Learning to Oppose the Atlantic Yards Project
Even though he lives within a few blocks of where the Nets arena would be built if Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project gets the go-ahead, writer Chris Smith had been long in forming an opinion on the subject. Partly in denial and partly in the interest of maintaining some kind of journalistic neutrality, it was…
Even though he lives within a few blocks of where the Nets arena would be built if Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project gets the go-ahead, writer Chris Smith had been long in forming an opinion on the subject. Partly in denial and partly in the interest of maintaining some kind of journalistic neutrality, it was not until he jumped head-first into researching this article–and witnessing first hand Ratner’s “truly chilling” manipulation of the political process–that he found himself standing firmly in the opposition camp. It’s a long, personalized article with lots of color, but his Bertha Lewis encounter was arguably the most histrionic, providing the article’s money-shot of a race-baiting quote (equalled only by the class-baiting of Assemblyman Roger Green):
“You want to talk to me about traffic, you want to talk to me about density, you go right ahead,” she says, implying she considers it all a pretext. “Talk to me about what your resolution is to the resegregation of Brooklyn. Black and brown folks have been driven out of central Brooklyn!” Lewis ladles on the “street” theatrics as she warms up, shimmying in her chair and dropping her g’s. “We’re looking at the gentrification—I don’t see a lot of black and brown folks in the wave runnin’ up in here! The overwhelming folks who are opposed are white people and wealthier people and more secure people and people who just arrived. Come on! This is about the power dynamic of who in fact is going to be living in Downtown and central Brooklyn and where the power Âreally is going to be. And we’re down to get it on! We’re tired of being pushed out. If we can stop one iota of gentrification, we’re gonna do it!“
For what, 900 apartments for the $35K-and-under set? What about all the people who will be waiting longer on crowded subway platforms and whose children will see their public school class sizes balloon? Certainly many of them will be “black and brown,” no?
Battle for the Soul of Brooklyn [New York Magazine]
NY Mag Weighs in on Atlantic Yards Saga [Brooklyn Record]
Arsenic,
You don’t have kids, do you? They change everything. We certainly wouldn’t have a car if we were childless, but, man would life in Brooklyn with kids be a hell of a lot more difficult without a car!
I actually didn’t take away from that that it meant drunk black people. I find loud and drunk sports fans to be annoying regardless of race, and it usually is quite a mix. you can’t really argue with the notion that opera fans are inherently more staid – black or white or asian or hispanic.
regarding gentrification, I am always amused at how people like bertha completely neglect to observe or mention that in areas like Ft Greene and clinton hill, the first wave of gentrifiers were and continue to be “black and brown” – lady, you’re the one being racist if you cannot acknowledge that black people can be affluent too…
this is the nature and flux of NYC – it is impossible to artificially freeze the cost of living in NYC. gentrifiers came here because, while affluent enough to buy brownstones or rent floorthroughs here, they were being priced out of manhattan by the Hilton sisters and their friends.
Finally, the traffic does suck there and it would be a nightmare to worsen it. I have kids and I use my car to get to costco where I stock up on cheap diapers etc. would love to take a bike, but that would be a terrifying balancing act and probably kill someone.
It is actually a real plus of the AY project that many housing units will be used for families making $75,000 to $100,000. Think about it: a teacher married to a firefighter is not what we think about when we think of rich people, but they will make about $75,000 to $100,000 (if not more)combined. THEY are the exact people that can’t afford to live in NYC and they are the people we most desperately need to stay. The ultra rich can take care of themselves and there are city, state, and federal programs to help the very poor. The city will be in trouble if all that is left living in the city is the very rich and the very poor.
Amen to that, TonyTone!
Agreed, Petunia- it was a great article. I also found it interesting that one of the project’s AY supporters had this to say “There’s a class of people who are going to the opera. And there’s another class of folks who will go to a basketball game and get a cup of beer.â€
Which brings up yet another very disturbing fact. They sell beer at the games. How good will it be to have thousands of drunk Nets fans screaming and yelling after a game? And the other implication of his statement is that Black people are only interested in beer and basketball, as opposed to Opera. In other words, the Arena is “catering to the lower classes.” My closest friend is a Black opera singer (and I know of quite a few others). So I thought that was pretty insulting to the Black community.
As for Bertha Lewis- I can’t help but be amazed that she thinks 900 units of subsidized housing is going to stop lower income folk from being pushed out. If anything, the AY will accelerate the gentrification she speaks so scornfully of.
I totally don’t understand people obsession with cars and their insane desire to drive a car to a destination (like AY) that sits on top of a MAJOR transportation hub.
I have no car, no drivers’ license, and have survived my entire adult life in Brooklyn using only public transportation, occasional taxis and occasional rides with friends/family.
I also use public transit extensively when I travel. Often I get strange looks when I ask for directions, and I say that I will be walking and/or using public transit to get to my destination.
This article is the best I’ve read so far. The pluses of the project – an arena in brooklyn, development of the actual railyards, 900 units of truly affordable housing for lower-wage households – are such a meager tradeoff for the impact this project will have on the surrounding neighborhoods.
More and more areas of Brooklyn are on the upswing precisely because the borough offers a quality of life that Manhattan doesn’t. The areas and people in them that haven’t yet been lifted by this tide won’t see much benefit from AY – this is primarily a residential development with all but a tiny portion meant for over $75K/year earners, permanent jobs will be fewer and lower-paying than advertised, How is this a good deal for any of us?
For OE – traffic is already horrible in the area, and I don’t see anyone leaving their cars at home. And as someone with 2 kids in an already crowded public school, I don’t see that it’s such a good thing. The PH/FG/CH area schools would benefit from more local attendance, but on a sensible scale -AY would just swamp them.
CrownHeightsProwd, why not just get your own screen name instead of copping someone elses? It’s pretty hard to take you seriously when you’re working the imposter angle.
I agree with your statement about cars. People love to complain about traffic, but no one is willing to give up his/her own car.
It’s tempting to continue weighing in on these Atlantic Yard debates, but at this point the whole thing is tiresome. The public meetings will be a mere formality and the state will surely uphold its findings. Goldstein and Co. will file their lawsuits and, like every other battle they’ve fought, will lose. After that, this squabbling will finally end and the construction can begin.
Public schoool enrollment, especially north of district 15, is still well below historic levels. Having crowded public schools is actually a very good problem to have. As for traffic, if the roads are free and clear, more people will buy cars. If traffic and parking are awful, people will be less likely to keep their cars.