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February 27, 2006
Press Release: BROOKLYN BREWERY BOYCOTT HAVING AN EFFECT
BREWMASTER SAYS BREWERY TO CUT TIES WITH NETS, EXAGGERATES COMMUNITTY TIES
PRESS RELEASE: Fans For Fair Play
According to Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver, the Williamsburg beer maker will no longer have anything to do with the New Jersey Nets, whose suggested move to Brooklyn is part of Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards development -- a project Oliver is personally against.
"In any event, we're no longer having any association with the Nets or either side of this mess - we're just going to make beer" Oliver wrote to Ian McLaughlin, a Brooklyn resident who lives just a half-block from the project's footprint. In the same e-mail, Oliver wrote "I live in the area, and personally oppose the project."
On February 12th, Fans For Fair Play -- a Brooklyn based sports-fans organization opposed to the Ratner skyscraper project -- announced the Think Before You Drink Brooklyn Lager campaign because of Brooklyn Brewerey owner Steve Hindy's support for the Nets' move to Brooklyn. (see http://www.fansforfairplay.com)
"Hindy believes he can cheerlead for the 'Brooklyn' Nets but not take a stand on Ratner's 17 sksycrapers, emiment domain and empty jobs-and-housing promises," said Scott Turner, FFFP's coordinator. "It's a cowardly stance -- support the fun thing and lay low on the hard issues. That's not the behavior Brooklynites pride ourselves on."
Since the Think Before You Drink campaign was called two weeks ago, Brooklyn Brewery owner Steve Hindy has received e-mails and phone calls asking for the brewery's support for the Nets' move to Brooklyn and the Atlantic Yards project to stop.
In addtion, Oliver told McLaughlin that "[w]e work directly with Develop Don't Destroy," a claim rejected by DDDB. Said Turner, "That's desperate. There's no relationship with DDDB. They're using DDDB's status to appeal to those fighting the project. I wonder how that fib's working out for Brooklyn Brewery.
"We don't want Brooklyn Brewery to go under. We just want them to withdraw support for a project that would destroy the very Brooklyn that they've ridden to success."
Commenting on Oliver's statement that Brooklyn Brewery is done with the Nets, Turner said "if what Oliver says is true, it means that Brooklyn Brewery will no longer be an Official Sponsor of the New Jersey Nets, won't be selling any more beer at Ratner's team's home games, and won't be hosting any more Nets parties at their brewery."
Posted by lumi at February 27, 2006 10:42 AM