“Our elected officials have a choice: be complicit in our displacement or successfully fight for these anti-displacement measures.”

A South West view of the Fulton Street and Van Sinderen Avenue intersection from one of Broadway Junction’s elevated platforms, pictured here in 2019.

The Broadway Junction area, which lies at the nexus of three communities—Bushwick, Ocean-Hill, Brownsville, and East New York—has been slated to receive nearly $1 billion in public and private investment. The public investment has the potential to be transformative in this disinvested area.  However, government officials must learn from the past and put protections for local residents in place to prevent speculation-induced displacement.  

In 2023, the city announced $500 million in investments to: bring long-overdue ADA  accessibility to the station, erect two new public plazas, make streetscape improvements, and relocate the Transit Police District 33 station. These investments come on top of the $21.6 million the city committed as part of the East New York Neighborhood Plan to renovate the adjacent Callahan-Kelly Playground, and the roughly $202 million in construction loans that the Leser Group took out to construct 2440 Fulton St., which now houses 1,100 NYC Department Social Services (DSS) employees across the street from the Broadway Junction station.

On top of this, the MTA has secured $2.75 billion as part of their 2025-2029 Capital Plan to construct the Interborough Express (IBX), a new light rail transit line that will run through Broadway Junction on Van Sinderen Avenue. Additionally, an estimated $48.5 million in  acquisition and construction loans were assumed by developer Jacob Landau to build 119 units of market rate housing at 2246 Fulton St., just two blocks from the Broadway Junction train station.

Two blocks down, a two-acre multi-building campus is proposed by  Brooklyn-based development firm Totem and is currently going through the Uniform Land Use Review (ULURP) process. These private development projects far exceed the amount in public investment that has been made by the city as part of the 2016 neighborhood rezoning approved by Mayor Bill de Blasio.  

Considering the flood of private dollars that will continue to inundate Broadway Junction, we are bracing ourselves for a wave of displacement. Property and land values will skyrocket,  rents and property taxes will increase, and the area will ultimately become inhabited by a new gentry, pushing out longtime predominantly Black, Latino and South Asian residents who have called this place home. However, there are critical steps the city and state can take to help prevent displacement. 

First, the city needs to increase funding for programs such as Partners in Preservation and the Homeowner Helpdesk to support tenant organizing and housing counseling.These were  programs that the city baselined and have consistently funded since the East New York  Neighborhood Plan of 2016.  

The city must also provide property tax reductions or subsidies to homeowners that live in 1-3 family homes within at least a mile radius of Broadway Junction. Cash-strapped homeowners should not face the consequences of being forced to sell their homes because they cannot  keep up with the pace of their growing taxes. East Brooklyn has consistently landed on the top of the tax lien sale—we should be undermining that trend, not exacerbating it. 

Likewise, the city and state needs to provide universal rent relief to renters that see rent  increases within a mile radius of Broadway Junction. The city currently provides rent relief  through the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and the Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) programs, and it must design and offer similar programs for New Yorkers  within a rezoned area or area experiencing high levels of public and private investment like  Broadway Junction.  

Lastly, along with these developments, the sudden influx of private capital will drive up property values. This will cause some property owners to “cash-in” and sell their properties to investors who will push out longtime residents to maximize profits. Landlords will be incentivized to remove tenants through buy-outs or abusive tactics, as the area has seen in the lead-up and aftermath of the 2016 rezoning. For this reason, the city needs to expand funding for the Neighborhood Pillars Program to enable CLTs like the East New York Community Land Trust to acquire properties at scale (beyond what the program currently allows) and ensure permanent affordability. che City could even acquire these for-sale properties itself and transfer them to CLTs. 

Funding and expanding existing programs, as well as providing universal rent relief to renters and tax relief to homeowners in small homes, should be the anti-displacement policy at the top of the agenda for the city, especially as it relates to Broadway Junction. The days of the city simply providing legal counsel support for tenants within rezoned areas must end.

And to be clear, we are not anti-development or NIMBYs; as a CLT, we are for development that meets the needs of our community members, not development that displaces them. Our elected officials have a choice: be complicit in our displacement or successfully fight for these anti-displacement measures.  

Boris Santos is a public school teacher, East Brooklyn resident, and president of the East New York Community Land Trust. 

The post Opinion: Development Without Displacement at Broadway Junction appeared first on City Limits.

