Let's raise $3,000 for the King of DUMBO

Hi everyone, I have been a friend of Weldon Kennedy's (AKA the Mayor of DUMO, AKA the King of DUMBO) for many years. Weldon is integral to the local DUMBO community in Brooklyn and has always looked out for everyone. While he has often needed help to get by, believe me when I say that he really needs help now. He and his partner, Christine, do not have stable housing, and every day is a quest for survival. Last week, his sister passed from a stroke and besides losing his sister, Weldon no longer has any back-up for a place to stay at night. Weldon is eligible for disability payments from the federal government, but these checks stopped because of a bureaucratic error and he is waiting on a fair hearing to get them reinstated.

Many of us in the Rude Mechanical Orchestra (RMO) have been trying to find ways to support Weldon during this time. I have been able to get Weldon a phone, which is critical for him to get the disability payments back on track. Now the priority is HOUSING. Based on conversations with Weldon, we are trying to raise $3,000 to pay first/last month rent/deposit for Weldon and Christine while he waits for a fair hearing and gets money coming in again.

Weldon has a huge heart, a beautiful soul and is the kind of person who would do anything for you if he could. I really hope you can pitch in to give Weldon and Christine some relief and respite from all they have been going through. Thank you for anything you can contribute.

Here is a little more about Weldon, as told by Ryan Streb, who is also part of RMO:

I first met Weldon in front after a band rehearsal concluded one evening. He was hard at work greeting all who pass by in his de facto role as the Mayor of Dumbo. One of my bandmates who’d been rehearsing there for years greeted him and they began to catch up about what was going on in the neighborhood. Weldon is concerned with everyone in Dumbo, and he took great pride in ensuring harmony in his beloved community.

Weldon spent his whole life in DUMBO, a small neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. He’ll often reminisce about all of the things he’s seen over the years, and how the community has changed over time. Weldon worked as a NYC Parks employee, for the NYC Housing Authority, formally serving his community as a city employee. However, for the past 20 years, he has been suffering from Ostiosis – a disease targeting his hips and severely limiting his mobility. This didn’t stop him – as he immediately stepped into his informal role as the Mayor of Dumbo. He makes sure folks get home safe at night, breaking up fights, and mediating disagreements between folks.

Since I started rehearsing in Dumbo, I began spending more and more time catching up with Weldon after rehearsal. With the community in the forefront of his mind, he experienced and started noticing an increase in outwardly racist behavior by some of the wealthy gentrifiers. With his guidance and leadership, we collaborated on two different Black-Lives-Matter-inspired actions targeting a local business that harbored the folks who spewed their hateful ideology.

Not long after the organing effort began, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Fortunately, Weldon and his partner Christine kept stable housing due to Weldon’s disability check. Unfortunately, this did not last because – without warning – his monthly income was halved due to a bureaucratic error. He has been fighting to try and get his benefits restored. However, has been to no avail.

Weldon and Christine managed to hang on for a while but eventually lost their place as a result. After being forced into homelessness, they managed to survive for a month outside before Weldon’s sister and her partner took them in. While this is an essential measure to provide modest stability, this is not a long-term solution.

The community members of Dumbo, have been giving what they can to help, but a more concentrated fundraising effort is essential to get the funds necessary for a deposit, first month's rent, and utilities for a place for them to live.

This is all going on as the city's new Mayor is destroying every single tent and shelter folks experiencing homelessness have erected. The city-run shelters are dangerous and do not provide adequate social distancing to keep folks healthy. In order to access certain services, putting yourself at risk in these city shelters is a prerequisite. Conservative estimates (as of 2020) state there are 67,300 vacant apartments in the city. People who are experiencing homelessness are experiencing violence as a result of the abdication of duty as a society.

Every single human being deserves housing as a human right. Please give what you can to help Weldon and Christine. Also, we hope this inspires you to seek out community organizations combating the housing epidemic that plagues not just NYC, but the nation as a whole. Thank you!