Ultimately, I became frustrated with the fact that the best we could tell people was 'Your paperwork is fine. Nonetheless, because the lion's share of his work involved public housing tenants, the job paid off by giving him a political education. Now, Hockett draws his paycheck from the Center for Community Change, a national advocacy group formed in 1997 when Capitol Hill was swept by housing reform. He also chairs the NYC Public Housing Resident Alliance, a coalition of residents and legal advocates. Frustrated with what they perceive as a system that doesn't care about their well-being, many public housing tenants, including some who have tried to make changes before, see organizing as futile.
Folks use the buzzword 'empowerment,' but many people have had their spirits broken.
The important thing is not to reinvent the wheel but get all the spokes together. Like many grassroots organizers, Hockett believes that information is the deadliest weapon. On the local front, Hockett has spoken out at countless community hearings and distributed fact sheets. He doesn't make everyone happy. Dianne Jackson, a representative on the nine-member citywide Interim Council of Presidents tenant board, praised Hockett for his ability to bring useful research and information directly to tenants.