NYC Speak Truth to Secretary Carson

Instead of going to Wall Street to ring the bell, Carson should have been meeting with the families who will be directly impacted by the cuts to HUD.”

Secretary Carson thought he was just going to visit New York City without a fuss. His destination? Wall Street. The purpose of his visit? A publicity stunt. He came to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Afua Atta-Mensah, Esq., Executive Director, Community Voices Heard, an organizer of the action, said:

“Instead of going to Wall Street to ring the bell, Carson should have been meeting with the women, children, seniors, veterans and myriad of working families who will be directly impacted by the cuts to HUD. Poverty is not a state of mind. Poverty is having to choose between paying rent and buying food or purchasing medicine. Previously HUD provided vital funding to build affordable housing, provide rent subsidies, and challenge discriminatory housing practices that allow fewer families to have to make those hard decisions. Sadly, Carson has made clear that under his leadership HUD will longer provide that lifeline to families across this nation.”

Representative Nydia Velazquez had this to say:

“Given that the Administration’s budget proposed deep and devastating cuts to NYCHA and other programs that New York’s working families rely on, it is clear this Administration does not understand housing policy and how it affects the day-to-day lives of Americans – in New York and elsewhere. Especially in light of Dr. Carson’s recent comments about poverty being a ‘state of mind’, I would think he could find better ways to spend his time than ringing the closing bell at the Stock Exchange.

Well the people of New York made sure he found “better ways to spend his time.” Hundreds of community residents and organizations like Community Voices Heard, GOLESNew York Communities for Change, and the No Cuts Coalition stood outside NYSE and made sure they were heard.

Here’s what they had to say:


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