The Elmont Online Podcast
The Elmont Online Podcast
Belmont Park Redevelopment Conversation with Tammie Williams
We talk with Community Organizer, Tammie S. Williams. Tammie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Community & Human Services from SUNY Empire State College and a Master of Social Work degree from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.
It is Tammie’s personal mission to continue the work of social activists who came before her, in advocating for children, families and marginalized communities. As a Community Practitioner, she works to bring people together through awareness, education, understanding and acceptance, to further the well-being of individuals and communities.
Tammie & Aubrey discuss the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project.
Welcome to the Elmont Online Podcast. I'm Aubrey Phillips. It's day 59 of New York on pause. Physical distancing has worked and New Yorkers are beginning to dip their toes back into the water. I continue to hope that New Yorkers don't succumb to a false sense of security or worse, revert to a meism that puts others at risk. Wearing a mask is more about protecting others than about protecting ourselves. Governor Cuomo is easing off of the New York on pause button is not an invitation for you to hit fast forward. Many are expressing frustration with the outcome of round one of the community's lawsuit against the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project. The ruling hasn't changed the case's sound legal and moral footing. The community is poised to move forward to round two. Keep listening to our podcasts for weekly updates. Here on the podcast we will ask the questions, offer insights, and entertain thoughtful answers. And on that note, we extend well wishes to our neighbors and friends suffering and recovering from COVID-19. The disease that spreads the Coronavirus. We'll be right back with the conversation.
Station Identification :You're listening to the Elmont Online Podcast. I'm Aubrey Phillips.
Aubrey Phillips :Joining us today is Tammie Williams. Tammie is a product of our community. She is CJs mom, a social worker and activist, but most of all, Tammie is a force to be reckoned with. Tammie, welcome to the podcast.
Tammie Williams :Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Phillips for having me this afternoon. It's a pleasure.
Aubrey Phillips :And we can, we can omit the formality, call me as you see fit.
Tammie Williams :Hi, Aubrey.
Aubrey Phillips :Much better. So Tammie, as you know, a New York State Supreme Court judge ruled on the two cases filed by the community in opposition to the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project. I can think of no one more knowledgeable on this matter than you. So please give us a brief history including how you got involved in this community movement, and then Tammie, it's on. We'll just let the conversation flow.
Tammie Williams :Well, how it got started or how I got involved was, one day I was sitting in a hospital room with my son who was not feeling well at the time. And this guy pops up on Channel 4 News knocking on doors, informing residents that a proposed soccer stadium was about to be built at Belmont Park. I said Wait! What? Huh? What's going on here? I live like three blocks away, I didn't know about this. So I attended a civic meeting and got to know Mr. Aubrey Phillips better by community association, and from there I was with Aubrey just knocking on doors, informing our neighbors that you know that they want to put a 25,000 seat arena and this is crazy. Who in the world thought? I mean, everyone just jumped on this online petition. At the time I was doing my first year of social work school and community organizing. I was just getting all the pointers from the greatest movements of our time and I was just pumped! And I said yeah! Me and my fellow social workers are gonna go out here and we go fight the power and we've been fighting ever since [Aubrey: "Ever since. Ever since"] 6 years going, going, yeah, going on six years. Just knocking on doors, just having that person to person conversation and making, making people think...you know - because it sounds great, [Aubrey: "Yes"] but is it, is it great for you? You know, when you come home from work, and you want to unwind and the hustle and bustle is just like AH! Do you want to come home and deal with all that nonsense and then the reactions I got from our neighbors...just like no...that's the reason why I moved out of the city...that's the reason why I moved out of the five boroughs...I wanted some peace and quiet...I wanted my children to be able to ride their bikes up and down the residential block. Nobody wants that. So that deal was delayed for, I believe, three to...three years or so.
Aubrey Phillips :It was about three and a half years. We fought that for about three and a half years.
Tammie Williams :And then all of a sudden behind the scenes, this cooked up scheme about putting a 19,000 seat arena, [Aubrey: "Yes"] versus this 25,000 seat open air [Aubrey: "Soccer field"] soccer field was now going to get the attention of the powers that be so we were like, oh my gosh, here we go again. [Aubrey: "Absolutely"] Do we need to go get another 6000 signatures to be like: No! No! No! This is not economic development. You know, low wage jobs. [Aubrey: "Mm hmm"] They just don't pay the mortgage or rent, you're not doing anything for anybody. You're doing things for people who already are wealthy.
