New York - Rocky Chin, candidate for the 1st District Council race, testified on April 19, 2001 at a hearing held by the Transportation Committee of the City Council about the suspension of subway services at the Grand Street Station. On April 5, 2001, over 1,000 members of the Chinatown and Lower East Side community demonstrated at the Grand Street Subway station protesting the decision by the MTA to suspend service for four (4) years.
"I am outraged that the MTA has refused to hear from the people whose daily lives will be adversely impacted by the suspension of services at Grand Street," said Rocky. "Why hasn't the MTA taken any steps to respond to all of our voices and these concerns?"
Rocky is a member of the Grand Coalition, which has organized demonstrations and educated the public about the actions the MTA has taken with respect to suspending services at the Grand Street Station. He has worked with elected officials, community leaders and activists, and members of the community to build a strong coalition to articulate the concerns of the people in community that will be impacted by the suspension of services. Attached is Rocky's testimony.
Rocky has been a civil rights attorney at the New York City Human Rights Commission for 15-years, he is a past member of Community Board Three, and a long-time member of NYIC. For many years Rocky has been a staunch advocate for immigrant workers' rights, vigorous civil rights enforcement, police accountability, tough hate crimes legislation, and affordable housing for low income and working people. Rocky will draw upon his years of experience as a community leader and activist to bring about change for District 1.
For more information, contact Susan Stetzer at (212) 334-6558.
April 19, 2001
City Hall
Transportation Committee
Noach Dear, Chair
Good Morning, Chairman Dear and members of the Committee. My name is Rocky Chin. I am a 20 year resident of the Lower East Side, a civil rights attorney and member of the GRAND Coalition, and I am a candidate for City Council in District One.
On April 5, 2001, over 1,000 members of the Chinatown and Lower East Side community demonstrated at the Grand Street Subway station protesting the decision by the MTA to suspend service for four (4) years. Day care teachers, parents, garment workers, students from nearby schools and local business owners joined with members of the TWU Local 100 to protest this decision. Significantly, many elected officials also took time off from their busy schedules to stand with us. This demonstration follows other demonstrations the GRAND Coalition organized at the MTA headquarters and countless meetings where hundreds of community members have spoken against the MTA's decision.
So why hasn't the MTA taken any steps to respond to all of our voices and these concerns? We have asked commuters and residents and business owners to call the MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow and the DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall - but these individuals are accountable, ultimately to Governor Pataki and Mayor Guiuliani, respectively. The silence from Governor Pataki's office is deafening. We ask the City Council to join with the GRAND Coalition in demanding some answers and some action from Governor Pataki, and we ask you to support our reasonable request to meet with MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow.
We in the GRAND Coalition also ask the City Council to demand the DOT produce complete documentation as to the Manhattan Bridge Repair Project. Why has it taken so long? What if any additional delays were caused in part by the involvement of the now deposed and discredited Chief Engineer? What steps has Commissioner Weinshall taken, if any, to address the concerns of the GRAND Coalition since taking office? These are questions that deserve answers and we demand that they be given.
Not long ago, Speaker Sheldon Silver - who represents this district in the Assembly - held an official Assembly public hearing. This is something the MTA has refused to do.
I am OUTRAGED that the MTA has refused to hear from the people whose daily lives will be adversely impacted by the suspension of services at Grand Street. We hope that Speaker Silver's hearing will result in concrete recommendations to the DOT and MTA, and together with the New York City Council and this committee - we hope our elected officials will demonstrate to our communities that they - not the MTA or the DOT - call the shots in this City and State.
