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Some good news in the ongoing saga to save 1520 Sedgwick, better known as the Birthplace of Hip Hop. Today Senator Schumer, who has been lobbying on behalf of the tenants to preserve the building's affordability, announced that "the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development rejected the proposed sale to developer Mark Karasick because current rents could not be sustained if the sale had gone through." The move doesn't insure that the building’s owner won't still opt out of the Mitchell-Lama program, however.
In January a press conference was held to detail the residents’ financial and long term ownership plan, a solution to save the affordable housing status. Today Schumer added that the decision to not sell to Karasick "paves the way for tenants to negotiate directly with the owner," and currently tenants are still working on a way to purchase the building.
The LA Times reported last week that the tenants have already raised $11 million through online donations and from supporters like DJ Kool Herc (the former resident who brought hip hop to the rec room), Rep. Jose E. Serrano and of course Sen. Charles E. Schumer. However, they still need $14 million to accomplish their mission.
Photo via schoki*'s flickr.
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great... pandering politicians. gov't should not be involved in housing people, we've already proven this model doesn't work --- and not just in the USA.
Why didn't one of these Hip-Hop people buy the building?
the birthplace of Craptastic Egotistcal Mysoginistic Music.
I say tear down and rebuild.
f*ck you Reflect, people live there. Go back to Iowa, you gentrifying c*nt.
Let's honor a culture that hates women, values violence, and is overall detrimental to the young, poor average black person.
reflect and johnie...you obviously know nothing about hip-hop
Reflect/Johnie: 1988 called, they want their anti-hip-hop argument back.
Most hip-hop is not Will Smith style, most (98%) is about slanging rock and being an overall drain on society.
Some arguments never get old!