Aubrey Phillips :Exactly. And you know, you mentioned in your, you just mentioned the idea of low wage jobs. And we are experiencing a pandemic right now. [Tammie: "Mm hmm"] And as you know, those people with low wage jobs, those people that are frontline workers, not only are they the first to suffer the consequences of this pandemic, you know, in terms of the number of people infected and the number of deaths. Elmont happens to be among the highest in Nassau County. And clearly some of this relates to the thing that you've been talking about a lot and that is development and the density of development in communities like Elmont. I should say minority communities. So we'll come now to what this judge who appears to agree with you in a part of his ruling, where I think he claims that the development is inconsistent with the community's needs. Am I correct?
Tammie Williams :The short decision...because there were many actions, I believe over 100 at causes of actions...
Aubrey Phillips :Causes of actions correct.
Tammie Williams :And he reviewed and commented on at least eight [Aubrey: "Correct"] out of over one hundred and change. [Aubrey: "Exactly"] So what he pointed out was that, okay, this is not the community's desire, but being that ESD [Empire State Development] acknowledged that you have a valid argument. That's all they had to do, is to acknowledge you like...okay...thank you...all right...now go sit down. [Aubrey: "Yes"] Well...wait a minute...you're about to propose low wage jobs...and you know, that's stressful enough, and that's not the community. Okay...Yeah...All right, thank you, all right sit down somewhere. And that's basically what we got from the judge - was like, yeah, it's not moral. What they did was blatantly immoral but [Aubrey: "Mm hmm"] it's not illegal. If you have a problem with the laws, then you need to take it up with your state lawmakers, because no one is sitting here correcting: What is blight? What is economic development? What is a hard look? [Aubrey: "Yes"] They're not changing the language, so... [Aubrey: "Exactly"] I'm not changing the language from the bench. I'm understanding that this is wrong, but my hands are tied. And that's the sense I got from his ruling. He wasn't going to change policy from the bench.
Aubrey Phillips :I see. You're being very generous. I was. [Tammie: "Oh yeah, I am"] Well...
Tammie Williams :Oh, yeah. I'm trying to see both sides like okay, what are you trying to say here? What are you trying to do?
Aubrey Phillips :And the reason I say that you're being very generous is this case was filed, almost, was since November or October, [Tammie: "September"] September exactly, September of 2019. And he ruled on it in May of 2020. Now let's, let's kind of examine some things that he should have learned along the way. The most recent thing that he should have learned, is the fact that there is a pandemic, and that the pandemic should have pointed out to him, some of the inequities and the flaws in this project. The idea that the government really didn't mitigate, or resolve a number of the community's concerns, not the least of which, was these two 30,000 gallon propane tanks in our neighbor's backyards. [Tammie: "Yeah"] He didn't. He didn't even really expand on that except to say that it's conjecture...that these tanks might explode. One of the things that I was concerned about in that particular line of rationale was, well if this is conjecture, is he suggesting that the only time a community, or a person, can bring a cause of action is after the fact? Not preventatively? So in my layman's term, I certainly am not a lawyer Tammie, is he suggesting that if [Tammie: "You gotta lose a limb?"] for instance, yes, [Tammie: "You gotta lose a limb"] that limbs have to be on the ground, [Tammie: "...and then that's injury."] and then that's injury, and therefore he has no role in preventing that when rational, reasoned arguments are made that can prevent it. So that was one of my problems with his ruling. That's why I said you were being generous. I also want you to talk a little bit about, I don't know if you have the ruling in front of you. I do.
Tammie Williams :No, no, no. I don't.
Aubrey Phillips :That's fine.
Tammie Williams :I gotta drink wine when I'm reading it.
Aubrey Phillips :Yes, yes, and actually, it's probably the only way it will make sense.
Tammie Williams :Keep my pressure down. Gotta woosah when you read it because you're just like, wait a minute, you don't even know how to spell Belmont.
