Marty Margulies – rich guy who REALLY helps the poor - doesn't just talk about it or just serve on a board like some rich people. There is a good article on him today in the Miami Herald by Daniel Chang: sub-titled, Marty Margulies expresses himself in many ways: as a developer, art collector, philanthropist -- and recently as a critic of Miami Art Museum plans. According to the article:"He paid $2.5 million to build the Overtown Youth Center, an athletic facility and community center for the underprivileged that opened in 2003, and another $1 million to create the Lotus House, an Overtown shelter for homeless women founded by Margulies' girlfriend of three years, Constance Collins. On a smaller scale, he buys uniforms and equipment for the Overtown Community Optimist Club's athletic teams."
Thanks Marty.
Then we have Ginger Williams. The article says Ex-girlfriend says angry Opa-locka ex-official came to her home. This woman has been beaten up a number of times for her role in exposing the corruption in Opa-Locka’s government.
Thanks Ginger.
Last we have Max Rameau. He created Umoja Village to shine a light on the homeless crisis in Miami. When the village of shacks burned down, he proposed to build permanent affordable housing, however, yesterday Miami scuttles deal to give site to Umoja group. Lobbyist Ron Book urged the commission to send the site out to bid and not give it to Max and Carfour Group for development. Max you should look up Marty. He might help.
Thanks Max.
Three people trying to make a difference on their own in our black community because of the void in real leadership. All three are under-appreciated for the difference they have made to make life a little better for others.
8 comments:
Greetings:
Less than one week after voting 4-0 to support the conveyance of land to the Umoja Village residents, city of Miami officials completely reversed themselves after a wealthy, high powered lobbyist unilaterally killed the entire deal. The political settlement won by Take Back the Land was scrapped as those with the real power vetoed the vote and maintained the status quo, to the benefit of those in power and at the expense of the black community.
The Umoja Village Shantytown stood for just over six months, directly feeding and housing people and challenging the notion that developers should control land in the black community, before it burned in a tragic fire on April 26, 2007. After the fire, the city offered the land to the residents and organizers of Umoja, in order to build supportive housing, a deal ultimately accepted by Take Back the Land.
The city was embarrassed and hostile towards the Umoja Village, however, overwhelming community support and attention forced officials to deal with the crisis. After months of planning and last minute wrangling, the city of Miami Commission voted to support the conveyance of the land to the residents and organizers. Technically, the vote approved of the idea, and ordered the city Manager to work out the details for a final and official vote in less than a week. The implications of the victory, which was now within grasp, for the black power and broader social justice movements are significant, a fact not lost on local gatekeepers and power brokers.
Just hours after the initial vote, the real powers-that-be went to work. Ron Book, one of the most powerful lobbyists in the state of Florida and operating as the chair of the Homeless Trust, employed his lobbying skills to kill the deal. He not only registered his opposition to city and county officials, but he intimidated the development partner, who depends on Trust for their funding. Equally as significant, he used his position as the chair of the Trust to threaten the funding. With the project funding gone- valued at up to $20 million- the development partner ready to bail, and elected officials on notice, the deal was effectively dead the very next day.
Book's justification for his stand was that no public land should be conveyed to an organization without a bid process, and that the Homeless Trust does not financially support no bid deals, even when legal and transparent and even when the Trust does not own the land in question. The obvious question arose: has Ron Book or the Homeless Trust ever supported a no-bid deal?
With Book, with multiple clients and a controversial professional record, finding instances of his support for numerous no-bid contracts was easy. More importantly, in February 2006, an apartment building located at 6000 NW 12th Ave., just seven blocks from the Umoja Village site, was conveyed to New Horizons for use as supportive housing, for free by the city of Miami in a no-bid process. In that virtually identical situation, the Trust supported the deal and continues to fund the project today. Not surprisingly, in addition to being the chair of the Homeless Trust, which directly funds New Horizons and others, Ron Book is also a paid lobbyist for New Horizons. He was paid no less than $40,000 by the non-profit organization in 2006, while making decisions about their contracts.
This information was brought to the Miami Herald, the local paper of record, including citations and public records proving the allegation. While a reporter supposedly worked on the story for at least four days, the story was never published.
The fact is that the black community built enough power to win a significant political victory at the city of Miami, the alleged decision making body. However, there are unelected forces with more power than lowly local governments, who make unilateral decisions without public hearings, and those powers have an interest in ensuring the black community cannot exercise self-determination. A wealthy white power broker and an unelected agency effectively vetoed the political settlement approved by a city government, a move with serious implications for the social justice movement and basic democratic rights.
