Despite Objections, CB3 Backs Bed Stuy Bar
Daphne Surpris, who has operated the impeccably designed coffee spot Ms. Dahlia’s Cafe at 449 Nostrand Ave since last year, recently decided that she would like to expand by opening a bar in an empty space next door. You might think such an entrepreneurial move by someone who’d proven her commitment to the neighborhood and…
Daphne Surpris, who has operated the impeccably designed coffee spot Ms. Dahlia’s Cafe at 449 Nostrand Ave since last year, recently decided that she would like to expand by opening a bar in an empty space next door. You might think such an entrepreneurial move by someone who’d proven her commitment to the neighborhood and her ability to create a tasteful establishment would be welcomed by Bed Stuy residents, but a Community Board 3 meeting on Monday night revealed widespread disagreement within the community about the bar in particular and the future of the neighborhood in general. Some of those in favor of the application said they were tired of going to Park Slope and Harlem to find “more sophisticated bars.” Other supporters argued that the community should be backing an African American woman wanting to open a business in the area. (“We should be supporting someone who looks like us,” said one person from the audience.) One of the arguments against the bar was that there are some schools nearby, though it was later pointed out that the closest one was an adult learning center. Others worried that adding alcohol to an already dangerous block (dangerous? really?) had the potential to increase violence in the area. A man in his late 20s, whose parents lived nearby, argued that he didn’t want them to worry about the same type of violence he felt growing up nearby. Despite the naysaying, the community board ended up supporting the application for the liquor license, so now it’s on to the State Liquor Authority for Surpris, who, ironically, plans to call the new spot Nobar. GMAP
Great news…practically around the block from me. Now I’ll have another place to go aside from Black Swan (which is also great).
and a dictionary
while businesses should be be lauded, on the other hand i, too, get upset and angry when establishments that tout overpriced crap (be it coffee, pastries, cocktails, stationary, etc) open up. the community board probably doesnt want to be around uber yuppies and the ridiculous crap they tend to bring with them. some people just dont want shi+ in their neighborhood. but im sure there are just as many people in the neighborhood already that do.. so there will always be this back and forth fighting.
*rob*
gs3, get a grip.
The comment that the person made at the meeting was not racist.
You have only proven how racist you are.
Very well said, Montrose.
The cucumber lemonaide is really interesting, but only in small doses, it’s an acquired taste that I like for a small glass. I got too much the first time I tried it. That said, one should give it a taste.
gs3, I get mad because I wouldn’t want to move into a community, invest my money in a fine product, and then be told by people who do nothing but mouth off at community board meetings, that I don’t belong. These are usually the same people who loudly complain that the community is discriminated against, and they are right, but when the opportunity comes for change, they do the discriminating.
Yes, people of color in Bed Stuy should start and patronize businesses. They have, and they do. But they should also be open to the efforts of those who have come into the community, embraced it as their own, and want to do their best to grow their own businesses in their new homes. Those are the kinds of people, whatever their race or color, that community boards should be thanking the entrepreneurial gods for, and asking those gods to send more. There is room for everyone.
The standard answer for why such a comment isn’t racist is that racism is hate + power, and disempowered people therefore can’t be racist.
That’s what I was taught in the politically correct ’90s in college, and what I taught myself.
gs3, good point. One should only take umbrage at racism if its directed at oneself.
For crying out loud…