Aubrey Phillips :Oh gosh, and you see there, I know that...and he, you know, many people probably haven't read it in its totality. I mean, people like you and I have, you know. So I want to get back to something about how this is really going to impact the community. So lets us two just, lay persons living in a community, ask ourselves the following question and I'll ask, I'll ask the question, you answer it. You move to a community and your property value is whatever it is. And as you're living there, someone or the government puts something close to your property that devalues your property. I think it's fair to say that if I'm trying to sell my house and there are two propane, we like to call them bombs if you recall, those are in my backyard now, rational people would know that okay, my house value is going to be negatively affected. Do you find that kind of thinking flawed in any way and if you do tell me how?
Tammie Williams :First and foremost, it is beyond crazy to propose putting up or below grade liquid bombs in anyone's community, especially a community of color, okay? Bombing is just embedded in PTSD, okay. Everybody's trying to bomb you. [Aubrey: "Yes indeed"] But to devalue your property is not only to devalue you as a, as a human being, and your health doesn't matter, but now you're paying all these taxes [Aubrey: "Um hmm"] for young people to go to school, and be healthy, but you don't know what they're smelling; you don't know if that has a long term effect [Aubrey: "Correct"] on your cognitive skills, neurology. Until later on you find out...oh, you know what it seeped into the groundwater, because that's what Long Island is. It's an aquifer. We all share this water, anything you flushed down the drain ends up in this water that has to be recharged and cleaned, and so I just don't get the judge when he says I have to wait and see, you're speculating that this will happen. No! National Grid submitted a letter in the draft environmental impact study and said, if you want this mega project to go forward, we need a pipeline called a Williams pipelines to come from Pennsylvania to New Jersey off the Rockaways in Queens to funnel more natural gas, I don't call natural gas gas, to heat your facility so you can cook and you can, you won't be cold in winter or, you know, the other option is that the state took, oh well, we'll just truck it in. And then the response that the state gave us during this lawsuit was oh, that's only if the pipeline doesn't happen. Well guess what? [Aubrey: "It's not happening"] as of May, it's not happening, as of May, May 14th, May 15th. it's not happening. It was denied. The permit to infiltrate water and make it more dirty than what it is, is not happening. So now it's not speculative. Now it's fact.
Aubrey Phillips :Now it's a fact. Exactly.
Tammie Williams :And, and, and the judge's comments about these trucks are not gonna go down residential, it's Hempstead Avenue to Hempstead Turnpike. Excuse me? Last time I checked, there's homes up and down Hempstead Avenue.
Aubrey Phillips :Homes up and down 212th Street that feeds into the Clearview Expressway.
Tammie Williams :Exactly
Commercial :Every 10 years, the Census comes along and it seems like everyone I know always asks the same two questions. What is the census? And why does it even matter? Let me give it to you straight. The Census counts every single person living in America. An accurate count of our community tells us where there are more people. And where there are more people, there are more needs. Our participation could impact how public funding flows to our schools, health clinics, senior care, job training and housing. It even determines our congressional representation. I don't know about you, but it sure sounds like the census matters to me. This year, take a little time for the 2020 census. You can complete it online by phone or by mail and make sure you count everybody you live with, your mama daddy, sweethearts, babies, roommates, everyone. This chance only comes every 10 years so let's step up and be counted. Shape your future. Start Here. Learn more at 2020CENSUS.GOV paid for by US Census Bureau.
Station Identification :You're listening to the Elmont Online Podcast. I'm Aubrey Phillips
Aubrey Phillips :So all along the route there will be homes in jeopardy, whether the home is in Queens, or in Nassau County.
Tammie Williams :Exactly. And we know people of color, develop asthma, other respiratory issues. It's just like living next to the Cross Bronx. So you're not breathing in fresh air. You don't know what you're breathing in, [Aubrey:"Correct"] and then you're going to a low wage job to make someone else wealthy that doesn't pay taxes...hello... [Aubrey: "Hello"] ...so that you can go home and say now I'm the frontline worker, I'm the essential worker and I'm sick but I'm in this dead end job, because that's all our government is producing. You have 25% of the US population on unemployment, because the jobs are in hospitality, it's in retail, don't get me started on that retail village that they want to create. I don't know who's coming in from Shanghai, China and whatever else they quoted in their study in England.
Aubrey Phillips :Who's, who's flying 24 hours from the Far East to JFK...
Tammie Williams :...to get knockoff Gucci
Aubrey Phillips :...to buy a Gucci, whether it's knockoff or not.
