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February 1, 2007
It came from the Blogosphere...
Nah Right, Jay-Z Supports Slavery
An indy hip-hop blog runs a pretty damned inflammatory headline.
SoundSlam, Jay-Z's New Nets Stadium To Be Funded By Former Slave-Trade Bank
Things are getting pretty silly in the Hip-Hop-o-sphere when Jay-Z is getting credit for the Barclays deal:
Recently, Jay had poured further money into the franchise by securing 400 million in funding from British bank Barclays to build a new stadium for the team, to be called the Barclays Center.
EURweb.com, BEYON-JAY SUBJECT OF BAD PRESS: Beyonce accused of paying dancers chump change; Jay-Z’s Nets accused of taking money from slave owners.
Now we're speechless:
When it rains, it pours for lovebirds Beyonce and Jay-Z, as their latest round of bad press swings from slave wages, to slave money.
The Grammy-winning singer is being accused of paying her tour dancers pennies, while the rap mogul is catching flack because his New Jersey Nets basketball team is taking money from a bank that profited from the slave trade.
Brooklyn Record, The Barclays Center Saga Continues
But what exactly do [Roger Green and Hakeem Jeffries] want from Barclays Bank? Well, Jeffries told The Brooklyn Paper, “All options should be on the table, including payment for past wrongs and termination of the agreement." Green, is a strong supporter of Atlantic Yards, said that the $2.5 million that Barclays will be paying to repair public basketball courts throughout Brooklyn (as part of the $400-million naming-rights deal) is “not enough.” But if we're talking about paying reparations for the slave industry, is it even possible to come up with a dollar amount that would be "enough"?
Majikthise, NYC quietly doubles contribution to Atlantic Yards mega-project
I have no doubt that the infrastructure costs associated with the Atlantic Yards project will be extraordinary in the sense of being huge. On the other hand, I wonder why the city didn't anticipate these costs when it made its initial commitment.
So these "extraordinary" infrastructure costs include things the city would have had to do anyway? Sure.
BarbaraCorcoran.com, Brooklyn Matters
I’ve lived in Brooklyn for nearly 4 years now and ever since I moved into the neighborhood the Atlantic Yards project has filled me with deep ambivalence.
"I am not Barbara, I am Simon" doesn't like eminent domain to take peoples' homes, but feels the neighborhood is "barren," hates basketball (all sports, for that matter), loves Freddy's AND Frank Gehry, doesn't like dark shadows (is there any other kind?), but likes the idea of a lot of affordable housing (for whom?).
It seems all of my reasoning is entirely selfish, just like everyone else’s I suppose. On balance I’d have to be with the ‘no’ camp, for Freddy’s more than anything else. If I were the man in charge I’d make the whole thing much smaller, scrap the sports and not steal anybody’s home. Sadly I am not the man in charge so whatever happens, happens and I remain deeply ambivalent.
Perhaps I need to see this documentary.
Queens Crap, Brooklyn Matters
Brooklyn Matters is a documentary that chronicles the struggle of people to save their neighborhood from the Atlantic Yards project. The film will be screened at several locations over the next month. Crappy encourages you to watch. Hopefully the film will make its way across the border soon. Heck, maybe we'll even sponsor it!
The Gowanus Lounge, Atlantic Yards Property Update: Where the Eminent Domain Hammer Would Fall
What you're looking at above is a map of the Atlantic Yards site, color-coded to show who owns what. While the entire thing makes a pretty, multi-colored map and diagram of the project, what's of particular interest here are the areas in red. Those, according to Develop Don't Destroy, are properties that are still privately owned. In total, more than five acres of the proposed site are still privately owned or controlled.
Daily Intelligencer, Neighborhood Watch
Prospect Heights: Turns out there are still five privately owned acres smack in the path of Atlantic Yards. [Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn]
OnNYTurf, Eminent Domain at Atlantic Yards Mapped
Regular readers will know that no one appreciates a good map like OnNYTurf:
DDDB.net has a nice new map showing just how much property Bruce Ratner and the State of New York need to take from people to build the Atlantic Yards project.
5 acres of property are in the hands of private owners. Clearly a victory for property owners, in what is an epic battle with Mr Ratner, would completely scuttle the project and Mr Ratner would need to create a new development plan from scratch.
Posted by lumi at February 1, 2007 6:46 AM