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April 4, 2007
Last Call for Bar’s Lonely Anti-Atlantic Yards Boycott
"Deeds and Deals"
NY Observer
By Douglas Quenqua
Oh yeah, the Brooklyn Brewery beer boycott is still on:
Freddy’s is the last bar standing within the 22-acre footprint of Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project. The famous dive and art gallery, which is slated for destruction to make way for the $4 billion complex, stopped serving Brooklyn Lager a year ago this week, joining what then seemed to be a growing protest over Brooklyn Brewery president Stephen Hindy’s support for the project. Brooklyn Brewery has a concession contract at the New Jersey Nets’ Continental Arena, and Mr. Hindy hopes to get one in the N.B.A. franchise’s new Atlantic Yards arena, too.
...
One year later, it’s hard to find a local bar that isn’t aware of the attempted boycott—but even harder to find one that doesn’t serve Brooklyn Brewery beers.Mr. Hindy is less forgiving. “It’s aggravating to think that people believe that damaging a local business could have any impact on the future of the Atlantic Yards project,” he said.
He was referring, of course, to his own business. Reminded that Freddy’s is a local business as well, he replied: “I didn’t do anything to hurt Freddy’s.”
From The Brooklyn Paper, March 11, 2006:
“After meeting with the opposition and touring the site, we are more than ever convinced that the Atlantic Yards project is good for Brooklyn,” Hindy told The Brooklyn Papers. “Not only will it bring a professional basketball team, it also will bring much-needed affordable housing, jobs and economic development to downtown Brooklyn.”
NoLandGrab: Steve Hindy can say what he wants, the fact remains that he supports Bruce Ratner plans to demolish Freddy's Bar and Backroom for the Atlantic Yards project.
Besides, Freddy's isn't the only Brooklyn watering hole that refuses to sell Brooklyn Lager.
Posted by lumi at April 4, 2007 8:10 AM