Letters To The Editor

No Reason For "Poverty" Label

Dear Editor:

Canarsie is a waterside community with a nature preserve, and historic Canarsie Pier complete with a children’s playground. We have Monroe Cohen Park, Canarsie Park, neighborhood playgrounds and every school has outdoor playgrounds. There is more open space in Canarsie than in most communities in Brooklyn, lots of area for children at play and for adults to enjoy.

Our schools have after school programs. We have two swimming - athletic facilities with pre-school and after school programs. There are after school programs at the churches, and pre-school with day care at the Yeshivas.

We have two housing developments within the Grey NDA map. At BayView Houses, a large youth center was in the midst of construction. Already funded, why is there a delay in its completion? Breukelen Houses has playgrounds, new ball fields, a youth center and a Head Start program. Suddenly, four years after the 2000 Census, these are declared part of a poverty zone, after being in existence for almost 60 years. There are also youth centers on East 86th Street. In addition, the 69th Precinct Community Council has a few sports programs. How many parents have signed up their children? How many more programs do we need for our children?

We have several senior centers for the elderly, as well as Access-a-Ride for that population and the disabled. Meals on Wheels is delivered to the elderly, not necessarily because they are poor, but because it is difficult for them to shop, cook and clean up. Many of them own two family homes in the designated poverty area, which gives them added income.

We have single parent and child support groups, plus a bereavement group at the HES. There are adequate programs for all, much more than found in most neighborhoods. The residents of Canarsie should be grateful for all the available programs and facilities.

While there are some poor and working class people in Canarsie, our neighborhood is mainly a middle class area with many professional people and civil service employees, certainly, the grey areas of Seaview Village and Paerdegat have middle class households. Something is fishy about this "poverty" designation.

Aside from the two public housing developments, we are a community of mostly one- and two-family homes. Our new residents have their homes and built new private homes here. Most important, the grey areas shown on the NDA map contain the most expensive housing in Canarsie, and have the most diverse population in the entire Canarsie community.

New residents of every ethnic group have recently moved into these areas. We are not a poverty zone! To label it as such is untrue and insulting to those of us who are long time residents, and to our new community members who have paid high prices for their homes. Was the proposal to label parts of Canarsie a poverty zone another ploy to erode the white population of our community, and to discourage people of every ethnic group form moving in?

By declaring part of Canarsie a "poverty zone," elected officials can obtain more money from city, state and federal agencies, but Councilman Fidler and others weren’t elected to devalue our community in order to obtain additional funding. It is unacceptable and discriminatory — another example of divisiveness within District 18!

There’s no reason to label any part of Canarsie a poverty zone. There is a need for more parent and resident responsibility and involvement. There is a need to enforce laws that go unheeded. There is a need for our elected officials to work for our community, so that all funds are shared according to need, without discrimination within their districts.

It is evident to this resident that there is a great need for New York City to fund programs to foster tolerance, so that we are not a racially divided city with segregated housing and schools. We need to have a city of true diversity — people of every ethnic group living together safely and peacefully — as we are striving for in Canarsie.

Thank you.

Gerry C. Weiner

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