Join Brookland Manor Tenants in Saying No to Government-Funded Displacement!

DC Council

DC Council is about to vote on a bill to spend $56 million to subsidize the proposed redevelopment of Brookland Manor - which could potentially result in the displacement of hundreds of working class individuals and families and the destruction of a deeply rooted community.

  • Mid-City Financial proposes to redevelop Brookland Manor by building over 1000 new luxury units for high-wage professionals, while substantially reducing the amount of affordable housing for working class families that currently live there.
  • Brookland Manor tenants are actively fighting displacement through community organizing and litigation. Tenants have two pending legal cases against Mid-City: one for civil rights violations and one for violations of zoning regulations.
  • Despite tenant opposition and the inevitable displacement of working class families, the DC Council is considering a bill which would provide millions in tax payer dollars to support Mid-City’s redevelopment of Brookland Manor. B22-986, the "Rhode Island Avenue (RIA) Tax Increment Financing Act of 2018" authorizes $56 million of public subsidies through Tax Increment Financing (TIF).

The Brookland Manor/ Brentwood Village Residents Association board is outraged by the proposal and has written testimony demanding that any redevelopment preserve existing affordable units and bedroom sizes and protect current residents from displacement.

Tell the DC Council that you Stand with Brookland Manor Tenants and Oppose the Use of Tax Money to Finance Displacement !

The DC Council plans to vote on B22-986 on December 18, 2018.

To: DC Council
From: [Your Name]

I'm adding my voice in support of the testimony prepared by the Brookland Manor/Brentwood Village Residents Association board:

Testimony of the Board of Directors of the Brookland Manor/Brentwood Village Residents Association for the Public Hearing on B22-986, the "Rhode Island Avenue (RIA) Tax Increment Financing Act of 2018"

We are outraged by the proposal recently introduced by Mayor Muriel Bowser to give Mid-City Financial up to $56 million dollars for their luxury redevelopment plan, "RIA," at Brookland Manor. Our community has faced continued displacement by the policies of Mid-City Financial, and now it is clear that the full force of the Mayor's office, using public financing, is putting money behind a redevelopment plan that fails to ensure that our families will have affordable housing to live in.

We are for a redevelopment plan at Brookland Manor that includes the same amount of affordable housing that we currently have. With the city in a housing crisis, there is no justification whatsoever for supporting Mid-City's plan, and actually giving them money to help them build luxury, unaffordable apartments that working class, long-time residents and native Washingtonians won't be able to access.

Our position on this matter is that Mid-City Financial should NOT receive money from the city to build luxury apartments, when they refuse to guarantee affordable housing for current Brookland Manor residents. It is our longstanding demand to protect and preserve the existing number of affordable units and the same bedroom sizes and subsidy levels. Instead of giving Mid-City Financial millions of dollars in public financing to triple density while simultaneously reducing affordable housing and eliminating huge numbers of large bedroom sized units, why isn't the city allocating this money to preserve the rights of working class people and long-time residents to remain in the city?

Minnie Elliott, President, Brookland Manor/Brentwood Village Residents Association
Yvonne Johnson, Vice President, Brookland Manor/Brentwood Village Residents Association
Cheryl Brunson, Treasurer, Brookland Manor/Brentwood Village Residents Association
Kirsten Williams, Secretary, Brookland Manor/Brentwood Village Residents Association
Neeka Sullivan, Sargent-at-arms, Brookland Manor/Brentwood Village Residents Association

www.bmbvassociation.org