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➤ ERIC ADAMS & SAGE, from p.6 slavery. “I think about Frederick Douglass and the conversation about fi ghting for the independence of America,” Adams said. “He said ‘the arrogance of that those want me to fi ght for independence when I’m still a slave.’ I can’t celebrate a building that is not inclusive.” Adams also suggested the infl ux of neighborhood newcomers into a newly constructed building would fuel problems with NYCHA residents in the neighborhood, saying, “If you have a body of people over there that feels as though this place here is not for them, we are going to have incidents in this community that will be disruptive.” He added, “Somehow, we got to fi gure this out. Somehow.” What exactly has to be fi gured out was left to the imagination, but the borough president’s remarks came at a time when gentrifi cation has gripped communities across the city, especially neighborhoods that traditionally have housed people of color — such as Fort Greene, where the Ingersoll Houses and Stonewall House are located. Gentrifi cation is a sensitive, even hot button talking point that resonates especially with communities negatively impacted by luxury developers. And the dilapidated and often dangerously unhealthy conditions at NYCHA facilities across the city have become an exploding scandal. What’s unclear is why these talking points were brought into a discussion about a property that meets a very high standard for inclusivity and has drawn support from local tenant leaders, including Ingersoll Houses Tenant Association president Darold Burgess, who spoke enthusiastically at the ceremony about the social services the SAGE Center on the building’s ground fl oor will bring to neighborhood residents, whether or not they live at Stonewall House. Hundreds of NYCHA residents were kept in the loop and consulted on the project throughout its multi-year stages of development. The borough president’s comments didn’t end there. Adams, a former cop, wrapped up his brief lecture by continuing to push an us-versus-them narrative, saying that he “didn’t put on a vest for 22 years to protect the children and families of this city to watch us be divided.” Again, he did not elaborate on how the building would “divide” the community and took no note of the open door policy at Stonewall House’s SAGE Center. Several ceremony attendees voiced concerns to Gay City News about the potentially unsettling effect the borough president’s warnings about “disruptive” “incidents” and division might have had on Stonewall House residents on hand for the ribbon-cutting. SAGE CEO Michael Adams, when reached for comment, reiterated the innovative nature of the new building and stressed that it “represents the very best of what New York City should be providing in terms of inclusive housing and providing services for low-income New Yorkers.” He added, “ Stonewall House wants to be a good neighbor in working with the Ingersoll tenants in trying to address the issues that deserve attention.” Stonewall House is one of the city’s two LGBTQ-friendly senior housing developments spearheaded by SAGE. The other building, Crotona Senior Residences in the East Tremont section of the Bronx, is anticipated to open early in 2020. Ironically, the Brooklyn borough president himself, as well as City Councilmember Laurie Cumbo, who represents the Fort Greene district where Stonewall House is located, allocated capital funds for the SAGE Center at Stonewall House. Cumbo attended the ribbon cutting but did not deliver remarks. Neither she nor Adams returned calls seeking comment for this story, but on Twitter on December 26 Adams wrote, “As I walked into the Stonewall House ribbon cutting, several community residents voiced their concerns to me over a nice building built on NYCHA property while their public housing remains neglected. They also shared the desire to see a greater share of LGBTQ+ people of color. The number one crisis in the community where Stonewall House sits is affordable housing and gentrifi cation. 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