Rita Popper, Beloved CB8 Member & Local Advocate, Dead at 87

Rita Popper, the tenacious president of the Knickerbocker Tenant Association and a longtime member of Community Board 8, has passed away at the age of 87.

Popper’s son Adam posted a moving tribute to his mother on Instagram on August 24, writing that she was “affectionately referred to as “Mischa” by her grandchildren and their friends.”

He went on to describe his “truly original” mother’s many accomplishments: “Miss LIU, school teacher, award winning copywriter and brand specialist...Community Board 8 member for decades, civil advocate and protector of public spaces and senior citizen’s rights.”

Popper, her son noted, was “not above dropping an ‘F’ bomb to make her point known.” He also drew attention to the fact that she self-published a novel entitled “The Decision” last month; a blurb for the book notes that it concerns a young woman who, after being raised in foster care, must make a “choice that will alter many lives.”

“Although her terrestrial light dimmed her memory will carry on forever,” Adam Popper’s post concludes.

Popper formally stepped down from CB8 last July after two decades of celebrated service, which notably included being a key organizer of the board’s biannual art fair. She remained an engaged public member, however.

A 2007 New York Times piece on Knickerbocker Plaza—the E. 91st Street and Second Avenue complex where Popper advocated for her fellow tenants—quoted Popper’s reflection on what the neighborhood was like in 1975, when the building first opened.

“This was the wild West,” she said. “There were tenements and bars, lots and lots of bars.” Popper went on to serve as the president of the tenant’s association for five decades, from 1976 until her dying day.

Other tributes for the Popper poured in from fellow Upper East Siders, including City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who represents the area.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Rita Popper, a fierce community advocate for our Upper East Side community. She was truly loved by her neighbors and fellow New Yorkers,” Menin wrote on social media. “We thank you, Rita, for your tireless service, advocacy, and commitment to your city. May your memory be a blessing.”

Todd Stein, a filmmaker and member of Community 8 himself, chimed in by writing that Popper “truly cared for community!”

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Rita L. Popper, a longtime Community Board 8 member and tireless advocate for the Upper East Side,” State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, who represents the area, wrote in a post of her own. “Her decades of service left our community stronger. My condolences to her family, friends and neighbors. May her memory be a blessing.”

Indeed, as Menin herself further described in her tribute, Popper put her stamp on a couple of projects that transformed the neighborhood over the years. For example, she heavily advocated for the official transformation of E. 91st Street into James Cagney Place, a pedestrian plaza.

Popper described James Cagney Place as“ a vehicle-free oasis in the midst of a crowded city” in 2017, specifically noting that the Upper East Side is “one of the most densely populated districts [in NYC] with the least open space per capita.”

Popper was also a persistent advocate when it came to the ongoing $9 million renovation of Ruppert Park, a family-favorite space on 2nd Avenue.

Projected to be completed next year after getting underway this summer, the overhaul—with funding from the NY City Council and the Manhattan Borough President’s Office—will add multiple new playground structures, as well as nine new swings.