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tel/fax:
718.362.4784
Please note our new postal address when sending
contributions to the legal fund:
121 5th Avenue, PMB #150
Brooklyn, New York 11217
About DDDB
Our coalition consists of 21 community organizations and
there are 51 community organizations formally
aligned in opposition to the Ratner plan.
DDDB is a volunteer-run organization. We have over 5,000
subscribers to our email newsletter, and 7,000 petition
signers. Over 800 volunteers have registered with DDDB
to form our various teams, task-forces and committees
and we have over 150 block captains. We have a 20 person
volunteer legal team of local lawyers supplementing our
retained attorneys.
We are funded entirely by individual donations from the community at large
and through various fundraising events we and supporters have organized.
We have the financial support of well over 3,500 individual
donors.
More about
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Atlantic Yards: A Scam, A Boondoggle, A Land Grab, A Bait & Switch, A Failure of Democracy
On the occasion of Bruce Ratner's Boondoggle
Celebration and Groundtaking Ceremony for the elite, connected, wealthy,
powerful and bought out, a short multiple choice quiz...
Question: What is Atlantic Yards?
A. A Corrupt Land Grab
B. A Taxpayer Ripoff.
C. A Bait and Switch of Epic Proportions
D. A Complete Failure of Democracy.
E. All of the above.
Answer: E
Corrupt Land Grab
It was a no bid deal for 22 acres of extremely valuable private and public property
handpicked by Bruce Ratner in a backroom.
And the sham bidding process for the rail yard was fixed from the beginning. And
the devious claim that a swath of some of the most valuable real estate in New
York City is "blighted."
Taxpayer Ripoff
A billion dollar arena mostly paid for by city, state and federal taxpayers
which will be a net financial loss for New York City. Well over $2 billion in
subsidies, tax breaks and exemptions, free and cheap land and "extraordinary
infrastructure costs for a private, for profit arena and predominately luxury
housing. Potential massive housing subsidies at a much higher per unit rate
than normal. City tax dollars use for private purchases Ratner made using the
threat of eminent domain.
A Bait and Switch of Epic Proportions
The project announced by Ratner in 2003, approved and sold to the public in
2006, is no longer going to happen, including the purported benefits of "affordable
housing" and public open space. Instead we'll get a money losing arena,
a building or two and acres and acres of blighting parking lots.
A Complete Failure of Democracy
Each branch of government passed the buck to the other, not one taking a responsible
and close look at the realities of the Atlantic Yards project demonstrated by
all of the above an more. The resulting plan and evenutal degraded plan are
symptoms of this failure of democracy.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The sad and depraved history of Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project is being
celebrated today with a ceremonial groundbreaking attended by the elected officials
most responsible for greasing its skids. It is nothing to celebrate.
What have they made happen? A bait and switch of epic proportions and a failure
of democracy, mixed with corruption, notable even in New York State. Each branch
of government—judicial, executive and legislative—has passed the buck to the
other. None have acting responsibly or with principle or courage to stop the
largest project proposed in Brooklyn’s history, which has trampled on too many
rights
The project—entirely dependent upon massive and unaccounted taxpayer subsidies,
eminent domain abuse, a giveaway of city streets, a no-bid sweetheart MTA deal,
a complete override of all local zoning and numerous zoning regulations—never
came before the city council or the state legislature for a vote. No
elected official ever voted on the project. The results are a
symptom of this.
THE CORRUPTION
The 22-acre project site was hand picked by Ratner and agreed to by Pataki and
Bloomberg. 22 acres in the heart of Brooklyn were given to Ratner
without a bid. The 8-acre MTA Yards was sold to the lowest bidder,
Ratner, in a sham RFP process. The eminent domain condemnation zone was picked
by Ratner, and his political cronies said—OK boss. And eminent domain was approved
well before the project was announced. Meanwhile editorial boards and others
are up in arms about a supposed bid rigging process for the Aqueduct “Racino.”
And that scandal, far less scandalous [see
chart at this link] than the Atlantic Yards project, is under investigation.
While the Atlantic Yards no-bid deal, to the contrary, is being celebrated today.
At least there was a bidding process with Aqueduct, tainted as it may have been.
Fundamentally Atlantic Yards is politically illegitimate and morally bankrupt.
THE BAIT AND SWITCH
It gets worse [see
chart at this link]. What Ratner sold to the public and had approved in
2006 was a 10 year project to build a Frank Gehry designed arena, 6,430 housing
units, including 2,250 so-called “affordable” units. As Ratner and his political
enablers celebrate an exclusive ceremony, Atlantic Yards is nothing but a money
losing arena, in the middle of a housing crisis, sponsored by a British bank
and bailed out by Russia’s richest man. There are no designs for a single housing
unit. The open space “amenity” will be a massive parking lot. We who have fought
the project for over 6 years are certain that what we’ll get on the once thriving
blocks of Prospect Heights will be a money losing arena, acres of blighting
parking lots and a pitiful number of “affordable’ housing over decades. It
is and will be a bad deal for Brooklyn.
The legacy of Atlantic Yards will be its complete failure of democracy. The
legacy of the fight against it is that government abuse of power on behalf of
vested interests must always be resisted. There is no choice.
Below is a proclamation made by Marty Markowitz on the occasion of today's
Groundbreaking to Bury the Soul of Brooklyn. He will deliver it at 12:30pm
at Freddy's bar, corner of 6th and Dean [click
image to download pdf].
Posted: 3.11.10
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