Tammie Williams :No, it's knockoff...I follow Malkin's Value Retail and it's knockoff Gucci from the year before and international people don't know the difference. That was their little platform. I'm not trying to sound a certain way. {laughter} It's not this year's Gucci. [Aubrey: "I see"] So now we're a tourist destination? No, no one is trying to be near anybody before this pandemic?
Station Identification :You're listening to CJs mom, Tammie Williams.
Tammie Williams :During this pandemic and after no one is trying to be on top of each other. I mean, you have the governor questioning, oh, why is it New York City and Long Island so densely populated these days? Because everybody's piled up on each other. Well, duh?
Aubrey Phillips :Yes. And this brings me back to why it is that I find it difficult to, to be generous with the judge. And the only way I can see this is if, for instance, if he had, let's say, he wrote this ruling six months ago, and didn't have the benefit of current events, then I could excuse this document. But if he has the benefit of current events, and he chooses to write this document nonetheless, then whether he contributes billions to the frontline workers; whether he goes out there and he produces masks for them; and he funds whatever, seems irrelevant to me. I shouldn't have to go to the judge bearing the limbs of my neighbors to prove that I'm no longer speculating.
Tammie Williams :Yes, and not to...
Aubrey Phillips :...and he chooses not to...
Tammie Williams :...not to interrupt you, but a lot of questions that were raised during the process was not answered, or in my opinion, ignored. We asked for the document or the letter from Empire State Development that they had a meeting with NYPD; they had a meeting with Nassau county police; all law enforcement, and Homeland Security to talk about this 30,000 [Aubrey: "gallon"] ...gallon... [Aubrey: "two of them"] ...tank, two of them that they have to truck in and we still did not receive the correspondence from that meeting. If this is supposed to be open meeting and and transparent and why do we receive any information months later? If you get something, we get something. If you examine something, we examine it in real time. So how after 9-11 do you put tanks, whether it is above or below, okay, in a residential community in a entertainment destination, knowing all the bombings that happened.
Aubrey Phillips :And all of the attempted saboteurs that are out there, either trying to disrupt the electrical grid or all of the things, these are, these are classically referred to as soft targets,
Tammie Williams :Soft targets, you're making us a soft target. And we know this from Las Vegas. We know this from what happened in Ohio, and their entertainment district. We learned this in the UK, that when your guard is down, that's when you become a target.
Aubrey Phillips :...France, Germany, we can go on and on...
Tammie Williams :And the emergency exit or entrance into their proposed retail village is down a residential block that you, basically two cars can't even come down, [Aubrey: "correct"] together, and you're supposed to get emergency management in there? God forbid something happens? It's just...we talk about these things because it's not that we're like, oh, we're so against development. No! It's because we see what happens in other communities and in other parts of the world when people don't pay attention and learn from it.
Aubrey Phillips :Correct.
Station Identification :You're listening to the Elmont Online Podcast. I'm Aubrey Phillips.
Commercial :Every 10 years, the Census comes along and it seems like everyone I know always asks the same two questions. What is the census? And why does it even matter? Let me give it to you straight. The Census counts every single person living in America. An accurate count of our community tells us where there are more people. And where there are more people, there are more needs. Our participation could impact how public funding flows to our schools, health clinics, senior care, job training and housing. It even determines our congressional representation. I don't know about you, but it sure sounds like the census matters to me. This year, take a little time for the 2020 census. You can complete it online by phone or by mail and make sure you count everybody you live with, your mama daddy, sweethearts, babies, roommates, everyone. This chance only comes every 10 years so let's step up and be counted. Shape your future. Start Here. Learn more at 2020CENSUS.GOV paid for by US Census Bureau.
Aubrey Phillips :I'm going to turn my attention now to [Tammie: "Yes"] to some of the residents, or some of the proponents of this project who, who see this as an opportunity for economic development, essentially suggesting that our children will have nice entry level jobs, serving hotdogs, etc. But that is inconsistent with the record of our high school. And you know the record of the high school you're a product of that high school. Do you want to talk a little bit about really what we produce in the Elmont Memorial High School? What types of students we produce there?
