages in construction, space for community events, youth hiring, two schools and protection for tenants in the area. CBAs have been negotiated in other cities when companies receive taxpayer credits and abatements.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union helped form KARA. The CBA is supported by the Bronx Borough president, Reuben Diaz. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bronx is the poorest urban county in the U.S., with the highest unemployment in New York City.

Related Companies has been promised $90 million including outright government subsidies, tax credits and repairs to the building. Ignoring mass support for the CBA, billionaire Mayor Bloomberg’s City Planning Commission on Oct. 19 approved Related’s rezoning without the CBA. The City Council has 50 days to overturn that decision. A militant press conference and rally took place at City Hall the day of the Planning Commission vote.

Joining the thousands of community residents already involved in this struggle, the NYC Central Labor Council, the AFL-CIO and the Building Construction Trades Council, along with other major unions, have vowed to make this a citywide fight.

For more information and to get involved in this united labor/community struggle with its mass-action orientation, visit the KARA Web site at www.ourarmory.org.