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May 30, 2009
Job hungry hardhats jeer opponents at debate over Atlantic Yards
Daily News
By Jotham Sederstrom
The Atlantic Yards project has apparently changed a great deal since it was first proposed. One thing that hasn't changed is the desire by the project's proponents to squelch information that would help determine just what is being proposed and whether it provides benefits in return for state and city subsidies.
A public hearing on the controversial Atlantic Yards project spun out of control Friday as hundreds of job-hungry union laborers repeatedly shouted down opponents of the building plan.
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"I think if we could eliminate some of the whistling and shouting ..." the event organizer, said state Sen. Bill Perkins, only to be interrupted by a new round of jeers.
"Go home, Bill!" several workers shouted at Perkins, whose district is in Harlem. "I live here! Bill, go home!"
The five-hour hearing was called by Perkins and other state senators to determine the status of the delayed $4.2 billion project, which is being reevaluated by designers in a bid to cut costs.
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Senator Marty Golden, acting as a tool of the developer, made an unexpected appearance at the hearing.
At one point, the hearing veered completely off track when state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (D-Brooklyn), a critic of the plan, berated fellow Sen. Marty Golden (R-Brooklyn) for showing up late.
That prompted workers to erupt in jeers in a show of support for Golden, who backs the 22-acre project.
Posted by steve at May 30, 2009 8:14 AM