Tammie Williams :I will have to say being a graduate of 1999, yes I'm dating myself, but there is such a strong connection to academics that is beyond this world. I had students who graduated, moved on to Ivy League schools, are studying medicine, and science, and mathematics, and culture, and arts, and just everything that they know that will sustain their future. [Aubrey: "Right"] But then I also had those critics talk about you cheated to get there or you're not smart enough because of the color of your skin. [Aubrey: "Right"] This is, this is a multicultural community that, that lives together, hangs out together, enjoys each other's cultures, no matter what background. I went to school, it was Italians, it was Jewish, it was black, it was Caribbean, it was multicolor. It was like the UN.
Aubrey Phillips :Yes, Asian, you name it.
Tammie Williams :Asians, name it, you had every culture, we had International Night, hosted by our teachers. So we can try each other's food, you know, learn each other's culture, be culturally competent, and respectful. And then you have blood sucking campaign donors who don't know you, but what they see on television and assume that this is all you can achieve. We have proponents get up and say, you know what Floral Park, you may not want these jobs, but we do I say, Whoa! Whoa!, you just said it's back 60 years.
Aubrey Phillips :Well, you know, before you go forward, you know, my favorite, my favorite movie, Django Unchained. {laughter} And in every community there will always be a Steven. And I guess there are many among us, I just had to say that.
Tammie Williams :Um hmm.
Station Identification :You're listening to the Elmont Online Podcast. I'm Aubrey Phillips.
Aubrey Phillips :In the study that they conducted, they essentially did nothing of substance to mitigate the traffic that would be occurring along Elmont Road, Hempstead Turnpike, Plainfield Avenue, and the like. Those are the major arteries in Elmont. So you know this, and I'd like you to tell us, if you don't mind, it's gonna get a little personal; but at one point, your son was very ill, and had it not been for your quick action we may not be having a wonderful conversation right now. So could you tell us a little bit about me what transpired in that time so that people around the community can get a sense as to what the peril would be, should these traffic issues be allowed to go forward unmitigated?
Tammie Williams :This right here is one of the reasons why I got involved. It's because I was sitting in the hospital room with a child going through a sickle cell pain crisis, and being so close to the hospital, which is um LIJ, um [Aubrey: "Cohen"] it's Northwell now, and having the care of the staff and doctors of Cohen. That's your sense of community. It's knowing that if in a split second, you needed to get to the hospital for whatever reason, you know, that you have, you're dealing with an individual who has a medical condition that relies on monthly care, to stay alive and then someone comes and tells you until you suffer an injury, I can't rule on this properly. So someone has to die [Aubrey: "hmm"] in order for something to change. [Aubrey: "Yes"] What in the, who in the world do you think you are? No one is out here paying all this money in property taxes because you think you moved it on up like George and Weezie. [Aubrey: "Yes"] You moved into a community for a reason and not one child, one adult should have to risk a medical emergency to benefit wealthy donors to our governor. They're not important because guess what? One lives in Connecticut and the other one lives in England and they can helicopter in and they can helicopter out
Aubrey Phillips :You're listening to CJs mom, Tammie Williams.
Tammie Williams :That was my personal to political, or from case to cause was the fact that you had six minutes to get a critically ill child, lifeless to a hospital. And by all means necessary, you got that child there. But when it's Belmont Stakes day? Oh, you stay away because even if you show ID to say I just lived down the block, those police barriers wouldn't even let you down the block. [Aubrey: "Correct"] So if the fire trucks couldn't get down, and we have video, [Aubrey: "Right"] fire trucks, emergency management, ambulances couldn't get down for this one day. When we, we brought it up to the state, they said listen, Belmont is unique, we don't expect 50,000 people. But yet, with a value retail that mega mall you want to build, that outlet mall, to get knockoff Gucci, plus an event every other day that you have to guarantee 17 to 19,000 spectators Plus the people who live here which is 30,000 people...Um, excuse me, genius.
Aubrey Phillips :Hmm, it's amazing how justice works. I know that you are very...
Tammie Williams :Someone has to die for a change to happen.
Aubrey Phillips :...to occur. I get it. I get it. I know you're very familiar with the UDC Act, [Tammie: "Oh, yeah"] and somehow, you know, as a resident of Elmont, I feel bludgeoned by the UDC act. Could you tell me why I feel that way?
