The hidden grassroots power of
Brooklyn’s Community Boards
COURIER LIFE, APRIL 16-22, 2021 37
EDITORIAL
More than a mistake
How many more times must a
Black person be shot and killed
by a police offi cer in America
before this country fully realizes that
something has gone terribly wrong?
Daunte Wright, 20, joined the list
of casualties on April 11 when a police
offi cer shot and killed him in a “routine”
traffi c stop in suburban Minneapolis,
Minnesota. The offi cer who
pulled the trigger on him claimed it
was a tragic mistake; she allegedly
thought she had pulled out her Taser,
not her gun.
A Glock handgun, similar to that
which the offi cer had, weighs 34
ounces of heavy metal; by comparison,
a Taser, made largely of plastic,
weighs just eight ounces. The weight
difference alone makes the offi cer’s
claim almost implausible.
Even if this incident was merely a
tragic mistake, as the offi cer claims,
it proves her incompetence as a police
offi cer — and she should no longer be
on the force.
But the fi rst instinct to draw her
gun, rather than her Taser, seemed to
subconsciously say it all.
Police unions and their supporters
in government have bristled at
any new governance of police. In New
York, they’ve seethed at attempts to
restrict the use of chokeholds and
ending qualifi ed immunity, which
effectively protects cops from being
sued for civil rights violations.
But this case — along with other
high-profi le police deaths such as
George Floyd and Breonna Taylor —
further underscores the urgent need
for police reform in America, and in
New York.
There must be a culture change
within law enforcement that ensures
“equal justice under law” for every
American. In this moment of time,
we shouldn’t have to live in a society
where families of color have to give
“the talk” to their children as to how
to behave in interacting with police,
lest they risk being shot.
No person in this country should
get behind the wheel thinking that if
they get pulled over for an infraction,
they may not live to drive away. It is
this scenario that causes further anxiety
among Black and Brown Americans,
and further distrust in offi cers
sworn to protect and serve them.
The answer is not to tell them not
to be anxious or mistrustful.
The answer is to eliminate the
anxiety and mistrust by reforming
police departments to protect citizens
and offi cers alike — and to get rid of
any offi cer incapable or unwilling to
equally protect and serve.
OP-ED
BY ANTONIO REYNOSO
When the subject of Community
Boards comes up,
most people will unfortunately
roll their eyes and fi nd
a reason to change the topic.
It’s not surprising though, because
many people see these
Boards as groups of longtime
political insiders and community
gadfl ys, arguing amongst
themselves, with little impact
on how Brooklyn’s 2.6 million
residents live their day-today
lives. But this public apathy
belies the reality of these
Boards, which are a critical forum
for public engagement in
local issues.
Simply put, if you care about
overdevelopment and gentrifi -
cation, you should care about
Community Boards. If you
care about affordable housing,
saving our local businesses
or waterfront resiliency, you
should care about Community
Boards. If you care about development
projects like Industry
City or Bedford Union Armory,
you should care about
Community Boards.
Community Boards are supposed
to be the place where
community voices are heard
and community needs are addressed,
but we have hamstrung
them with limited resources and
inadequate recruitment and diversity,
undermining their ability
to carry out their Chartermandated
responsibilities.
So if we want a fairer, stronger
Brooklyn, we need to fi x
our Community Boards. And
as Borough President, I will.
When Community Boards
are truly representative of the
communities they serve, and
are given the right resources
and support, they can make a
real impact -- especially when
it comes to land use decisions.
Community Boards have the
power to propose development
plans which can be used
to guide policy decisions. As
neighborhoods in our city —
particularly low-income communities
of color — continue
to be plagued by reckless, unfettered
development, centering
community voices is more
important than ever.
But, in our current system,
the potential power of Community
Boards is left untapped,
depriving our Borough of critical
input from our City’s most
local level of government.
Making a Community Board
representative of the neighborhoods
it serves is vital. And
yet Community Boards across
Brooklyn are still plagued by
imbalances in racial makeup,
gender, sexual orientation, and
age, and a skew towards homeowners,
despite the fact that
70 percent of our residents are
renters — meaning certain residents
are missing out on the
ability to shape the future of
their neighborhoods and we’re
missing out on their input in
our policymaking.
To reform the recruitment
and application process, I will
launch a more intentional recruitment
process with better,
multilingual outreach to
underserved communities. As
BP, my offi ce will work with
local organizations and stakeholders
to identify and actively
recruit candidates, helping to
bolster the number of applicants
in each CB while also
ensuring that important stakeholders
— like union members,
small business owners,
and students — are aware of
and seize on the opportunity to
apply. I will recruit members
with professional expertise,
like attorneys, housing advocates,
and urban planners, and
make sure they have more fulltime
staff to support them.
At the Council, I proposed
legislation to improve our
CB applications by creating
a standardized citywide application
and requiring Borough
Presidents to publicly report
data about the selection
and makeup of Community
Boards, two actions I will take
voluntarily as BP regardless of
whether it becomes law. These
steps would go a long way
in making the process more
transparent and accessible to
all community members.
I will address historically
sparse participation in CB’s by
making them more open and
more accessible. Since the pandemic
began and CBs moved
meetings online, participation
and interest has soared. By continuing
to have virtual meeting
options beyond this crisis,
we can increase access to working
people, parents, people with
disabilities, and more.
Next, we must fully fund
CBs so they have the resources
to reach their full potential.
CBs play an important role in
our local politics, but they currently
only make up a minute
percentage of the city budget.
Without suffi cient support from
the city, CBs can’t adequately
fulfi ll their responsibilities.
From land use to traffi c
concerns to resiliency along
our waterfront, the issues that
Community Boards tackle are
complex and they need staff
with the expertise to put forward
effective solutions. At
minimum, every CB should
have a salaried land use planner
to navigate complicated
issues that everyday Brooklynites
are impacted by, but
may not be well-versed in.
In this moment, we need
all hands on deck to meet the
daunting challenges facing our
communities — from ensuring
an equitable recovery from this
pandemic, to tackling the ongoing
affordable housing crisis, to
protecting our frontline communities
from the threat of climate
change, to ending police brutality.
Community boards can and
should be a part of the solutions.
But fi rst, here in Brooklyn,
we have a lot of work to do to
make sure that our Community
Boards are up to the task.
Antonio Reynoso represesents
Bushwick, Ridgewood,
and Williamsburg in the City
Council. He is also running for
Brooklyn Borough President.