Ok so his aides took a million pictures, but none of them are on Flickr. This is from my phone.
The meeting was made possible by the efforts of Donna Jackson and Louis Shockley, two committed community activists.
Ms. Jackson and I had the opportunity to ask the governor several questions and present him several of the tenant's plights. I was able to personally hand him some information from the Greater Newark HUD Tenants Coalition about the bleak status of the public housing stock in Newark. Tenants made it clear that the demolition of Baxter Terrace is resulting in gentrification because people are being pushed out of Newark, communities that have seen generations of families are being torn apart, and the proposed replacement for affordable housing does not meet modest expectations or legal requirements. Out of 5000 proposed units, 20 will be affordable. BIG WHOOP! Some tenants even mentioned the environmental problems over at Hyatt court because of its proximity to the overpass of Routes 1 and 9 as well as the displacement of tenants because half of the complex is proposed for demolition.
I was very happy to ask the governor before to call a meeting of the State Housing Commission, mandated by A500 in the Summer of 2008. He didn't say anything, but he did not expect that request judging from the shock on his face.
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