LIBRARY HEARINGS & FORUMS (Reports & CDL Testimony)

Citizens Defending Libraries March 8th rally outside City Council's offices.  Photo by Jonathan Barkey.  Click to enlarge

  •       Wednesday, March 23, 2016 City Council Library Budget Hearing- Testimony of Citizens Defending Libraries

  •       Report on March 1, 2016 Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams & Brooklyn Borough Board Vote On Selling and Drastically Shrinking Brooklyn Heights Central Destination Downtown Library-

  •       Thursday, February 25, 2016- City Councilman Brad Lander Tells Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats He's Still Eager To Support His Sale and Shrinkage of Brooklyn Heights Library Despite Investigations Into Fraud- Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon Is Milquetoast on Perceiving Problems
 

  •       Wednesday, February 24, 2016- Annual Meeting of Brooklyn Heights Association- The BHA President Patrick Killackey Insists That BHA Will Continue To Betray Community By Supporting The Brooklyn Heights Library Sale & Shrinkage Notwithstanding Recent Scandals
 

  •       Thursday, February 18, 2016- INSIDE the CUNY Graduate Center Mayor Bill de Blasio & Paul Krugman Have a Conversation about Inequality in New York City: INSIDE We Say Don't Sell Our Libraries Because That IS Inequality
 

   •       Thursday, February 18, 2016-  Councilman Stephen T. Levin Comes To Speak About His Approving The Sale of the Brooklyn Heights Library at Independent Neighborhood Democrats Meeting- Doesn't Answer Questions Asked, Including Whether & When He Will Insist on Transparency from the BPL

   •       Wednesday, November 18, 2015- Report on Wednesday, November 18th City Council Hearing On Proposed Sale And Shrinkage of Brooklyn's Second Largest Library Plus Testimony of Citizens Defending Libraries

  •       Tuesday, September 22, 2015- Report on Tuesday, September 22nd City Planning Commission Hearing On Proposed Sale and Shrinkage of Plus Testimony of Citizens Defending Libraries

  •      Tuesday, August 18, 2015- Testimony and Report on Hearing Before Eric Adams, About Proposed Sale/Shrinkage of Major Public Asset, A Brooklyn Library, First Ever Such Borough Preseident Hearing

  •       Wednesday, July 15, 2015- Brooklyn Community Board 2 Votes To Sell and Shrink Brooklyn Heights Library, Largely In the Dark, With Much Manipulation And Strong-Arming In Background- Developer's Says He's "Super-duper Excited" And Thankful

   •       Monday, July 6, 2015- Handout Number 1 For July 6, 2014 Brooklyn Community Board 2 Land Use Committee Meeting- Let's Get the Record Straight! Concerns Re Proposed Library Sale+Shrinkage To be Voted On

  •       Tuesday, June 9, 2015-  Our Testimony and Report on City Council Hearing On Budget For NYC Libraries Held Monday, June 8, 2015 and Tuesday, June 9, 2015

  •       Thursday, December 10, 2015-  Links Respecting City Council land Use and Subcommittee Vote (and Steve Levin community betrayal) Respecting Proposed Sale and Shrinkage of Brooklyn Heights Library As Prototype For Future
 

  •       Monday, March 9, 2015-  Report on March 9th "Community Advisory Meeting" About Plans To Sell and Shrink Brooklyn Heights Library, Putting Up A Luxury Condominium Tower
 

  •       Public Assets Under Attack- Prepared For Handout at February 24, 2015 Brooklyn Heights Association Annual Meeting

 

Citizens Defending Libraries' Carolyn McIntyre testifying about a BPL representative informing people that shelves in the Brooklyn heights Library Children's section were "fully stocked and overflowing" while the photo she held up in  poster form (see also below) showed that was clearly NOT the case

   •       Report on Tuesday, February 24th City Council Hearing On Supporting Public Libraries in the City's Ten-Year Capital Plan Plus Testimony of Citizens Defending Libraries

  •       Monday, March 24, 2014, New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman's Brooklyn Community Forum at Brooklyn Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza

Councilman Steve Levin (far right) on December 14th addressing Citizens Defending Libraries weekly meeting, speaking about ULURP

  •       Sunday, December 14, 2014, Councilman Stephen T. Levin Attends Citizens Defending Libraries Weekly Meeting to Discuss Uniform Land Use Procedure (ULURP) and Sale of NYC Libraries Like The Brooklyn Heights Library

•       October 17, 2014 Discussion of Sale of Public Assets

Culture Chair Jimmy Van Bramer tweeted, during the hearing, this photo of what it looked like from his vantage saying "No surprise to see packed house."

 •       Report on Wednesday, December 10th City Council Hearing On Future of Capital Budget For NYC Libraries Plus Testimony of Citizens Defending Libraries

 •       Report on Tuesday, June 3rd-9th 2014 City Council Hearing On Budget For NYC Libraries Plus Testimony of Citizens Defending Libraries

City Council Member Laurie Cumbo asking about library board members and their conflicts of interest at hearing about the NYC Department of Design and Construction's role in overseeing library construction, renovation and costs

•       April 28, 2014 City Council Subcommittee on Libraries Hearing: Testimony By Citizens Defending Libraries and the Committee To Save the New York Public Library- More

CDL's Michael D. D. White on right- one of many panelist delivering testimony against library sell-offs at March 11th hearing.  No one, except two of the library heads testified in favor of such sales

•        Report on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 City Council Hearing On Preliminary Budget For NYC Libraries Plus Testimony of Citizens Defending Libraries

Attendees at November 3rd forum

•        November 3, 2013 Citizens Defending Libraries Forum On Sales Of Public Assets

September 3oth, years after the 2007 sell-off of Donnell, the City Council holds its first hearing on the sell-off of NYY's public libraries and finds the public is opposed.  Chair of the committee, Jimmy Van Bramer, center

•        Report on Monday, September 30th City Council Hearing On Sell-off of NYC Libraries Plus Testimony of Citizens Defending Libraries

Set up and ready to go at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Education Center

•        Public Advocates and Comptroller Candidates Forum on Libraries Held September 4, 2013

•        Mayoral Forum on Libraries Held August 30, 2013

Above, Assembly Members Micah Kellner and Joan Millman listen to NYPL President Anthony Marx's testimony.  Photo from Jonathan Barkey

•        Testimony By Citizens Defending Libraries At June 27, 2013 State Assembly Committee Hearing On Selling New York City Libraries

The June 3, 2013 City Council hearing in the NYC library budget.

 •       Testimony By Citizens Defending Libraries At June 5, 2013 City Council Committee Hearing On Library Budget Issues

Until this March 8th hearing City Council Cultural Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer overseeing libraries hadn't encountered  Citizens Defending Libraries and the upsurge of opposition to sale of libraries as breaking headlines started unveiling facts

•        Testimony By Citizens Defending Libraries At March 8, 2013 City Council Committee Hearing On Library Budget Issues