This turn of events also confirms a truism of power: once a set of rules begin to benefit the people instead of those in power, those rules are subject to change.
In the mean time, the crisis of gentrification and low-income housing rages across Miami-Dade County and the US. We have an obligation to feed and house people in our community, and obligation which is only heightened by the refusal of governments to provide those services. Having failed at engagement with the system, Take Back the Land will continue to meet our obligations.
forward,
Max Rameau
Take Back the Land
a project of the Center for Pan-African Development
www.takebacktheland.net
check out the chronology of events and longer pieces at
www.takebacktheland.net or takebacktheland.blogspot.com
I knew Marty many years ago when we were both volunteers for the Greater Miami Heart Association. He is a rare individual, wealthy but generous of his time and money which he gives without strings. Thank heavens people like Marty are not afraid to speak up and buck the system. He makes so much sense. Keep it up Marty.
Re Max Ramaeu
Let us state the facts. Max Rameau wanted the City to give him free land on NW 17th Avenue. Max Rameau set up a for profit company barely one month ago. Max Rameau attempted to insert himelf into a $20 Mil deal. Max Rameau has no experience building, no experience in real estate and he admits he has no ability to get a loan. He admitted he has "nothing of value" to offer the City. "No value added." So why should the City let him insert his "for profit" company between itself and a bonafide builder? Isn't that how many scandals began?
Marty Margulies is a great civic activist. Mr. Margulies has warned leaders for years that the Miami Art Museum was not worthy of getting $150 Mil in taxpayer money. Miami Art Museum promised to raise $108 Mil. How much have they raised? A peddling amount. And why do they think they deserve a $50 Mil waterfront park site?
Anyone wanting to see world class art can visit the Margulies Warehouse in Wynwood. And admittence is free. And Margulies paid for the site and museum himself...
Lets put Marty in charge of the Homeless Trust, then even if he makes some decisions we do not agree with at least we know that he is an honorable man with his heart in the right place. Where does Ron Brook keep his heart, mostly near his pocket.
Ron Book is the same guy who put up illegal billboards in N. Miami.
Homeless trust would like to take the Air Base land in south Dade that was given to them as a federal grant for transitional housing and turn it into permanent housing by 'selling' to a developer for a little sum (certainly, not what the current market has been) and for a few houses that would be offered to the 'formerly homeless' to purchase.
Since those acres are 'granted' and the trust didn't follow the rules, they have spent the past few years scrambling to not lose the land entirely. So, having a lobbyist for a chair came in handy and a whole bunch of kissing up has been going between our federal elected officials and most probably our county ones. Giving land zoned for social service use to developers is a serious issue (even for a price). It is almost impossible to get land zoned for a social service use like transitional housing.
The argument for selling was that there is no grant funding for transitional housing and the trust could use the money from the sale to fund more programs for the homeless.
Guess what? If you expand programs, you need space, and if you need space for social service providers...you need to get the zoning and that will cost money... and there is limited land to put those kind of services because of the NIMBY effect. So, go ahead and off load the land. The Trust can then use the money to search out space and pay for the zoning hearings and the lobbyists to acquire the space to expand their programs.
Too bad the Trust didn't follow the federal guidelines and plan to use the land for what it was intended for: Social services to the homeless community. It was not to be used as a profit margin for a developer.
If I were Trust board member, I would really be asking some tough questions. I would very aware that if the organization is granted land with certain conditions, and they are not fulfilled, then I would be in violation of my fiduciary responsibilities. As it is, lots of people knew about the grant mess, and no one called anyone on the carpet? WOW.
More shocking is the lobbying to sell the land. Wonder who did that?
I think Marty Margulies is an incredibly rare Miamian. I give him immense credit for trying to do the right thing in opposing needless money grabbing by elite institutions. Most people are intimidated in the Miami area due to their professional obligations, elite connections, or because they are scared of offending someone or an institution.
Where are the people who stand up and are (by and large) fearless in speaking to power? We need more of them and get the Herald and other news media to highlight their comments. This blog helps. Marty, as wealthy as he is, is in a unique position to say what he thinks. But it shouldnt take such wealth to speak out or gain some recognition. The key is to pick your battles, do your research and focus your comments. Strength in numbers also helps. And we need a reinforcing trend for organizations to speak out as well - and to coordinate their work with other organizations. Some day we might even create a city and a county we can be proud of - but probably not in my lifetime - nor before the water rises- and the corrosive culture of cynicism seems to get worse in time. But paddle on.
Greg Bush
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