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June 12, 2012
Barclays Center Has Bieber, Jay-Z on Schedule, But No 'Community Events'
DNAinfo.com
by Leslie Albrecht
Big name acts like Justin Bieber, Barbra Streisand and Journey are booked to perform months from now at the Barclays Center, but the new arena hasn't scheduled any of the so-called "community events" intended to raise money for local non-profits.
The neighborhood-boosting events were promised in the Atlantic Yards Community Benefits Agreement, which spelled out how locals would benefit from the new arena which is set to open in September with a Jay-Z concert.
In addition to a pledge to provide jobs for public housing residents, the Community Benefits Agreement called for the Barclays Center to be "available to community groups for at least 10 events per year, at a reasonable rate, with net proceeds from such events to be used to support non-profit community organizations."
So far, none of those events have been scheduled, said Barclays Center spokesman Barry Baum.
"It's too early for that."
Must be "too early" for any affordable housing, too.
"They're very actively scheduling big ticket events, but like with everything else that's supposedly for the public, they haven't focused on (the community events)," said Daniel Goldstein, co-founder of the anti-Atlantic Yards group Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn.
"Everything that was sold as a benefit to the community, from the housing to the jobs to the open space — they're all on the back burner."
...Goldstein noted that it's never been made clear exactly what a "community event" is and how the events will be organized.
"What does it even mean, a 'community event?'" Goldstein said.
Posted by eric at June 12, 2012 10:17 PM