Coalition to Fight Gentrification in Harlem

C/o Harlem Tenants Council, Inc.

1 West 125th Street Room 206

New York, NY 10027

Tel.: 212-316-2240 FAX: 212-616-4926

E-mail:harlemtenants@aol.com

Dear Friend & Fellow Activist:

We are writing to ask for the support and endorsement of
your organization for an Affordable Housing/Stop Budget
Cuts/Defend Civil Liberties/Stop the War march & rally to be
held on Saturday, June 29th at 2:00 PM on the Plaza of the
Harlem State Office Building located at 125th Street and 7th
Avenue.

The main march will begin at 116th Street and Lexington
Avenue at 1:00 PM; proceed east to Third Avenue and north to
125th Street then across 125th to the Plaza. Participants
can also assembly at 100th Street & Lexington Avenue at 12
Noon to join the main march at 116th and Lexington at 1:00
PM. A Westside contingent will assembly at 1:00 PM˜Tiemann
Place (124th Street) and Broadway--
to march across 125th to the Plaza arriving at 2 PM,
approximately the same time as the Eastside marchers.

The greater Harlem community, despite the gentrification
hype, remains in crisis:
high infant mortality, high asthma rate among children less
than ten years of age in
East Harlem, environmental racism, unemployment double that
of the city,
permanent unemployment and an affordable housing crisis that
has left thousands of
families homeless or doubled-up. The end of welfare will
inevitably increase
homelessness. City budget cuts and a spiraling military
budget of $380 billion will
further reduce standard of living for everyone. This is why
we must overcome
superficial cultural and ethnic differences that divide our
communities.

People throughout NYC are hitting the streets to protest a
myriad of social justice
inequities. The Greater Harlem community can no longer
afford to be silent. It is
ironic the most recent crowd gathering in Harlem was
"President Bill Clinton
Coming to Harlem" celebration -- a President that signed bills
to end welfare,
mandate compulsory work service for public housing tenants
lest they face eviction,
and he put more young Blacks & Latinos in prisons than did
Republican President
Ronald Reagan. The rally on June 29th will send out a
different message, one of
popular resistance against racism, militarism, attacks
against civil liberties and
economic exploitation in all forms including gentrification.
This is a battle for ideas,
human and grassroots community development before corporate
profit.

We are calling on all New Yorkers to take a stand with
Harlem on June 29th.
Your organization can help by: (a) Endorsing the June 29th
rally; (b) Help with
outreach, particularly with your constituents; (c) send a
rep to the 6/20 mobilization
meeting held at 1 West 125th; (d) Show up with a crowd on
June 29th -- bring
banners, noise makers and information about your
organization (literature tables are
not provided.). We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

Nellie Hester Bailey

Danny Vila