Tammie Williams :Oh my gosh. So the UDC Act, the Urban Development Corporation Act of 1968, was designed by former governor Nelson Rockefeller to revitalize blighted communities after landlords burnt down urban communities when people from the south started to run to the north, because their communities like Oklahoma, [Aubrey: "Tulsa, Oklahoma"] Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Durham, North Carolina, all those areas that had community wealth, just dollars circulating in that community, and their communities got burnt down. They were getting lynched, because it was economics it's like, hey, you're not buying my stuff, let me burn down your stuff. So you have to come over here and buy my stuff. So they ran up to the to the north, didn't have to deal with the segregation, but segregation wasn't so blatantly in your face. You were just pushed into certain communities and then known by zip code. So when the South Bronx was burning down, when certain communities in Brooklyn was becoming drug infested, or Harlem, Nelson Rockefeller said, well let's fix up these boarded and blighted communities. So when we look at Elmont, we say, we, we asked on the on the microphone, Is Elmont blighted? And the state responded no. So I said then how do we fit into this criteria of blight? Well, we've been trying to help NYRA for the last, you know, 10 years. So NYRA is blighted? So yeah, I was like, but what part of NYRA is blighted? So they had to go find it and on December 6th of 2019, 2018, I want to say [Aubrey: "2018"] no, 2018, 2018. They said that they are arrested, future blight or unsanitary conditions because there were vines growing on the wall. Vines!
Aubrey Phillips :That's sounds, but Tammie that sounds very speculative to me. I mean, if speculation is okay for for the government, how come the citizens are incapable of having the same kind of speculation as it relates to us, for instance, bombs in their backyards?
Tammie Williams :Thank you.
Aubrey Phillips :Keep going...
Tammie Williams :So these two parking lots been here since the 50s. And, now, after the 2008 bailout, you are afraid that these two parking lots are going to become boarded up, I don't know...they're parking lots. Oh, well, the paving, the paving it's cracks in the parking lot. Um, what parking don't have that issue. Belmont puts out a report that they made billions of dollars in one year, billions, so you telling me that they can't repave a parking lot? Okay, well, the judge says, well they're not looking at the Elmont community. Elmont community is fine, they just look... I said no. The study says 1.5 miles, 2.5 miles, you have to look at this mile radius, [Aubrey: "Right"] in order for it to make sense. So you're not just looking at the parking lot. You have to, the parking lot is not a person, [Aubrey: "Nor is it a home"] thank you, and it's not unemployed. The point of the UDC Act is to take people who are currently living in blighted communities or unemployed, or on the system, whether it's local, weather it's state, you're receiving some type of subsidies that you can get off of the system and start making a way for yourself. [Aubrey: "Exactly"] I still don't understand how in the world selling the hot dogs and beer is going to get anybody off of social welfare
Aubrey Phillips :Well, obviously, we know, we know, um, we can speculate that is never going to get you off of welfare. What we also can do, we are now in Elmont, having been defined by the state to be blighted through the use of the UDC Act. We as Elmont residents, many of whom are on the frontlines fighting COVID-19 as doctors, as nurses, as home healthcare workers, etc. Hard working people. You have been, we have been now redefined, redefined as subpar and we didn't do this ourselves. We didn't go out into the streets and burn our storefronts. No. The government defined us. They've defined us as Urban, whatever that means.
Tammie Williams :Yeah, it's, it's, it's one of those catchphrases that you call dog whistling or whatever that terminology is that you know, when you say Urban, [Aubrey: "Yes"] what does that mean? [Aubrey: "It's the euphemism"] you know, yeah, you know, cause, cause it's just like, how does NYRA fit into blight? Because if you're saying because they rent out their space to car dealerships, brand new cars, oh my God that's an eyesore. So when you drive up and down Sunrise Highway looking for a vehicle, that's an eyesore? {laughter} You know, or the fact that there's a casino less than nine miles away at Aqueduct and they use that parking lot for the same purpose, [Aubrey: "For the same purpose"] for storing cars. [Aubrey: " Exactly"] But they got a, they got a... sold the dream over there too. And a whole bunch of problems.
Aubrey Phillips :You're listening to CJs mom, Tammie Williams,
Tammie Williams :With the UDC Act, if it was supposed to uplift communities that were forgotten about or, you know, purposely blighted so that they wouldn't have economic security and community wealt, why is it that NYRA which is, whatever they are, privatized or... why are they benefiting from a program that's not intended for wealthy, establish people. You know, that was my whole? How come?
Aubrey Phillips :How come? Sure.
