BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Community members and activists rallied in front of Bed-Stuy’s iconic Slave Theater on Friday, protesting the planned demolition of the former cultural hub and calling on elected officials to investigate what they deem as “deed fraud.”
Members of The Children of Slaves and Patriots Committee, a group that has spearheaded a campaign to “Save the Slave,” gathered in front of 1215 Fulton St. near Bedford Avenue with signs reading “LIES,” “THEFT,” and “GIVE BED STUY BACK.”
Protesters, led by father-and-son duo Clarence and Omar Hardy, allege that the building’s current owner, Fulton Halsey Holdings LLC, picked up the property under a fraudulent deed.
“It is imperative that the community knows what’s going on,” Omar Hardy said. “The gentrification is one thing, but to be exercising these fraudulent tactics — a dead man cannot buy property, nor can a dead man sell property. And that’s what’s going on here.”
The Slave Theater’s former owner, Judge John L. Phillips Jr., died in 2008.
Following his death, the property became the center of a legal battle between the administrator of his estate, Samuel Boykin, and Clarence Hardy, who worked with the judge on the theater.
Administrators of Phillips’ estate gained control of the building and sold it to a development group in 2013 for $2.1 million, records show.
The group then sold the Slave Theater and the two lots behind it on Halsey Street for more than $18 million in November 2015. Fulton Halsey Holdings LLC, along with three other LLCs sharing in the site, picked up the properties, according to city records.
The Hardys and community residents hope to raise awareness about the theater’s historical prominence and have been rallying in front of the building for the past several months.
A greater urgency among the group is growing, especially after demolition permits were filed for the building in December.
That month, the elder Hardy protested from the ledge of the theater's marquee.
It’s unclear what developers plan for the site. A representative for Fulton Halsey Holdings LLC was not immediately available for comment.
The Slave Theater once served as a hub for arts and culture as well as civil rights activism, hosting leaders like the Rev. Al Sharpton.
The Hardys hope to regain control of the building and restore its place as a “cultural resource center” focusing on the youth and elderly, Omar Hardy said. He added that he hasn’t received any answers from Fulton Halsey Holdings LLC.
“The building is not landmarked in their records, but this institution is a landmark for the civil rights struggle within New York City,” he said.
The group handed out fliers and petitions Friday to urge elected officials and District Attorney Ken Thompson to take action.
The Rev. Johnny Howard, a longtime Bed-Stuy resident, said he used to frequent the Slave Theater for neighborhood activities and local forums.
“For them to take it away from us, they’re stripping away our heritage, our culture, the richness that adds to our community that a lot of the younger generation don’t even know about,” Howard said.
