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July 6, 2008
Kiss my grass, Mayor Bloomberg
NY Daily News
by Michael O'Keeffe
News sports columnist Michael O'Keeffe wonders why the City of New York refused to grant a permit for a 2004 Iraq War protest on Central Park's Great Lawn, but is more than happy to accommodate a Bon Jovi concert sponsored by Major League Baseball.
But given how Bloomberg has consistently put the greed of the sports teams - especially the Yankees, Mets and Nets - over the needs of ordinary citizens, you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.
As Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez pointed out last week, City Hall is backing a Yankee request for $366 million in additional tax-exempt financing to complete the new Yankee Stadium - a very expensive handout for a private business that employs a tiny number of New York residents.
Lawyers for Willets Point businesses, meanwhile, say the city has refused to provide even basic services to the neighborhood for years. So is it coincidence or conspiracy that the city has decided to use eminent domain to throw out the junkyards and body shops just as the Mets are putting the finishing touches on their nearby new stadium?
Bloomberg, meanwhile, has been a shameless cheerleader for Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project, which has become an international synonym for a shameless corporate land grab.
Posted by eric at July 6, 2008 12:50 PM