Tammie Williams :How come you fit into this category? Oh, so you created the blight, and then this board that they created after they took the property over...
Aubrey Phillips :Oh, you mean, you mean, you mean the uninformed, ill informed, misinformed board?
Tammie Williams :Yes franchise oversight board that was supposed to oversee and they had their own bylaws or contract with NYRA that, you know, you must maintain these properties. Whatever money you get from the casino at Aueduct, you have to maintain all these three properties. And when the state comptroller did an audit and said, hey, you're not using money for capital improvement projects. What is the reason? They said because we don't want to. And that's in black and white. That was submitted to the court. So you purposely are creating whatever blight they're trying to arrest or prevent. You know, it's in black and white. I said, so you know what, six years worth of research. This judge didn't read anything.
Aubrey Phillips :Apparently not, and again you know, I'm not an attorney and I don't even play one on TV, but here is what's funny about what's going on here. Several years ago, there was a nurse, I think it was New Jersey, if I'm using if I'm, if I'm misrepresenting New Jersey, forgive me, let's say it was New Jersey or New York, there was a nurse who would go around and poison his, his patients, but he wouldn't kill them. He would, he would give them enough poison that they would need him and then he would rush in and revive them. Of course, what happened in the event is that on occasion, one or two of them died. So he killed a number of his patients, but his game was, I'm going to, whatever his psychology was, and again, I'm not the attorney, I'm not a psychologist, but whatever the psychology of it was, was here was someone who was purposely putting people's lives in peril and then showing up with the cure. And I can see how the government has done this in communities like Elmont, where they neglect certain services; they neglect to properly address the needs of the community; and then they come rushing in with this UDC Act, which has become nothing more than a giveaway for wealthy developers, [Tammie: "Mm hmm"] and pretend that they're fixing it, but the way they fix it, is they fix it with low wage jobs.
Tammie Williams :If this COVID-19 didn't teach us anything, is the fact that our government is useless. All the good, innovative jobs, manufacturing jobs that put food on people's tables, and securities in people's hearts and minds and stressfree, it's all overseas because they don't have to pay people overseas but you know, a dime for their work, or they went all into prisons, where they don't even have to pay them to make sanitizers that we're using. They can't use it. But then, you know, and they refuse to go you know, pick any oranges and stuff just protests like idiots about opening up nail salons, like you can't go to Walgreens and get yourself a nail filer, but I'm just saying, You see that we are dumbing down America and we want to continuously keep the working class, the working poor.
Aubrey Phillips :Indeed, and so we we're coming to the end of our podcasts for today.
Tammie Williams :Awww...this was fun. we need a part two
Aubrey Phillips :Yes we do. Yes we do. We're coming to the end for today. But you know, as we think about COVID-19 and it's current impact on communities of color, and we look at this system of I would call it, defacto marginalization, so you know you have someone in Washington who simply comes out front: I don't like those people over there, let's build a wall. Of course, the virus doesn't respect the wall, so let's build the wall. So you have this one person out there who is overtly vulgar in his declaration of war on certain people in this country. And then you have this subtle declaration of war against those very people. And it's COVID-19 now that has made it clear, made it clear that whether you are vulgar in your approach to these people, or whether you are subtle and kind and gentle in your speech, but the end result of your legislative actions lead to the degradation of the very people that you pretend or that you are suggesting that you are taking care of, they both end up in the same place. And so, you know, we as - we have to consider, you know, whether the vulgarity on the one hand, you know, the vulgarity expressed from the White House, or the wonderful, well articulated words on the other hand, we have to now take a look at actually what the policy implications are for communities like Elmont because the words the words apparently don't matter. What matters is the policy implications. How do you think?
Tammie Williams :I don't have to say anything. You just summed it up? [Aubrey: "Well"] that was, that is it. I don't... drop mic, drop mic. That's all I have to say.
Aubrey Phillips :Well Tammie Williams it's a pleasure having you on the Elmont Online Podcast today.
Tammie Williams :Thank you for having me. Fight the power. Keep fighting.
Aubrey Phillips :The Elmont Online Podcast is brought to you by WWW.ELMONT.ORG. Where residents go for cutting edge commentary, real time news feeds and more. ELMONT.ORG building a stronger community since 1999. Thank you for listening. Between now when the next time we meet, be safe. I'm Aubrey Phillips. Transcribed by https://otter.ai