Community Concerns in Lower Manhattan: NYU Expansion and Sex-Trafficking

Since beginning my internship with a Lower Manhattan District city councilmember(CM), I have had the opportunity to explore some of the most controversial issues affecting the communities in Manhattan’s District-1. Consisting of major neighborhoods such as Chinatown, Greenwich Village, Washington Square, Financial District, Little Italy, Tribeca, Noho, Soho, Governor’s Island, South Street Seaport, and much of the Lower East Side and the Financial District, the District 1—in many ways can be looked at as a magnified region demonstrating some of the most prevalent conflicts New York City is currently facing.
For instance, one of the greatest landuse and gentrification dilemmas presented in District-1 is the proposed ‘New York University Framework 2031,’ which entails NYU’s plan to expand six million square feet of property into Greenwich Village; making space for an NYU-affiliated hotel and additional residential housing. Expected to be finished by 2031 (NYU’s 200th year anniversary), NYU is hoping to occupy space on Laguardia and Bleeker near Silver Towers, with a 40 story tower (400 ft tall) building, rather than locate in the financial district, where building height would not make a significant difference to the historic preservation of that neighborhood (unlike Greenwich Village). This project is upsetting to much of the Greenwich Village community, as this would make for the tallest building in the entire neighborhood, on top of violating present zoning regulations which allow residential building only.
In response to NYU’s planned occupation of many spaces in her district (18th St/ 8th Avenue to Chinatown, most of Washington Square, as well as Governor’s Island), my CM has joined forces with community members, including Andrew Berman and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), a 30-group coalition to protest the 40-story tower. As an intern, I have been active in responding to emails and calls, writing letters to community members, and taking notes on meetings between my councilmember’s staff and key activists/knowledgeable actors in the struggle.
Another important and widespread issue facing District-1 residents, as well as many in the New York City region, is the growing problem of sex-trafficking, primarily of young women age 13-15, (though also some young men). I had the pleasure of listening to District Attorney Charles Hynes speak at a women’s caucus meeting a couple weeks ago, when he introduced a new campaign to address this problem. The sex-trade across the country targets mostly immigrant women (60 percent-born outside the U.S.; 40 percent in the U.S). Referring to a specific case in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a pimp abducted a girl in a middle school recently, revealing the close proximity of the problem. Hynes explained, often these predators will pretend to be a boyfriend/close friend, flourish young women with gifts, and make promises to run away together (targeting vulnerable adolescents, often facing language barriers or family troubles). Through this campaign, Hynes has gotten celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker and Gabourey Sidibe to be spokes persons for the cause, posting flyers/posters all over Brooklyn, creating a hotline for victims (718-250-2770), and reaching out to council members all over NYC to do outreach in their neighborhoods. Learning about these vital issues firsthand, is possibly the most beneficial aspect of my city council internship experience so far.