AY: A Hearing on Terrorism Threat Followed by a March
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….
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.
Small photo from No Land Grab‘s Flickr photo set
Non profits raise money to pay employees – as do grants.
Why the stretch to always find some sort of conflict.
And incidentally, this is about 10K higher than the supposed progressive Acorn pays their employees.
If you knew anything about fundraising, and the turn out for events in general, you would understand this is actually above average.
Fact: DDDB is able to raise more money than most non profits. They are contenders in a totally organic grassroots organization. There is nothing pathetic about it all. How many people actually VOTE in this country? The war continues, poverty persists, and people still don’t vote…so considering the decades of general disillusionment and low turn out for voting or political action…..this is what those who are involved in non profit fundraising know to be true.
Do some research before you spew your once again predictable posts about white people and low turn out. You are just as predictable and miserably failed in making your points, as you claim the opponents are.
Get a new riff.
I just read on AYR that yesterday’s walkathon raised 50K. I also recall past blog threads that Daniel Goldstein’s wife is paid 35K/yr. to work for DDDB. How is this not a conflict of interest? Does DDDB get any govt. funding or are their expenses paid solely by fundraisers such as this?
No malice here, just curious about what people think.
The terrorists LIVE in Brooklyn–they’re not going to blow it up.
Ms. James will certainly be a distant memory – but so too will the entire NIMBY crowd. Brooklyn will be far better as a result of the construction of this project, and finally Brooklyn will be allowed to develop naturally for the first time since the depression.
It really is such a great borough, that exemplified the best kind of urban growth. When everyone realizes that building dense housing only makes the borough better, things will finally get cleaned up and people will stop wasting a fortune on cramped housing. They’ll be happier, and have money to spend on the kinds of urban amenities that are so lacking.
And then there is the best part – The Williamsburg Savings Bank tower will no longer remind us of the dreams dashed by the depression. It was never intended to sit alone as a monolith, and finally Brooklyn will have a real city core like other cities a fraction the size of our borough.
The only sad part is these NIMBY types will make a killing as their townhouses become more valuable due to the increased desirability of the area…
I havent researched “every republican in congress” but in regards to the president, and our former mayor using the threat of terrorism to promote their personal agenda – yes it is SHAMELESS – and that is relevant to this debate HOW?
The anti-AY crowd has relied heavily on trying to make others fearful. Fear of traffic, terrorism, sewage, lack of parking, parking lots, rising real estate values, falling real estate values, etc. I used to be amused by their naivete, but now it’s just annoying. I can’t wait until their recent appeal is rejected – then, finally, they will slither away. Ms. James will be out in ’09 and this silly fight will be a distant memory.
take a look at the president, practically every republican in congress and our former mayor, so you’re also saying they have no shame.
The anti-AY know NO SHAME. They will play any card (race, terrorism, income inequality to name some) in order to advance their PERSONAL agenda.
There is NOTHING that would make AY any more a terror target then the Atlantic Terminal train station, WSB, Brooklyn Bridge, Borough Hall, 25 different Synagugues in Crown Heights, Boro Park or Williamsburg or probably 1,000 other locations in and around NYC – Please DDDB cite 1 SINGLE example where you even made a request for a review of terrorism prep on those places – betch cant!
DDDB’s name is a minomer – DDDB is clearly willing to destroy brooklyn if it doesnt get the development its (3 real memebers) approve of… I have to wonder if the terrorism we shouldnt be worried about is that perpetrated by a homegrown terrorist with an anti-arena agenda and the initials= D.G.