« Year in Review: 2010 | Main | Prokhorov shoulders the burden of billions »
December 23, 2010
‘Freak’ out! Evicted shooting gallery is bulldozed in Coney
The Brooklyn Paper
by Alex Rush
The Disneyifcation of America's Playground continues apace, this time under cover of darkness.
What the freak?
The landlord who evicted the Shoot the Freak booth and seven other businesses on the Coney Island Boardwalk last month ransacked the paintball attraction overnight on Dec. 22, boarding up the main entrance and jacking paintball equipment, memorabilia and other props.
“They came like thieves in the night,” said booth owner Anthony Berlingieri. “Those little sneaks emptied out the place and there is nothing left, except for the Shoot the Freak sign.”
Central Amusement International — which has a 10-year lease to not only run a theme park, but fulfill a city plan to revive the entire amusement area — gave the eight businesses the boot on Nov. 1.
NoLandGrab: First it was Bruce Ratner alleviating "blight" by creating real blight. Now it's Central Amusement International "reviving" Coney Island by bulldozing it.
Posted by eric at December 23, 2010 10:41 PM