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March 31, 2006
Letter to the Editor: "The Battle in Brooklyn”
Shelterforce (Published by National Housing Institute)
In a letter to the editor, Steve Ettlinger takes on the National Housing Institute Board President John Atlas over Atlas's article touting ACORN's deal with Forest City Ratner, "The Battle in Brooklyn."
Ettlinger:
Indeed, the essential point, which Mr. Atlas does not make clear, is that ACORN stands to gain financially from this agreement, through its contract not only to market the Atlantic Yards project’s affordable housing units, but also to promote the entire mega-development, including the basketball arena and 16 skyscrapers of market-rate condos and office space.
Atlas get's the last word in a rebuttal:
Ettlinger’s characterization of ACORN as profiting from this deal implies that it is engaged in some kind of nefarious self-dealing. That is neither fair nor true. While Ratner, like many people, is in the business of making money, and countless people have ripped off the poor as poverty pimps or service providers, it’s certainly not true of ACORN.
REBUTTAL REBUTTAL
You didn't think Atlas would get the last word on NoLandGrab, did you?
Atlas cites a telephone poll conducted by ACORN as proof that the group is representing its member's interests.
In this poll, though 68% of participants would "support" the project if it contained "2,500 units" of affordable housing, 65% of those who were polled had a household income of "Under $30,000." That means that most poll participants would only be eligible for 5% of the "affordable housing" units.
Members were NOT polled on their likelihood to support the project if there were only 113 units (5% of 2,250 units) available to ALL applicants whose household income fell below $30,000.
Our point: detractors aren't against affordable housing, they just get suspicious when the rhetoric lacks substance.
Posted by lumi at March 31, 2006 11:35 AM