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January 19, 2012
Review: Battle for Brooklyn
Doc Geeks
by Kristy Hutter
Unlike the Occupy movement, the Battle for Brooklyn had a resilient leader – one who wasn’t going to back down for anyone, not the mayor, not a reverend, not a Russian Billionaire, and not even the world’s most celebrated hip-hop icon.
Directed by Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley, the film chronicles Brooklyn resident Daniel Goldstein’s fight against private developer, Bruce Ratner, who wants to buy the borough’s historic Prospect Heights neighbourhood, tear it down, and replace it with 16 skyscrapers and an arena for the New Jersey Nets (the team he owned at the time). Known as the Atlantic Yards project, the venture was slated to be the densest real estate development in U.S. history – a plan that divided neighbours, many who actually welcomed the prospect of construction jobs, affordable housing and million-dollar buyouts.
...In its role as a pulpit for the activists, the film is extremely successful, divulging wrongdoings that most of us would abhor. Battle for Brooklyn exposes corruption of corporate ownership, sloppy reporting by local and national media, and the ease with which people sacrifice what they believe in just to get their hands on a fat wad of cash. Not to mention, it portrays rap legend Jay-Z – part owner of the New Jersey Nets – as a corporate blockhead who disregards the plight of his fellow brooklynites, a bold move considering he often claims to “represent” his native district till the day he dies.
What puts Battle for Brooklyn in a class of its own is the filmmaking process? The directors dedicated seven years to the fight, documenting every detail and development of the process for more than half a decade.
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San Franciscans can see Battle for Brooklyn this evening.
In October 2009, I wrote an article about activists waging an incredible struggle in Brooklyn to prevent a publicly subsidized sports arena and highrise office developments at Atlantic Yards. A film of this campaign, “Battle for Brooklyn,” shows at the Roxie Theater at 16th Street near Valencia tonight at 7 and 9 pm. It should not be missed. The film is on the short list for an Oscar nomination in the Best Documentary category, but its populist message has found it not reaching wide distribution. Tonight offers a great chance to see how power is exerted in major cities in today’s world, with Atlantic Yards being among the most notorious examples.
Posted by eric at January 19, 2012 9:48 AM