HARLEM — A refurbished gym built using cash seized from drug dealers was unveiled in a Harlem housing development Tuesday.
City officials and community members, including NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, revealed the new facility at the Frederick E. Samuel Community Center, located at 669 Lenox Ave.
The funding for the gym came from drug trafficking profits officials seized during various investigations, including a case near the Harlem NYCHA housing complex.
The costs of the renovations totaled roughly $32,000.
“Using seized drug money, we are thrilled to deliver this renovated gym back to the community we serve,” Bratton said.
“It is my hope that this facility can help us in continuing to build meaningful relationships with the residents of Harlem, both on and off the court.”
Responding to an outpouring of community complaints, city officials, including a special narcotics unit in the Manhattan prosecutor’s office and the NYPD’s 32nd Precinct, launched the investigation into drug sales in the area.
It uncovered more than three dozen sales of crack cocaine to undercover NYPD officers, officials said, which took place between 137th and 142nd Streets near 7th and Lenox Avenues, officials said.
Ten defendants were arrested this past February, four of which have since been sentenced to varying amounts of jail time and four are awaiting sentencing. Cases against the remaining two are pending, officials said.
“We are happy to help create better spaces for young people to thrive,” said Bridget G. Brennan, the city’s special narcotics prosecutor whose office handled the cases and whose name is emblazoned in the gym's floor.
"We couldn't do it without the partnership of this community."
Officials also used the moment to bridge a relationship with tenants at the complex through a basketball tournament between local youth and local police officers, which was also sponsored by the Police Athletic League.
