NEW YORK - Congressman Charles B. Rangel released the following statement following the announcement by General Motors to close down its auto dealership in Harlem:

"This is a sad day for the village of Harlem. The announcement by General Motors to close down its auto dealership in 127th Street and Second Avenue will not only affect those who work there every day, but also impact the surrounding small businesses who rely on the foot traffic generated by current employees and potential customers. Certainly, this decision could not have been an easy one to make. It just shows how the crisis in our auto industry reaches far beyond Detroit.

I thank General Motors for pledging to work with union officials and management to ensure that current employees are offered appropriate severance packages and are placed at other dealerships in the New York area. I will work hard with city, state and federal officials to ensure that workers who may want to use this time to advance their careers by gaining additional training at local community colleges.

I hope that GM is committed to working with the community to make certain that this site is used productively. We live in challenging times, but nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without overcoming obstacles. Despite this current setback, the future of our community remains bright."