Carrying signs and chanting slogans of victory, northwest Bronx community members marched down Bainbridge Avenue to support the building of a youth center in the vacant Fordham library.

The rally was organized largely by Rev. Fernando Cabrera, pastor of New Life Outreach International Church and leader of the non-profit group Community Action Unlimited (CAU), who announced his group’s interest in creating a community center in the vacant building on Bainbridge near Fordham Road to give area youth a place to “let out their energy.”

In July, the Norwood News reported community interest in developing a center, specifically by Sistas and Brothers United (SBU), the youth arm of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, an organization separate from New Life Outreach. Though they appear to be competing for the same space, both organizations maintain they are working toward a common goal.

As the crowd reached the library, Cabrera received enthusiastic applause from his supporters. In a sermon-like speech, the pastor said, “We just want our fair share; we’re not asking for more than others, we’re just saying it’s our turn, it’s our turn, it’s our turn!”

Cabrera is considering running for City Council in District 14 and has begun raising money for the potential bid. Over the summer, community resident Haile Rivera announced his candidacy for the same seat, now held by Maria Baez, who is term limited. While the rally was an opportunity for Cabrera to showcase his leadership abilities, he said he has been doing that for most of his career. He said that if he decides to run, he already has the support of Community Board 7 Chair Greg Faulkner (who is one of Cabrera’s parishioners), the Assembly of Christian Churches, and other members of the church community.

Rivera, who was present at the rally, supports SBU in its efforts to relocate its organization to the library. “I’ve known SBU for a long time and they are most active in the community; they deserve their own space,” he said. Aware that Cabrera may be his potential rival in the Council race, Rivera said, “There is a hard line between what SBU wants and, in this case, what Cabrera wants.”

What Cabrera says he wants is to build a state-of-the-art community center, complete with basketball courts, swimming pool, computer labs, as well as ESL and reading comprehension facilities. He said that his financing plan would generate revenue from housing units available in the building and shared space among different social organizations.

On the other hand, SBU is outgrowing its office space at the Coalition’s headquarters on East 196th Street. The group is looking to house art and technology classes as well as expand their youth leadership program.

Also present at the rally was Assemblyman Jose Rivera, the Bronx Democratic chairman, dressed in jeans and armed with a video camera. He spoke of the vital need to create a youth center in the area. In his speech, before introducing his son, Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera, Rivera stressed that the final decision rests with Mayor Bloomberg.

Joel Rivera encouraged the community to call 311 and let the mayor know that residents of Community District 7 want the building to become a community center. “We want our kids to go to a place that’s positive,” he said. “To create that next generation of leaders, we gotta [make] this loud.”

The next generation of leaders may come from SBU, which Councilman Rivera showed strong support for, even joking that member Jorman Nunez would be in political office someday. Nunez said SBU was the first group to officially declare interest in the building, and is very confident his organization will acquire it.

The building is a hot commodity, but work needs to be done before the contaminated space can be used. According to Faulkner, oil is spreading through the floor of the library and could have possibly contaminated buildings in close proximity. A New York Public Library spokesperson confirmed that the state Department of Environmental Conservation has approved the remediation plan submitted in May and they are now putting out a bid for the next phase of cleanup.

Leaders from SBU and New Life said they consider getting the building turned over to the community (as opposed to retailers or developers) the first step and claim they are not focused on competition among the groups.

“It’s about cooperation not competition,” Cabrera said. “We’re going to work together.”

SBU is holding another rally on Oct. 6 to show more community support for the building. SBU student leaders say they are willing to work with any organization interested in the building, including Cabrera’s group. Nunez said he plans to meet with Cabrera to discuss future plans for the building as well as how to best meet each other’s needs.