Lawsuit to Save 'Duffield Seven' from Downtown Brooklyn Plan

A lawsuit has been filed against the city which aims to save the seven houses on and near Duffield Street that may have been part of the Underground Railroad, amNewYork reports.

These houses are in the footprint of parts of the Downtown Brooklyn Plan, and slated for demolition.

"There is no debate at this point that prominent abolitionists lived at 227 Duffield St.," said Jennifer Levy, a lawyer with South Brooklyn Legal Services, which filed the suit Friday.

In May, City Council members criticized a $500,000 report commissioned by the city’s Economic Development Corporation that found "no conclusive evidence to support claims that seven houses along Duffield and Gold streets in Downtown Brooklyn were involved in Underground Railroad activities."

Councilman Charles Barron blasted city consulting firm/lapdog AKRF for not hiring an archeologist to investigate claims that the homes were connected by tunnels and had other unusual features, such as extra stoves, escape chutes etc.

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All previous post on this topic here.

Photo by MK Metz