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Since the announcement of the sweetheart deal that the Cuomo and Bloomberg administration was looking to bestow upon FreshDirect to take our public waterfront land, Bronxites from all walks of life – and allies from all over the city have teamed up to denounce such corporate welfare. During the last 13 months South Bronx Unite, the group that was immediately formed to block this irresponsible deal, has been called a small, yet vocal group against the move.

As time progressed, in a desperate attempt to garner more support for the move, FreshDirect hired Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx, as a corporate cheerleader to win the hearts of all those who are opposed.

Today that plan has backfired.

Sustainable South Bronx has publicly come out in support of the South Bronx Unite platform – the very company founded by Majora Carter, and in doing so they now stand opposite against the deal which she supports. The very fact that they have done so speaks volumes on why this deal should not and cannot be allowed to move forward. We have asked, how can one support a move based on a 20 year old environmental impact statement which is outdated due to the fact that since then, the neighborhood has been rezoned TWICE to expand residential zoning AND limit manufacturing/industrial use? SSBx echoes our sentiments by saying,

Given the environmental challenges already faced by the South Bronx, it is imperative that when a large company opens a new facility — especially when that company relies on a truck-based system to transport its products — an environmental impact study must take place. As advocates for the South Bronx, we at Sustainable South Bronx find it unacceptable that FreshDirect’s move to the South Bronx has not been subject to an environmental impact study and that the company has refused to conduct such a study. The review that FreshDirect has cited in support of its argument that environmental impact will be minimal dates from 1993 and pertains to a completely different project. In any community, this would be an unacceptable stand, but even more so in the South Bronx. [you can read the entire statement here.]

Recently, FreshDirect and supporters of their move touted that they had the backing of 6 Bronx-based organizations but what they will never reveal is that over 30 organizations have signed on to the South Bronx Unite platform (35 as of this writing to be exact).

The people have clearly spoken – almost 6 times as many organizations are AGAINST this dirty deal.  Not to shabby for an allegedly “small” group.