By HANNAH FINGERHUT, Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s largest school district released a report Friday claiming that it received an abbreviated background check and what was likely a forged transcript when it was hiring its former superintendent, who was charged in a federal indictment with falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen on a federal form.

Des Moines Public Schools hired Ian Roberts in 2023 with the help of a national consulting firm, JG Consulting, which had initially recommended Roberts and four other candidates to the school board, according to the report from an investigator hired by the district.

The investigator, Des Moines-based attorney Melissa Schilling, concluded based on the contract and communications at the time that the school board reasonably relied on JG Consulting to vet Roberts or disclose limitations in their vetting process. The district is likely to cite the report in their ongoing lawsuit against the Texas-based consulting company, who has said the district is trying to shift blame.

A federal grand jury issued a two-count indictment against Roberts, who is originally from Guyana in South America and was arrested by federal agents on Sep. 26. Roberts resigned his position, is in federal custody and is awaiting trial, which is currently scheduled for March.

Schilling is a labor and employment lawyer who also co-leads her firm’s new crisis management practice, according to the firm’s announcement in July. Her work for the district was focused on the selection of JG Consulting for the superintendent search process and the school board’s awareness of discrepancies in Roberts’ records, according to the report.

The district declined to comment further or detail how much Schilling or her firm was paid to do the investigation.

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Checking Roberts’ work authorization

Roberts had claimed to be a U.S. citizen on his work eligibility form, providing a driver’s license and Social Security card as supporting documentation. Schilling said Des Moines schools relied on the consulting firm to identify immigration issues since JG Consulting told the district that they were a registered agent with the government’s employment eligibility system, “E-Verify.”

E-Verify compares information entered by an employer from an employee’s documents with records available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration. But the system has its flaws, recently highlighted in the case of a Maine police officer arrested by immigration authorities even though he was vetted using E-Verify.

Schilling said it was “unknown” whether the firm used E-Verify at the time.

JG Consulting disputes that it was their responsibility, according to a court filing. A spokesperson did not immediately comment on the report released Friday.

“The District had the legal duty and obligation to verify Roberts’ immigration status and work authorization as his employer, and it apparently failed to do so. JG Consulting legally could not, as the non-hiring entity, confirm Roberts’ immigration or work-authorization status,” the court document reads.

Des Moines Public Schools paid JG Consulting $35,000 for facilitating the superintendent search, according to the contract.

A limited background check

Schilling’s report said the background check provided to Des Moines Public Schools by JG Consulting, via a subcontracted third-party company, Baker-Eubanks, only looked at records for the past seven years despite federal law that allows more extensive disclosure for positions paid more than $75,000.

Schilling acknowledged in the report that many state laws prevent access to records, such as arrests or charges, if they did not result in a conviction.

Since his arrest, federal authorities have provided a list of criminal charges in Roberts’ record, including drug possession and intent to sell in 1996 in New York, where state law could have prevented full disclosure of such charges. Officials did not specify the outcome of that charge.

Still, Schilling said a 2012 conviction for reckless driving in Maryland likely would have been disclosed in the background check if it had looked beyond seven years.

The background check did identify — and Roberts did address — a 2022 weapons charge in Pennsylvania, where he was convicted of a minor infraction for unlawfully possessing a loaded hunting rifle in a vehicle. Schilling wrote that JG Consulting called the conviction a “blemish” when they recommended Roberts to the board.

Roberts has also been charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm while being in the country illegally. Officials said he had four firearms, including one found wrapped in a towel in the school-issued vehicle he was driving when he was arrested.

In his application, Roberts had to say whether he was ever charged with a misdemeanor, felony or major traffic violation, such as driving under the influence, according to JG Consulting’s profile for the job. It is not clear how Roberts responded at the time.

A transcript that was likely forged

Roberts falsely claimed on his application that he obtained a doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University in 2007, according to documents The Associated Press obtained through a public records request.

Schilling confirmed that board members were provided that resume by JG Consulting during the hiring process, though Roberts himself brought paper copies of a different resume — where he indicated he completed “abd,” or all but dissertation — to his in-person interview with the school board.

Although Roberts was enrolled in that doctorate program from 2002 to 2007, the school’s public relations office confirmed in an email that he didn’t receive that degree. It declined to say which degree requirements he hadn’t met, and it would not provide a copy of his transcript to the AP or to Schilling.

