Fence on Fort Greene Footbridge Dividing Residents?
The Times has a story exploring whether additional fencing the city is installing on a footbridge connecting the Ingersoll Houses in Fort Greene is exacerbating tensions in the neighborhood between poorer residents who live in the projects and well-off newcomers. The additional fencing is supposed to make it difficult or impossible to throw stuff off…
The Times has a story exploring whether additional fencing the city is installing on a footbridge connecting the Ingersoll Houses in Fort Greene is exacerbating tensions in the neighborhood between poorer residents who live in the projects and well-off newcomers. The additional fencing is supposed to make it difficult or impossible to throw stuff off the bridge to the roadway below, and its installation follows an incident last summer in which a bicyclist riding underneath was clocked with a brick. Ed Brown, the president of the Ingersoll Houses tenants’ association, is quoted as saying that “There’s this image of Downtown Brooklyn turning into this great utopia; we’re building diversity. …But that fence, that right there is detrimental to the whole mission.” Some of the Ingersoll residents interviewed for the article agree with Brown’s sentiment (one says the fencing is “caging us”) while a couple others say it’s not a big deal. People in the community say kids have been throwing stuff off the bridge for years. Robert Perris, Community Board 2’s district manager, says erecting more fencing isn’t a “perfect” resolution to the problem, but that it’s being put in with “public safety” in mind.
Bridge’s Partial Fencing Points to a Bigger Divide [NY Times]
as usual I agree with Dave and MM.
interesting that to some, the victims are the users of the footbridge and not the ones hit on the head with bricks thrown from the footbridge.
as usual I agree with Dave and MM.
interesting that to some, the victims are the users of the footbridge and not the ones hit on the head with bricks thrown from the footbridge.
Let’s face it, kids from any socioeconomic group will throw things of off bridges. Just because the community knows it’s been going on for years doesn’t make it right.
And this talk of cages smacks of Sharptonesque talk and avoids the issue by making it about race when it is not.
If bikes or cars are getting hit by bricks and someone is getting hurt, it is time to put up a fence.
Sounds like Rev Al or Charles Barron being quoted here. Racebaiting rules!