Youth Who Discovered TD Garden’s Broken Promises Seek Records Of Other Commitments Made
TD Garden’s Commitments To Community Recreation Remain Unfulfilled
Today, on behalf of youth affiliated with the Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF), the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice submitted a comprehensive public records request to the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) for the immediate disclosure of information concerning the outstanding community benefits that TD Garden (Delaware North) has promised the Commonwealth’s youth in exchange for approval of lucrative development projects. The request particularly focuses on the adequacy of community benefits from the “Hub on Causeway” project, which is the redevelopment currently underway of the old Boston Garden and adjacent properties.
Earlier this year, the HSTF youth uncovered that for more than two decades TD Garden had failed to meet a legal requirement that it “administer, produce, promote, and sponsor” three annual fundraisers for community recreation – a broken promise that the youth calculated resulted in lost revenue of over $10 million.
TD Garden has admitted that it did not comply with its legal obligations for years, but has said it will only provide retroactive funding for community recreation at a fraction of the amount owed. “The youth have done a tremendous job publicly holding TD Garden accountable to its legal obligations. Billion-dollar corporations are not above the law,” said Sophia Hall, Staff Attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee.
The HTSF youth are now turning to the public records law to learn more about whether other community benefits that TD Garden has promised are adequate. “TD Garden’s commitments are still not fulfilled, and we will continue to advocate by any available means so that other minority youth can have access to safe and fun recreation opportunities in their own community,” said Shayne Clinton, a HSTF Youth Leader. “The public records law was our tool for initially determining that TD Garden had not hosted any fundraisers as the law required, for the past 24 years,” said Mabel Gondres, another HSTF Youth Leader. “That tool will now enable us to learn whether it should be providing additional community benefits as part of its Hub on Causeway project.” The public record law requires the recipient to respond within ten business days.
Learn more about the HSTF youth’s recent work at the UniversalHub.
Community Benefits Record Request