Schilling wrote that she was “fairly confident” that the transcript Roberts provided in his application was forged. She wrote that the background check flagged the discrepancy but interviews with board members indicate the issue was not raised by JG Consulting.

JG Consulting has said the district was aware that he had not obtained a doctorate from that university.

In the court filing, the firm said the district was attempting to shift blame for its “hiring and employment shortcomings,” it said. “The District cannot shift blame for its failures and oversights because it knew of Roberts’ criminal issues and resume problems but still decided to hire him.”

By CHRISTINE FERNANDO, Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — A judge’s blistering 223-page opinion has offered a cache of striking new details from body camera footage about agents’ use of force during a federal immigration crackdown in the Chicago area dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.”

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis’ opinion issued Thursday recounts many high-profile clashes between federal agents and protesters, repeatedly using body camera footage to refute the federal government’s narratives from court, use-of-force reports, filmed depositions and press releases. It describes scenes of agents launching tear gas without warning, aiming rubber rounds at reporters, tackling protesters and laughing as blood oozed from a demonstrator’s ear — incidents Ellis says were flatly at odds with the government’s own narratives.

Ellis expressed surprise about federal officials pointing her to specific videos, which she later found showed agents violating her orders restricting the use of force.

The opinion outlines Ellis’ findings in issuing a preliminary injunction earlier this month in response to a lawsuit filed by news outlets and protesters who claimed federal officers used excessive force during an immigration crackdown that has netted more than 3,000 arrests since September across the nation’s third-largest city and its many suburbs. Among other things, Ellis’ order restricted agents from using physical force and chemical agents like tear gas and pepper balls, unless necessary or to prevent an “an immediate threat.” She said the current practices violated the constitutional rights of journalists and protesters.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday temporarily halted the order, calling it “overbroad” and “too prescriptive.” But the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also cautioned against “overreading” its stay and said a quick appeal process could lead to a “more tailored and appropriate” order.

Law enforcement officers watch from top of a building as protesters gather outside an ICE processing facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview, Ill., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Judge says footage shows excessive force

The opinion delineates the results of Ellis’ review of extensive body-worn camera footage and testimony that she says reflected indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force as agents repeatedly used tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper balls and flashbangs without warnings or justification. It also described tense moments when Ellis says agents shot flash-bang grenades at the backs of protesters as they fled, kicked protesters on the ground, caused a car accident during a Halloween celebration, threatened to shoot residents while pointing guns at them, shot pepper balls at the heads of journalists and praying clergy members, and tackled protesters to the ground.

The opinion accuses federal agents of not following Ellis’ previous orders by using tear gas and other weapons on peaceful protesters, failing to give two explicit warnings before deploying munitions and not wearing clear identification.

It also described agents’ apparent delight as they lobbed tear gas canisters at protesters. One agent declared that “We’re definitely gassing them when we leave. Just start throwing (expletive)” and another said “We can (expletive) ’em up,” according to body camera footage described in the opinion.

Ellis also accused agents of “actively attempting to rile up the protesters,” making “dismissive remarks” and “laughing” while firing munitions at protesters. She described agents who “laughed and made jokes about tear gassing protesters” and were “pushing people to the ground and then laughing about it, even as blood oozed from the ears of someone they pushed.” In another instance, she described an agent saying ”No one can hear you” after tackling and arresting a reporter as he yelled that he was a journalist and sought out his colleague.

FILE – A federal immigration enforcement agent sprays Rev. David Black, of the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, as he demonstrates outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill, on Sept. 19, 2025. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)

Judge criticizes Border Patrol leader

The judge also accused Greg Bovino, the senior U.S. Border Patrol official leading the immigration crackdown in the Chicago area, of being “evasive” and “outright lying” during his testimony, including by lying about being hit in the head with a rock during a protest in the predominantly Mexican American Chicago neighborhood of Little Village. Bovino repeatedly went back-and-forth between claiming he was hit with a rock before or after he fired tear gas at the crowd, according to the opinion.

In one instance after another, Ellis used footage to dispute claims by agents, including that Bovino saw Latin Kings gang members take weapons out of their car in Little Village and that a protester threw a bicycle at an agent. Body-worn camera footage also revealed that an agent used the AI tool ChatGPT to write the narrative for a report based off just a “brief sentence about an encounter and several images,” according to the opinion.

