Will Atlantic Yards be a terrorist target? If so, what have the state and Forest City Ratner done to ensure public safety in and around the sprawling development? Such were the questions raised by speakers yesterday at a Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn press conference held in advance of the third annual Walk Don’t Destroy rally. Atlantic Yards opponents have been making noise about the development’s possible security concerns following news that Newark’s $375 million Prudential Center arena, which is set to open in a couple of weeks, has only recently been deemed vulnerable to a potential terrorist attack. Newark officials say the arena isn’t far enough from traffic to protect it from terrorist attacks and they’re now playing catch-up—securing surrounding streets with concrete barriers and planning to close a section of one street on event nights—to guard against attacks.

Speakers yesterday said that like Newark’s arena, Forest City Ratner’s Nets arena could pose very real security threats to the development’s thousands of residential units as well as people living in surrounding communities. We’re here to call for safety, said DDDB’s Daniel Goldstein, noting that the Environmental Impact Statement for Atlantic Yards claimed a terror attack is not a reasonable worst-case scenario. Councilwoman Letitia James and Jim Vogel of the Council for Brooklyn Neighborhoods joined Goldstein in demanding a state hearing on Atlantic Yards terrorism security issues. James said the Brooklyn arena was much more of a terrorist target than the Prudential Center, and that the state and Forest City Ratner had refused to disclose to elected officials how they were planning to safeguard against attacks. And Vogel said it was imperative to avoid reactive planning: Newark’s Prudential arena is a wake-up call…We need answers.
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