Brownsville residents and activists with New York Communities for Change and Riders’ Alliance on Wednesday gathered outside the Rockaway Avenue subway stop to call on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to install a new elevator at the subway station.
Over 40 people gathered to talk about accessibility issues for disabled and older residents in the area that are unable to carry out basic day-to-day activities like getting groceries and daily commuting.
Several residents spoke out about the need for a new elevator at the Rockaway Avenue subway station and a free transfer between the 3 and L trains at Junius Avenue. Many in attendance were frustrated that Governor Kathy Hochul and the MTA had not prioritized neighborhoods like Brownsville to make transit more accessible and affordable.
"We all see the MTA is prioritizing commercial areas that make them money, but what about residential areas like ours? My community constantly gets put last and it sends the message that the workers who run our local businesses and their family and kids come last,” said Greisy De La Cruz, member at New York Communities for Change and Brownsville resident. “Putting in an elevator at Rockaway Avenue so we can all access the subway is an easy, simple step to change things for us in the community and our state leaders need to listen to us and greenlight a new elevator here in this year’s budget."
Disabled and elderly people have a right to enjoy the mass transit system, said Douglas Covington, member of New York Communities for Change and Brownsville resident.
“This has been an ongoing issue in Brownsville for many decades and it’s important that we continue to fight," he said.
Assemblymember Latrice Walker said she has been in touch with the MTA about including the Rockaway Avenue 3 station in the next capital plan.
“Every single New Yorker deserves equal access to the transit system," she said.
