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March 25, 2010
Atlantic Yards battle is far from over
New York Amsterdam News
by Cyril Josh Barker
However, the prank does carry a sense of how many local residents and business owners feel about the coming changes to the Brooklyn neighborhood. The climate of the area can be seen by the number of elected officials who oppose the project.
...[City Councilman Charles] Barron said, “I don’t trust Ratner. I don’t think eminent domain was used properly. A lot of people agree that there were better plans for this area. There is a lack of confidence from elected officials because Ratner projects usually don’t produce.”
Referencing Ratner’s MetroTech Center in 1992, which promised jobs to Downtown Brooklyn, Barron said that housing projects that sit across the street from MetroTech are still seeing a nearly 60 percent unemployment rate.
...Amidst the animosity that many Black political heavyweights have against the Atlantic Yards, the Rev. Herbert Daughtry, a key Black clergyman in the borough, says he strongly supports the change. Daughtry gave the invocation at last week’s groundbreaking ceremony.
...Daughtry told the AmNews that his organization negotiated getting a luxury suite at the Barclays Center to use as an incentive for a program that encourages students to improve their grades in school.
NoLandGrab: A luxury suite. For students. Right.
Posted by eric at March 25, 2010 10:58 AM