URGENT MEGA JAIL UPDATE. PERMIT TO DEMOLISH MANHATTAN DETENTION CENTER HAS BEEN ISSUED

The below is a recap of the statement issued by Neighbors United Below Canal. To read the full statement, go to Neighbors United Below Canal’s website.

Despite promises from City agencies and The Mayor’s office to discuss alternative plans to the Chinatown Megajail, we are outraged at yesterday’s Community Board 1 meeting announcement that the permits to demolish 124 White Street had been issued. 

In March, a team of elected officials and Chinatown community members met with City leadership to discuss a pause in the project, and consider adaptive reuse as an alternative to demolition. Demoposes significant impacts to the community. 

We left that meeting with several promises by the City:
- to provide documentation showing prior consideration of adaptive reuse for the project
- to consider pausing the demolition while such discussions are ongoing
- to reconvene once those documents were provided to discuss the issuance of an RFP to conduct an independent analysis of adaptive reuse of the buildings.

After delays, we finally received the information but… 
1. no studies had been performed to justify demolition over adaptive reuse
2. the community was told that a follow up meeting would be scheduled.

Instead, the community has now been blind-sided in what can only be described as a complete and utter disregard for Chinatown, its neighbors throughout the district including Little Italy & Tribeca, and the elected officials who have worked earnestly and diligently to support our efforts.

TAKE ACTION WITH NUBC

We join our elected officials in calling for City Hall to immediately rescind the demolition permit and honor its promise to reconvene with community leadership on the merits of adaptive reuse as an alternative solution to demolition. 

What can you do?

• Send a letter to the Mayor’s Office and your local City Councilmember to pause the demolition

• Visit https://stop-chinatown-jail.glitch.me/ to send an automated letter

• Share this post and encourage your network to send a letter to the Mayor’s Office

• Stay tuned for further updates with an NUBC press conference to come