Many of you were here for this event (and many actually organized it with true Tiemann tenacity), and some weren’t here but were in the utter vanguard of this ferocious tenants’ rights organization. We and you all were saluted on Saturday, on the event of the 35th annual West Harlem Coalition Anti-Gentrification Street Festival, with the unveiling of the street sign co-naming Tiemann Place as “Tom DeMott Way”! It was an utterly beautiful day of raucous activity by both children and, well, semi-adults, and fervent reunions of people from our block who haven’t been here for decades (like my Super from the ‘80s). Passionate speeches were given by those who lovingly remember Tom helping them and their neighbors remain in their houses for decades, despite bitter attacks from landlords, speculators and Columbia University who remains the 800-pound gorilla in these parts.
It was just magnificent—a joyous, passionate and righteous celebration of the fact that WE ARE ALL STILL HERE. And the co-naming of our block for Tom, in its official City green metal, means that his legacy will live on forever. Any time someone asks one of us, “What’s that about?”, we can say, “Sit down. I’ll tell you all about it.”
It was one fine day on our gorgeous relentless block.