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Tiffany Murchison and ‘100 JABA’
In early 2006, Ms. Murchison was among the homebuyers who moved into three-family homes built by the NYC Housing Partnership. The new residents are young and predominantly female—some with families, some on their own. “This is a group of community-conscious people who don’t plan to move again,” says Ms. Murchison. “Their commitment is here because their investment is here.”
Of the 38 houses in the project, roughly half were built in the 100 block of Jefferson Avenue. The building of these homes transformed the blighted block. Several of the new residents had taken the first-time homebuyers course at Bridge Street. Early on they talked about starting a block association. “We had already decided there was strength in numbers,” says Ms. Murchison, “but we didn’t know how to begin forming a block association.”
How do you build a block association?
That’s where Bridge Street came in. Bridge Street has two offices on Jefferson Avenue, and one of its community organizers, Phyllis Hurd, had grown up close by. “When I was a child, my grandmother gave me a spanking for walking down that block one day,” says Ms. Hurd, a lifelong resident of Bedford-Stuyvesant. “Even then, it was a drug-infested block—full of squalid buildings, gang activities, prostitution, and constant gunfire. The block was notorious.”
At the same time, there were many steadfast, long-time residents of the block, whom Ms. Hurd knew from childhood. She began by talking with them and other residents of the block—owners and renters. There are twice as many residents on the block who do not live in new construction. “So we all knew there was no way to be successful as a block association without having those residents as members,” says Ms. Murchison.
In fact, Ms. Hurd discovered that there had been a block association long ago, and some of its officers were still living on the block. She talked with them and distributed flyers for a June meeting to form a block association. “About 50 people showed up at the meeting—an amazing turnout!” she notes. “Even more amazing was that the turnout was so diverse—old and new people, renters and buyers. All of them had the opportunity to meet, voice their concerns, and set goals and objectives.” They also formed committees to raise funds, prepare food, provide security, paint faces, play music, and organize games—including skelly—for their first annual block party in August of 2006. The food committee worked especially hard to provide something for everyone, including halal for Muslims and a veggie station for the vegetarians. They also began a tradition of giving every child who attends the party free school supplies to start the new school year.
The party was a smashing success—drawing more than 400 people—and the block association was off and running. “The officers of the original block association decided they wanted to be members of the new one, but not run it,” says. Ms. Hurd.
What can an association do for your block?
Bridge Street is a member of the Crime Safety Task Force. One of its goals is not only to eliminate as much drug activity in Bedford-Stuyvesant as possible, but also to engage residents to take action about any criminal activity on their block. “We encourage residents to attend the monthly meetings of the 79th Police Precinct Council and of Community Board 3,” says Ms. Hurd. “The block association leaders attend those meetings religiously and are very active in them.”
“As a result of our forming the block association, police cars and foot patrols are more visible on this block. You see police officers on the corner of Jefferson and Nostrand, or Jefferson and XX, or standing in the middle of Jefferson Avenue,” says Ms. Hurd. “Residents know their patrolmen. Community Affairs police officers know Bridge Street and Tiffany Murchison and the 100 Jefferson Avenue Block Association very well.”
Other accomplishments:
- In the spring of 2007, working with the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Bridge Street provided window boxes to residents who wanted to plant them and Borough President Marty Markowitz’s tree planting program planted seven trees on the block.”
- Working with the Mayor’s Office, Phyllis Hurd was able to help new homeowners who had problems with water seepage and sewage backup. Carolyn Saunders St. James [CK name & title] from the Mayor’s Office met with the new homeowners in 200X and made a list of all the problems they had with seepage, sewer lines, and sinkholes in Jefferson Avenue.
- All the new homeowners’ problems have been repaired.
- The city has replaced the sewer lines leading from Jefferson Avenue to both new and old homes on the block
- The cracked water mains under Jefferson Avenue—some 50, some 100, years old—are now being replaced by the city.