Taken together, Ellis said the documentation showed the federal government’s narrative was “simply not credible,” saying her review of the body camera footage supported plaintiffs’ allegations by “undermining all of Defendants’ claims.”

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Pride in Chicago

Steeped in pride for Chicago, the judge’s opinion painted an image of Chicago far different from the portrayal of federal attorneys, who characterized it as a place “ransacked by rioters.” Instead, Ellis proudly described neighbors showing up for one another by “standing on the sidewalk to document law enforcement activities and protest against immigration enforcement activities they believe to be unjust, or simply praying the Rosary to provide comfort and bear witness to those detained at the Broadview detention facility who are facing fear and uncertainty.”

“This description of rapid response network members, neighborhood moms and dads, Chicago Bears fans, people dressed in Halloween costumes, and the lawyer who lives on the block as professional agitators undermines the agents’ credibility,” she wrote.

The University of Minnesota, its physicians group and Fairview will return to negotiations on the future of the university’s medical school, but Fairview says it remains committed to the agreement university officials have opposed.

University officials reached an agreement to resume negotiations Thursday night, U President Rebecca Cunningham said in a statement Friday. Attorney General Keith Ellison will manage the talks with a mutually agreed-upon mediator who will be selected soon.

“The progress all parties have made to date is significant, and I thank the parties for building on this work and recognizing that time is of the essence in bringing this matter to closure in a way that secures continuity of high-quality patient care, retention of world-class physicians, and long-term support for the Medical School that trains 70 percent of all doctors in Minnesota,” Ellison said, in a statement. “This has always been and continues to be the goal.”

Fairview Health Services last week announced it had reached a 10-year partnership with University of Minnesota Physicians to fund the state’s medical school, which includes a $1 billion commitment from Fairview to continue investment in the medical center as well as the Masonic Children’s Hospital and other academic sites. Ellison at the time praised the deal as a “strong step forward,” but university officials opposed it, saying the physicians overstepped their authority.

The U’s Board of Regents, in a resolution last week, condemned the deal. This week, the leader with the physicians group was removed from a vice presidential role at the university. Cunningham and university regents were expected to meet on “clinical partnership options and next steps” Friday afternoon, but the meeting was canceled ahead of the announcement of renewed negotiations.

A previous deal between the U and Fairview is set to expire in 2026. Minneapolis-based Fairview owns health care facilities on the university’s Twin Cities campus, including the teaching hospital for the medical school.

“University of Minnesota Physicians (M Physicians), the clinical practice for the faculty of the University of Minnesota Medical School, looks forward to advancing our foundational clinical agreement with Fairview Health Services while continuing to serve the academic mission of the University of Minnesota,” M Physicians said in a statement Friday. “We intend to complete our definitive clinical agreement with Fairview by the end of 2025.”

Talks to extend the partnership between the university and Fairview have been ongoing since February 2024.

Officials with Fairview expressed appreciation for the return to negotiations in statements Friday, but they also indicated that they remain committed to their “foundational and binding” agreement previously reached with M Physicians.

“Our goal is to engage constructively to find solutions that clarify the University’s research and education mission while respecting and upholding the integrity of the agreement already in place,” Fairview officials said in a statement Friday.

Stabilizing the faculty practice is urgent as physician departures from M Physicians are currently nearly 30% higher than average, according to Fairview.

“Fairview will continue to participate in time-limited discussions, but it would be irresponsible to allow open-ended negotiations, to revisit terms that have already been settled, or to return to structures that have already failed,” the statement said. “The foundational agreement already reached between Fairview and UMP offers a clear path forward, and it is essential that the work continues without unnecessary barriers.”

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Ellison thanked the parties for their work and strategic facilitator Lois Quam, who he said will remain as a facilitator in the process. Cunningham on Friday acknowledged the work ahead and the need to rebuild trust.

“This significant step forward gives me confidence we will reach an agreement that best serves the health and healthcare needs of Minnesota—not only for today, but for decades to come,” Cunningham said in her statement to staff and students. “The University is fully committed to negotiating in good faith and forging a plan of action that most strongly supports patients and our state. We are also dedicated to achieving a timely solution that is both practical and extraordinary, allowing the University to sustain and grow our academic mission.”