Brooklyn Museum Ratner Protest is Angry & Visual
The Brooklyn Museum's sold-out Gala honoring developer Bruce Ratner drew a crowd both inside and out last night. The photos here were shot by Brit in Brooklyn blogger Adrian Kinloch, who has his own post on the event here. Atlantic Yards Report gives this description of the "angry" demonstration:
Maybe it was the parade of limousines and SUVs bringing well-dressed guests--at $500 to $1000 and more a plate--to an event that protesters likely arrived at via the 2/3 subway line. Maybe it was a sense that Forest City Ratner, however stalled in its plans for most of Atlantic Yards, is in the driver's seat, with most elected officials yet to challenge the developer. Maybe it's that demolitions promise increased blight around the Atlantic Yards footprint. Maybe it's just the accumulation of grievances.Mr. Oder has excellent (as always) complete coverage. Meanwhile, the objections to the Museum's honor of Mr. Ratner and the reverberations continue. Here is an email that one Boerum Hill resident sent to the museum yesterday:
But the protest organized by Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn last night outside the museum was notably angry, with some 80 people gathering at one point, many chanting "Ratner is a liar" and "Shame on you" at vehicles coming to drop off their passengers. (More people arrived later, as others left, so total attendance probably topped 100.) Taking off from the museum's function, several people carried signs calling Ratner a "con artist."
To the Brooklyn Museum: I am a member as well as being a resident of Boerum Hill. I am very displeased to learn that you are honoring a man who proposes to do such lasting damage to our wonderful neighborhood. I may reconsider my membership when it comes time to renew it. Perhaps you will be in luck if either court decisions or the present recession destroys Ratner's plans. Then your neighboring members may be able to forgive this extraordinary error in judgment on your part.No Land Grab also has photos from last night.
Labels: Atlantic Yards
posted by rsguskind at 8:40 AM
3 Comments:
While I sympathize with those who don't want the stadium near them, the sign that suggests "move it to along the BQE" is disturbing. Perhaps it's a tongue-in-cheek joke that flew over my head. If not, is the sign's author suggesting that there wouldn't be more problems with congestion (fewer trains, no LIRR) or displacement "along the BQE"? Or is it just that those who live there wouldn't put up as much of a fuss because they don't have as many advocates? I have to say, the issue has lost some of my support...not that they'd care, since I live near the BQE.
It wasn't all angry!
There was a great sense of community at the protest, and a wonderful feeling of unity - from the young children yelling "don't feed the rat" to the people a couple generations ahead, holding clever signs or simply shouting "Shame!"
"from the young children yelling "don't feed the rat"
Using children in a losing cause is exploitation, and borders on abuse.
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