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June 21, 2008
FOX Cable News Takes a Look at Atlantic Yards Eminent Domain Case
Develop Don't Destroy Brookyn
FOX Cable News came to town to do a news segment on the eminent domain case Goldstein et al v. Pataki et al. (stemming from the Atlantic Yards development proposal) as the plaintiffs' petition to the US Supreme Court is under consideration. Needless to say, nobody from Forest City Ratner or the Empire State Development Corporation or any elected official would appear on camera."Fair and balanced" as always, the segment concludes with two pieces of speculation and innuendo with no foundation whatsoever and, of course, no opportunity in the segment for rebuttal.
First the reporter says that "eminent domain supporters believe the homeowners are being used as pawns giving a powerful public interest legal group another chance to have say before the Supreme Court". This is a reference to an amicus brief filed on behalf of the plaintiffs by the Institute for Justice (IJ). The homeowners and plaintiffs who initiated and have pursued the eminent domain lawsuit—a courageous bunch—are pawns to no one.
Segueing from the reportorial innuendo, the segment concludes with a sound bite from a Jeffrey Finkle, President and CEO of something called the International Economic Development Council (surely an association without any agenda). Finkle makes a baseless statement that the plaintiffs—pawns to IJ as he implies—are "probably getting free legal counsel" from the libertarian public interest legal group. That is 100% false. Perhaps we'll invite Mr. Finkle to one of our next bake sale or stoop sale fundraisers, and introduce him to the 4,000-plus donors who have supported their neighbors' challenge against the abuses of the Atlantic Yards proposal.
If you want to let Mr. Finkle know what you think of what he had to say, you can reach him at the email of his executive assistant, listed on his organization's website, which is: cziegler@iedconline.org.
Posted by amy at June 21, 2008 11:52 AM