Posted to Communal Matters, Op-Ed on

INBOX: Many Meetings, Few Answers

by Chaim Gravitzer

I have lived in Crown Heights for decades. When new leadership ran for the Vaad Hakohol and Community Council, I voted, encouraged others to vote, and believed—sincerely—that after years of inertia, something would finally change.

Two years in, it’s time for an honest accounting.

What changed for residents?

Not the cost of housing. Not tuition. Not access to basic government programs. Not street safety. Not antisemitism. Not quality‑of‑life issues. Not transparency. What did change is the optics: a polished office, glossy updates, and endless assurances that things are “in process.”

We were promised action. We received administration.

Results Matter

There is still no completed Beis Din. No election. No timeline. No clear public explanation. Leadership on this core issue remains unfinished.

There have been no elections or reforms where the community expected them most. When serious disorder erupted on Rosh Hashanah inside 770, responsibility was nowhere to be found. Statements were vague. Accountability was absent.

Residents still travel out of the neighborhood to receive basic help with Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and housing assistance—because the experience locally hasn’t changed.

A homeless shelter continues to rise. Despite meetings and updates, nothing was stopped, redirected, or meaningfully mitigated.

Optics vs. Outcomes

We traded a functioning urgent care—something residents actually used—for office space. We got posters, presentations, and photo‑ops. We did not get results.

Quality‑of‑life issues pile up: bike lanes imposed without community buy‑in, Citi Bikes overtaking residential blocks, enforcement that feels selective at best. These are daily problems. They remain unsolved.

Wednesday’s Town Hall

This Wednesday’s town hall promises “updates.” Residents deserve answers.

We are told an executive director of a newly emphasized community office will present. Fair question: who is this role accountable to, when was it created, what authority does it have, and what has it tangibly delivered? This position was never on the ballot, and the community was never properly introduced to it.

We are also told senior administrators will speak. Fine. But the people the community actually voted for should be standing front and center, explaining decisions, timelines, and failures—not just delegating presentations.

Meetings Without Answers

Many residents have attended every meeting. The pattern is familiar: tough questions are met with promises to “work on it.” Time passes. Nothing changes.

Leadership is not measured by how many meetings are held or how professional the slides look. It is measured by outcomes.

A Call for Accountability

This is not a personal attack. Leadership is difficult and often thankless. But it is also voluntary. Those who stepped up asked for trust—and with that trust comes scrutiny.

Come to the meeting. Be respectful. Be direct. Ask clear questions. Demand timelines and measurable goals.

Crown Heights does not need better messaging. It needs results.

Two years later, the community is still waiting.

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26 Comments

  • 100%

    I will definitely be there I have so many questions to ask who are these people who elected these new executive directors of committees representing us allegedly

    • Glossy Office

      A professional office isn’t about vanity; it is about creating a space where government officials and city agencies feel they are dealing with a serious partner. To get the city to listen on issues like the homeless shelter or bike lanes, we must speak their language.

  • Don't waste your time

    Nothing is gonna change Stay home and spend time with your family, All they’re gonna say is we are trying we’re working on it we’ll talk about it in the next meeting blah blah blah.
    In the meantime someone’s getting rich

    • The Executive Director

      Complex community needs cannot be solved by volunteers alone in their spare time. Hiring professional staff ensures that when a resident calls about SNAP or housing, there is a dedicated person—not just a busy board member—to follow through. effective action in 2024 requires a professional backbone

    • Agree but disagree

      It’s true nothing will likely change.
      On the other hand If we sit by quietly and don’t Voice our concern then we are complicit. the little bit that we can do we must do even though it probably won’t change

  • More people should read this

    Perfectly described what’s going on Although I wouldn’t have been so forgiving

  • I can attest

    Members of the CHJCC showed up to fight the Brooklyn Ave bike lanes that the DOT already showed up to paint. They fought it hard and succeeded in staving them off for a while. This is an extraordinarily difficult task.

    Not everything they do is visible to everyone. They can’t control housing prices.

    • anonymous

      didn’t governer hochul intervene?they were supposed to daven there?sefer torahs are there!

  • controlled frustration

    Gravitzer appears to be in a state of controlled frustration. He has moved past the “anger” phase and into a “documentation” phase.

  • Exhaustion with Process

    clearly “fed up” with the bureaucracy. His focus on the “Executive Director” role suggests a mind that is highly attuned to power structures—he is looking for where the buck stops.

  • Mattis

    Citibikes have revolutionized micromobility in crown heights.

    Don a helmet and try it out. Instead of a 15 min Walk, it’s a short bike ride away.

    It’s amazing to see what the positive effect it has brought.

    • A 1000% disagree Literally take a walk,

      It is a danger to the cyclist, To the pedestrian, Add Drivers who will always be responsible for the cyclists careless maneuvers.
      Walk like a normal person, And if it takes you 15 minutes wake up a bit earlier, chazer tanya baal peh as you walk (the hayom yom Makes no mention of bicycles)

  • Mushkie

    We will be sending a full progress report of all the projects we are working on that will improve the shchuna and achieve the goals that are being reached bla bla bla…words and more talk while saying nothing at all. Why are we expecting anything more??? We are gullible and naive. We vote and feel good with hearing the words we want to hear, and all together we loudly say, Amen, and go back to…

  • CH Resident

    Hitting the like button!

    Or rating with 5 stars

    I too had high hopes for this newer younger crew. But sadly, doesn’t seem like anything changed

    • We can't stay in the shadows

      You and I and everybody that agrees with this article must come out tonight encourage your family and friends to come and voice your concerns in a respectful way but don’t take we’re working on it for an answer demand peacefully

  • Yisroel

    “…serious disorder erupted on Rosh Hashanah inside 770…”
    770 has been in a state of “serious disorder” for the past 30 years. What happened Rosh Hashana was not something new but the inevitable outcome of letting a terror group run the place.
    But I join in your complaint that the CHJCC does nothing.

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