From the testimony of Harold DeRienzo RBA CIAB Bronx Hearing Bronx Borough Hall Thursday, February 12, 2015 My name is Harry DeRienzo. I am the President and CEO of Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association, Inc. in the South Bronx. I am also Vice President of the Association of Housing and Read more
Speech given by Harry DeRienzo at Banana Kelly’s 5th Annual Meet & Greet, December 5th 2014. Community Development, as we know it, is at a crossroads. When our work began some 40 years ago, the “inner city” was in crisis and residents came together to respond to the crises of Read more
At some point in human history, there was no wealth, only survival based upon individual and collective capacity. Wealth was not a conceptual reality. But over time as communities formed through human settlements, land became a valuable asset. And still later, there came a prevalent belief that all wealth was Read more
By Harold DeRienzo My friend Dr. Sahd maintains that a “Good Society” cannot be created. And then goes on to explain how society is created. What is to be made of this? If men create societies through willful cooperation and interaction, why is it beyond their collective capacity to create Read more
By Brian Sahd Let us be clear, there is no one definition of Society. Furthermore, societies are in constant states of change and evolution. Certainly, change can be abrupt – war, of course, and revolution as well as natural disaster can instantly change a society. However, generally speaking societal change Read more
By Harlod DeRienzo What is society? How do we judge how effective or just or good a society is? When we think of society, we think of all the myriad ways in which we associate with one another. Such associations are defined by fleeting associations and informal conventions (such as Read more
By Eric Goldfischer In a recent conversation with a manager of distressed assets for a highly profitable group, I was told (in appropriately condescending tone) that “the only reason we buy buildings is to make money.” As an afterthought, he added something to the effect of, “Of course we want Read more
Brian Sahd I do not know anyone who is in favor of poverty – no liberal, no conservative, no tea party member or left wing radical. All of us, I truly believe, agree that poverty is something to be eradicated. The divisive issue surrounding poverty is the how: How do Read more
By Harold DeRienzo Growing up in the 1950s, I was conditioned to believe that we lived in a classless society. This conditioning took place at home, in school, at church, and was constantly reinforced by the media. That certainly did not mean that classes did not exist, only that there Read more
By Harold DeRienzo At the recent Conference sponsored by the Association of Housing and Neighborhood Development, I spoke on a panel with other housing professionals and government officials. My prepared remarks are below. I approach this topic from the perspective of a Community Development Corporation, or CDC. Affordable housing means Read more