Local Resident Dreaming Of Post-RIOC Roosevelt Island Starts Petition Drive Seeking Better, More Inclusive Community Governance - Says Covid 19 Crisis Has Only Exacerbated RIOC Incompetence & Neglect

Dreaming of a Post-RIOC Roosevelt Island! Please sign my petition to imagine better, more inclusive local governance for our beautiful island https://t.co/7mMVvS8wOn

— Tapan Parikh (@tap2k) May 19, 2020

Here's the Petition

Roosevelt Island has been home to many, many wonderful people, families and organizations over the years. Unfortunately, it has also been home to chronic government neglect, inefficiency, corruption and worse. The people of Roosevelt Island have no say in how their public spaces are used, what developments are undertaken in their community and how public services are delivered and governed.

This situation has only been exacerbated during the COVID-19 crisis, as the non-resident RIOC administration and staff have departed the island, but not before closing 80% of our public and green spaces to public use, leaving behind only the numerous PSD officers to risk their lives to implement an ill-advised and impossible charge.

It is about time that the people of Roosevelt Island took charge of this island for themselves, and made it a better place to live for families, kids, students, immigrants, seniors and the differently abled. While we do not know the exact form this political solution will take, we should know that we have made do without local political representation and governance for long enough. We need to start the discussion about what the post-RIOC future of Roosevelt Island looks like NOW.

If you are interested in being a part of this discussion, please sign this petition! We welcome any and all comers!

(Disclaimer: This petition is unaffiliated with any formal institution, organization and/or commercial entity. It is supported only by individuals acting in their personal capacity as residents or other stakeholders of the island.)

If you agree, you can sign the Petition here.