Victory at Marble Hill

For more than half a century, barber Roosevelt “Rosey” Spivey has cut hair at the Marble Hill International Unisex Salon at 151 W. 228th St. But a notice to vacate he received on Jan. 5, giving him 30 days to leave the premises, threatened his livelihood — and a vital part of the community.

It took months of effort by lawyers working for Mr. Spivey for free, the intervention of elected officials and continuous demands from community members to bring about this happy outcome: a five-year lease under terms agreeable to the barber.

In a city where the book of greedy landlords crushing small businesses seems to add a new page at every moment, the outcome at Marble Hill is particularly welcome.

The victory also proves that while the odds often seem stacked against ordinary New Yorkers, taking a stand can make a difference.

Politicians got involved and reporters gathered only when communty members saw what was happening to Rosey’s and realized they had to do something. Marble Hill resident Edmar Flores was inspired to start a Change.org petition, the start of a groundswell of support for the barbershop.

Faced with the signatures of 900 people standing side by side with Mr. Spivey, and many more outraged at the prospect of  losing a beloved neighborhood institution, local officials had no choice but to pressure Mr. Spivey’s landlord into being more accommodating.

“Number one, we had faith,” the barber recently told The Press. “Number two, you had some good people in your corner.”

The situation recalls the movement to save a beloved establishment just down the way from Rosey’s — the Blue Bay Diner on Johnson Avenue.

Friedland Properties switched gears from planning to shut down the eatery in 2011 to offering a 10-year lease after Riverdalians rallied around the restaurant.

“We got here because, first of all, there was a lot of pressure from the community,” co-owner Alex Katechis said at the time.

As the northwest Bronx and neighborhing communities are poised to undergo major changes, we would do well to keep Mr. Spivey and Mr. Katechis’ remarks in mind. If you think the community is at risk, don’t be quiet about it. Odds are, you have more allies than you may know.