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Tenants, Community Groups, Electeds Rally At City Hall for the Community Opportunity To Purchase Act (COPA) As Council Holds Key Hearing
More than 150 tenants, community groups and elected officials rallied on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday morning, calling on the City Council to pass the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, or COPA (Intro 905), sponsored by Council Member Sandy Nurse. The action preceded a key City Council hearing on the bill, at which…
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The City Reporter: East New York Residents Try Buying Back Their Neighborhood, One Lot At a Time
Debra Ack beamed with pride as she looked at the two-story brown brick warehouse on Jamaica Avenue in East New York.
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Hoodline: East New York Land Trust Buys Warehouse, Aims To Reclaim Block From Market
A century-old warehouse on Jamaica Avenue is getting a new life as the East Brooklyn Liberation Center, after the East New York Community Land Trust closed on a $2.3 million purchase of the 9,500-square-foot building this year. The two-story structure will house the land trust’s main office, space for local organizations, businesses and worker co-ops,…
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The Riverdale Press: COPA Housing Bill Draws Support and Skepticism Ahead of NYC Council Hearing
Dozens of advocates rallied Aug. 13 near City Hall for “COPA Cabana” — a beach-themed event to urge the passage of a controversial housing bill called the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act — ahead of the New York City Council’s Sept. 9 hearing.
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Tenants & Housing Groups Pitch “COPA Cabana” at City Hall, Call for Passage of Community Opportunity to Purchase Act
On Thursday, tenants and housing groups gathered outside City Hall to urge Speaker Julie Menin and the New York City Council to pass the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA). Advocates transformed the plaza into a beach-themed “COPA Cabana,” serving drinks, playing music, and sharing information about how COPA would help preserve affordable housing, prevent…
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“Loan Shark” Crashes DailyPay’s New York City Publicity Stunt to Expose True Cost of “Earned Wage Access” Payday Loan Apps
DailyPay’s “DailyPay Diner” publicity stunt got an unexpected visitor Thursday when a costumed “loan shark” crashed the event, carrying a sign advertising “TODAY’S MENU: WORKERS’ WAGES” and confronting the company with damning allegations about its abusive tactics.
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COPA Is Back, a “Solidarity Stroll” with the Mamdani Administration, a New Coalition Takes on Big Tech Predators, and More!
In our latest newsletter: COPA is back! Catch up on the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, our work launching a national coalition to fight Big Tech payday lenders, a “Solidarity Stroll” with Deputy Mayor Julie Su and other members of the Mamdani Administration, and much more.
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The Village View: Community Opportunity to Purchase Act – What it is, Where it Started, and it’s Current Momentum
The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) is a bill designed to give qualified non-profits the opportunity to bid on a multi-family apartment building of four or more rental units when a landlord decides to sell. These qualified entities would have 20 days to submit a statement of interest, and then a bona fide offer…
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Public News Service: NY, US Consumer Coalition Works to Rein in Payday Lenders
Consumer rights groups in New York and across the country are organizing against payday lenders and paycheck advance apps they said are evading state lending laws.
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Consumer Groups Team up to Battle EWA Lobby
The House Financial Services Committee passed earned wage access legislation in a largely party-line vote, as well as a number of other bills in a multiday markup session ahead of the July 4 recess.
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National Coalition Launches to Confront Big Tech-Backed Payday Lending Disguised as “Earned Wage Access,” as Congressional Republicans Advance Industry Giveaway
Today, two dozen community, labor, and faith-based organizations, along with community development credit unions, from 21 states where payday lending is categorically illegal announced the launch of the Stop Taking Our Pay (STOP) Coalition to confront so-called “earned wage access” (EWA) payday loans. The coalition is taking aim at the rapidly expanding EWA industry, which…
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City Limits: As COPA Makes a Comeback, What Does it Mean for Land to be Communally Owned?
The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) has risen from the ashes, and aims to give a boost to nonprofit organizations that promote community ownership—including community land trusts, which allow land to be directly owned by members.