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October 29, 2009
Rev. Billy: Brooklyn’s Third-Party Candidate
Anti-Consumerism Is Windsor Resident’s Theme
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
by Raanan Geberer
The Rev. Billy, whose real name is Bill Talen, grew up in the Midwest but has lived in Brooklyn for quite a few years. He has lived for six years in quiet Windsor Terrace and lived in Fort Greene beforehand. He has often gotten involved in Brooklyn issues such as the Atlantic Yards project and the Coney Island development plan – both of which he opposes.
The Rev. Billy’s main theme is anti-consumerism – his organization is known as the “Church of Stop Shopping.” He opposes the “mono-culture” of shopping malls, gentrification and large-scale development in favor of mom-and-pop shops and neighborhood-based cooperation.
...On the subject of his two much-better-known rivals, he says, “Mayor Bloomberg and Thompson are both proponents of an attack on neighborhoods, almost like a military assault, of chain stores [although he does like Fairway], gentrification and skyrocketing rents. There is a partnership between the city and landlords and developers, and that partnership is corrupt.
Posted by eric at October 29, 2009 10:02 AM