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Piracy on Pacific Activists face off against the plan to build a basketball arena in Brooklyn. “Don’t block the clock!” chanted Letitia James, gesticulating towards the domed brick and mortar phallus that towers over downtown Brooklyn. As an electric piano punctuated her words with revivalist riffs, the District 35 Councilwoman ranted against the development plan that would plop an arena/industrial park combo down in Prospect Heights. “I say no to this project, no to the NBA, no to the MTA,” James said, finishing with an acronym-addled flourish that drew roars from the crowd. Bolstered by the blue skies and swirling breezes of a legitimately gorgeous June afternoon, the couple hundred Brooklynites who traveled to a gritty and weedy stretch of Pacific Ave. to bitch about the proposed complex were a merry lot. The amassed were a testament primarily to the avalanche of flyers distributed by Develop – Don’t Destroy, an organization that claims Bruce Ratner’s projected 24-acre explosion of steel, stone and glass is a “destructive boondoggle” rather than an economic windfall and triumphant return of major league sports to the Brooklyn. Despite adequate-if-muted public support and a pro-stadium Times op-ed that glistened with the incestual smegma of the $850 million Ratner/New York Times Tower collabo, locals like Daniel Goldstein, a resident of 636 Pacific St. (ostensibly the future site of the Nets’ center court), are understandably unenthusiastic about having their homes bulldozed like some sort of Palestinian colony. If given the choice between Kerry Kittles and losing their loft, most people ain’t opting for the streaky 2-guard with silly-putty facial features and antelope limbs. It’s easy to side with James, Goldstein and the rest of the Develop – Don’t Destroy tribe. These seem to be genuinely decent people – they’re an artsy, working class, racially-diverse group waging war against a billion dollar land grab. Look at the sea of faces congregated on Pacific St. The number of camouflage baby-tees, neck tattoos and nose rings makes it clear this isn’t Des Moines. The volunteers with clipboards all look as if they buy organic eggs. A dreadlocked DJ spins Bucktown hits from Biggie, MC Lyte, Audio 2 and Mos Def (the tunes of Nets co-owner Jiggaman were conspicuously absent) while a cadre of Rastas ripped straight from the pages of Fader machete-chop the tops off coconuts, milk fibrous sugar cane stalks for their sweet bounty and play Bob Marley classics without a hint of clichédom. One of the event organizers has a Mohawk. Shit, any community where a portly stubbled fellow in a “What a Difference a Gay Makes” shirt can enjoy the gaiety of a sunny afternoon in his tolerance-broadcasting American Apparel must be doing something right. These are the good guys. No one likes seeing the sledgehammers of eminent domain come crushing down on the doorsteps of Joe Sixpack and Greta Artfuck. And side effects such as pollution, noise, raised rents and traffic congestion are unpleasant. But, with only 600-1,000 residents displaced – a paltry sum considering the breadth of the project -- would Develop – Don’t Destroy be garnering nearly as much support without our nation’s current politically-charged atmosphere? Nah, son. Ratner is a handy local surrogate for the bloated buzzards of the Bush Administration that have greedily been wrenching the quivering intestines from the poor, both at home and abroad. When Bruce arrived on the front porch with a bouquet of wilted stinkweed and a box of ribbed Trojans “for her pleasure”, the left eagerly circled the wagons. That’s why, alongside the T-shirts emblazoned with slogans such as “Resist the Rat” or “No Eminent Domain Abuse”, they’re also hawking those naughty “Lick Bush in 2004” and “My Dick Would Make a Better Vice President” garments that crop up like conscientious cold sores anywhere left-wingers converge. That’s why Alternative Socialist Bryan Koulouris and one of his Green Party henchwomen lurked behind a small table fanned with seemingly dichotomous literature such as “Run, Ralph, Run” and “Beat Back Bush”. Sifting through the respective propaganda isn’t easy. Ratner’s magnanimous promises are misleading; Develop -- Don’t Destroy’s warnings are alarmist and shrill. Both the activists and the developers wave around a lot of numbers regarding tax subsidies, job creation, affordable housing, space slated for public use and the plot’s exact acreage. The accurate figures probably dwell somewhere in the middle. It’s obvious that Ratner has brewed up a potent pilsner of profits by exploiting the romanticism of professional sports and, specifically, the borough-breaking exodus of the Dodgers to Los Angeles in the 1950’s. This is, as Goldstein describes it, truly a “speculative sweetheart deal”. Wife-beating Jason Kidd and his Nets are the dangling carrot; a cluster of skyscrapers, apartments and offices are the gilded oxcart. It's such a financial windmill dunk that the Nets' former owner is investing the money he earned off the sale right back into the development. But, in this capitalist sty, money is what inspires developers, not charity. If Brooklyn benefits as Ratner lines his pockets, can’t we quote Hovito when he says, “get rich and give back, that’s a win-win”? New York is a city with half of its Black males unemployed, a town where the alleged economic recovery trickles no further than Brooks Brothers-clad investment bankers. Transforming the dusty Atlantic avenue wasteland into an oasis of economic activity may be worth sacrificing a few lofts and a view of the clock tower. But even faced with the prospect of losing the battle, the residents of Pacific St. need to keep the knives sharp; as long as Develop Don’t Destroy is rustling up trouble, Ratner’s scheme will stay under the microscope. Upcoming Events for Develop – Don’t Destroy: Wednesday, June 30, 7pm. Come meet NY State Assembly Candidate Roger Green discussing and answering questions about the Arena Development Project. Duryea Church, 362 Sterling Place, between Washington and Underhill. City Councilwoman Letita James will attend this event. For more information, visit developdontdestroy.org. |
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