For the last twenty years, I have had the opportunity to learn along the landscape of community building through successfully creating a variety of projects, programs, and initiatives and working in partnership with various organizations, institutions, and municipalities. I also ran for public office, have helped folks get elected, work as a machine inspector with the Board of Elections and I am a Human Rights Commissioner in my city who wrote its bylaws. It is important that I lead with this so that you know where my insights are coming from.
Recently there was an update shared by a couple of brothers, Beloved and Bilal, regarding the status of our Allah School in Mecca. They met with Sid Davidoff on October 19th, 2022 in preparation for their meeting with Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Marie Torres-Springer on October 20th, 2022. The highlights of those meetings are as follows:
*The City of New York possesses the title to 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, the location of Allah Youth Center in Mecca.
*Sid Davidoff asked those present at the meeting did they have a copy of the 99-year lease for 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd that Five Percenters have historically said Allah was given by the Lindsay Administration. They did not have this document, nor did New York City Government, and there is no record of its existence.
*The only documentation that was found regarding 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd was an outdated month-to-month lease dated July 1967.
*Beloved said that Sid Davidoff, not New York City Government, stated that the 99-year lease did not matter and that the Five Percenters were the "defacto owners" because it has always been everyone's vision and understanding that you would hold that site as a school. So Davidoff advised the group to go into the meeting with the Mayor's Office and tell the city what we wanted and request a transfer of land as a part of the development deal.
*Davidoff also shared that there were other Five Percenters with different plans for the site and encouraged us to all be on one page.
*The group shared a presentation with the Mayor's Office regarding the history of the Five Percenters and their idea for developing the site.
As Five Percenters we are supposed to live according to our word is bond, and bond is life. That is not a City Government's policy nor its legal department's policy. So while the presentation sounded excellent, it legally means nothing to a municipality. Even if you were to get a signed MOA from a City Government, its legal department can still find a way to maneuver around it if it conflicts with a department's policy or a new administration comes into office. That new administration is not required to honor that. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) is a written document describing a cooperative relationship between two parties wishing to work together on a project or to meet an agreed-upon objective. This serves as a legal document and describes the terms and details of the partnership agreement. Nothing was shared in this update about an MOA, just hope that we can rely on our history and that the current New York City Government will leave this prime real estate that they possess, alone. Another important part that was not discussed in detail was the actual budget for the development plan and the actual CAPITAL we have in our account to complete this project. However, it was shared that there will be a fundraising initiative spearheaded by Black Just, the brother of Carmelo Anthony.
While I commend the Gods for their will and concern to move us collectively forward, I think that it was premature to engage City Government with an idea, no economic development plan, and no CAPITAL to develop the city's prime real estate that we have no legal rights to. This meeting has now set into motion a timeline for the Five Percenters to demonstrate to the current New York City Government our commitment to completing a proposed development plan that doesn't even have a blueprint or CAPITAL. This also establishes a justification for the current New York City Government to remove us Five Percenters from their property if they feel as though we are not committed to developing this prime real estate. If some corporation, institution, or organization has a better development plan and the CAPITAL to complete that project, the current or future New York City Government has no legal obligation to the Five Percent.
From here it is important to understand that we, as the Five Percent, have officially put the current New York City Government on notice regarding our intention and the timeline that they expect us to establish. Here are a few things that I would suggest moving forward:
*Create an actual development plan and secure CAPITAL investors in 2023.
*As Five Percenters, we are now officially on the city's economic and workforce development radar. Remove and do not post any Universal Parliaments online. The arguments that broke out, and the disorganization that was captured, after Beloved and Bilal shared their update should not be available to the public, which includes New York City Government. From this point forward it must be understood that the current New York City Government, and its partners, have a vested interest in developing the prime real estate located at 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd. Anything that Five Percenters say or do will be held against us as evidence of incompetence, not as adults trying to work it out.
*According to public records, the total assessed value of 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd is only $186,300 -which is a steal for a major development company. The value of the building [Youth Center], which measures 1,200 square feet, is $69,300. The value of its land, which measures 12,490 square feet, is $117,000. Its current market value, or the actual price someone is willing to pay for this property, is $414,000. These figures help set a reasonable CAPITAL investment goal. Taking a development plan to the current New York City Government with CAPITAL investments that are less than the property's market value does not make business sense to that municipality. A multi-million-dollar project from a major development company does make business sense.
*Build a relationship with the current New York City Government. That requires more than having one meeting sharing an idea with no money. Be consistent about attending city meetings, functions, and initiatives. Be consistent about participating in meetings, functions, and initiatives. Learn the pulse and heartbeat of this administration.
*Strive to get the current New York City Government to establish a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Five Percenters use and outlined development plan of 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd. If the current New York City Government is unwilling to establish a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), that is your indication that they do not intend on honoring the Five Percenters' future use and development of 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd. The current New York City Government's unwillingness to establish a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) also nullifies a "de facto" rule. In other words, someone could "de facto" be a parent because they behave like that... until someone has a court order.
The only way forward is progress, and the only way to be progressive is to work together. A year ago I invested in an IP and strived to gift it to our nation. This not only enabled us to protect our cultural identity in the public domain but was a legal means to successfully secure immediate CAPITAL through license agreements and infringement suits against its illegal use. While some understood its value, some publicly spoke out against it. I took the initiative to secure this IP for us knowing that a day such as this would ultimately come; a time when our vision for a sustainable future and financial vulnerability would be completely exposed. Although I was disappointed that some of our nation members did not see the value of this gift, I remain hopeful that this will be realized in time. I just will that those who spoke the loudest, and had the most to say, will be the same ones to step forward and answer the call to legally secure the economic development future of Allah Youth Center for our nation.
Peace,
Saladin
