Monday, August 27, 2007
'(This is) holy ground for those who care about Black history....'
From the amNewYork paper today:
Click here for the full story and watch the video above for additional details.
"Lewis Greenstein owns a house that stands at the center of a wrenching controversy over the preservation of black history versus the revitalization of Downtown Brooklyn.
His home, 233 Duffield St., built in 1847, contains what he says is clear evidence that it was used to shelter and feed black slaves escaping along the legendary Underground Railroad to Canada.
But a half-million-dollar report commissioned by the city found otherwise, and now a city agency has recommended the use of eminent domain to bring down Greenstein's and other similar homes on the street to build a park and parking lot seen as the centerpiece of a major redevelopment project.
"We have strong evidence now to show this building was a feeding center for escaped slaves brought here along their route to freedom. We have shown this evidence to the city, but the city has chosen to ignore it," said Greenstein, an outspoken critic of the city's plans."
Labels: Black History. AKRF, Duffield Houses, Slavery, Underground Railroad, US race relations
