AMNY: Residents protest Sixth Street Community Center founder’s firing
by Claude Solnik
Howard Brandstein on June 12 returned to the Sixth Street Community Center, which he co-founded in 1978, as if he were heading home. He had installed a handrail on the steps years ago, raised money to buy the mahogany doors, knows the woman who made the stained glass windows and led the center for decades.
But on June 12 Brandstein walked past a sea of signs saying “Reinstate Howard Now,” “Save sixth street community center,” and similar messages related to his firing.
The doors, at 638 East Sixth St., were locked as two people peered out from behind a window. The center, which has been conducting a wide range of activities, said they closed the doors over concerns of some inside regarding the rally.
“Take back our center. Open the doors to our community,” Brandstein said. “Stop treating us like we’re a hostile force.”
Depending on who is speaking, this is about a personnel matter that spun out of control, a rogue board, a resentful executive director, discrimination or a decision. At a minimum, it’s about what can happen when a board unceremoniously fires a nonprofit co-founder who fights back.
There is an ongoing battle with the board, involving litigation, recrimination and a feeling of a family divided over the custody of the center as the child. Brandstein served on the board and then as executive director from 1993 to 2025.
“Howard has wide and extraordinary support in the community,” said Cathryn Swan, a member of the 300-person Friends of Sixth Street Community Center’s Steering Committee
The group gathered more than 1,500 signatures on a Change.org petition to reinstate him, prompting the center to reply on the site.
“We are all fully committed to maintaining the center’s historic legacy and striving to realize its full potential,” they said.
The Friends in July 2025 filed a complaint with the New York State Attorney General concerning the board’s management. Brandstein’s allies say he has been treated unfairly, while the board believes it’s being unfairly demonized.
“They’re standing on our bones,” Barbara Caporale, a local resident, said at the recent rally.
Some residents believe the old board, which recently added two more members, lost touch with the center’s history and community.
“These board members absolutely are not in touch with what’s happening down here,” said Aaron Liu, one of the protestors.
However you look at it, there’s been a huge fight since (maybe even before) Brandstein’s firing on April 8, 2025. Shawn Garcia later joined as board chair.
“He has been at the center for decades,” Garcia said. “He has done massive contributions to the center. He’s known in the neighborhood. People have a lot of respect for his work.”
Brandstein said he was there from the beginning, negotiating and getting funds to buy the building for $10,000.
Garcia respects Brandstein’s passion and accomplishment, but believes the center can benefit from nonprofit managers.
“The center was put into a very tough situation financially and program -wise within the last couple of years. It wasn’t helped by the pandemic,” Garcia said. “That brought forward bigger issues about how things were being run.”
The only reason the center exists, many residents believe, is Brandstein’s work. He secured an $80,000 payroll Protection Program grant, handled paperwork for three recent legislative grants totaling $80,000 from then Assembly Member Harvey Epstein and many more.
“I raised $2.7 million in the last three years and donated $35,000 of my own money. I was keeping the organization afloat after the pandemic,” Brandstein said. “They’re living off the money I raised. I refinanced the mortgage. They censored me for that.”
Garcia, who grew up in East Harlem and has lived on the Lower East Side for 20 years, initially took part in the center’s Community Shared Agriculture program and yoga classes.
“I saw the center going through tough times and going through a rough transition,” Garcia said of stepping in. “We always said we appreciate his years of service. Over the course of many years, there was mismanagement of components of the center.”
Garcia says “significant loans taken out against our building that we have inherited,” while Brandstein says things were done during Covid.
“They withheld funds from grants I raised. Then they said I wasn’t managing things correctly,” Brandstein said. “They had to explain to people why they fired me.”
Brandstein said he “wasn’t resting on my laurels,” having just raised $100,000 for a low-income housing land trust.”
He also noted the deputy director was paid $84,000, while he received $32,500, later increased to around $48,500. “I was paid a pittance,” Brandstein said, although Garcia said he believes he was paid what he asked.
Brandstein filed a New York State Division of Human Rights complaint on Jan. 27, 2025, charging harassment and age discrimination. He was fired on April 8, 2025, in what he believes was retaliation rather than reconciliation.
“They fired me at 1 a.m. They emailed me a termination letter, which I didn’t see, because I was asleep,” he said, noting he arrived to find locks changed and all but one door locked. “The cops showed it (the letter) to me. I said to the cops, ‘It isn’t even signed.’”
Garcia believes Brandstein conducted a sort of sit in that day, refusing to leave. “He was being disruptive. The police were called,” Garcia said. “He was asked to leave the building.”
Another board member, Brandstein said, was removed before him, and Alfred Robertson, who did maintenance, was let go.
“Anyone associated with me, they got rid of,” Brandstein said. “They stripped my office of my possessions. They still can’t account for all my possessions.”
Garcia said the center is busy, including community wellness work, such as yoga, martial arts and fitness, cultural events, such as live Latin and punk music, food distribution, a community fridge, and the Community Shared Agriculture program.
“I’m in many ways acting as interim director. I’m fully volunteer,” Garcia said. “We’re committing more hours than a normal board.”
He said they want to hire a new executive director and recruit board members since “a lot of board members are exhausted.”
They do rentals for baby showers, birthday parties and other events. “We modified it,” he said. “It’s now a sliding scale model.”
Brandstein feels badly treated, but Garcia said demonizing the board has been tough on them too.
“The individuals caught up in this, they also feel extremely harmed,” Garcia said. “The community center is caught up in the stuff that went down.”
Brandstein said new board members “seem more conciliatory” and wants to meet in the center, but was told they prefer a neutral (less emotional) location.
“What can be more neutral than a community center?” Brandstein asked. “It would be a conciliatory gesture to invite us in.”
Garcia said attorneys advised them not to meet there amid open litigation. “We’ve been sitting down, having some conversations,” Garcia said. “I understand his frustration.”
