of the 2016 lien sale, which included 89 properties owned by churches, daycare centers, mosques, community gardens organizations, non-profit developers, and veterans’ organizations. All of them are entitled to tax exemption under New York State Law.
We reached out directly to administrators of organizations we found on the tragic list, facilitated a workshop at which they could interact directly with NYC Department of Finance staff responsible for exemptions and the lien sale, and alerted Council Members and Community Boards that have specific properties in their districts at risk of foreclosure. The Garden of Youth in the Bronx was spared from foreclosure when we convinced the City to cancel the debt sold to the trust. The Queens-based Al-Muneer Foundation, denied exemption for their mosque since 2010, was granted its property
1. Paula Segal,“ CityViews: Stop the Tax-Lien Sales That Will Destroy Community Gardens”. CityLimits. org, May 10, 2011
2. D. W. Gibson,“ For Sale: Non-Profits” Urban Omnibus, November 9, 2016.
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