About 300 opponents of the troubled Atlantic Yards development turned out this afternoon to hear a variety of speakers, including City Council Members Letitia James and Tony Avella, request that Gov. David Paterson call a “time out” on Atlantic Yards demolitions while the project is reexamined and, perhaps, rethought. A noisy and larger crowd of union members of about 400-500 people (many of whom may have been paid to attend) were kept a block away by the police and met by a line of officers when they tried to advance on the anti-Yard rally. Several bloggers, including Brit in Brooklyn‘s Adrian Kinloch, and Atlantic Yards Report‘s Norman Oder reported being prevented from taking photos outside the Atlantic Center and Atlantic Terminal Malls where Atlantic Yards supporters were gathering.
“I am looking forward to time and financial crisis being on our side,” Sen. Montgomery told the crowd, adding that she and others had been meeting with the Governor’s staff trying to convince them that it was time to have the Empire State Development Corp. “back away” from the project.
We will have more detail on the rally tomorrow.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Citizen Politician // May 3, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Is the Empire State Development Corporation funded by tax dollars? I personally do not want my tax dollars funding a project that will take away from this area.
2 Richard Nickel, Jr. // May 4, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Citizen Politician, sadly, the answer to your question is that yes, the ESDC is a state agency with an awful lot of power and a minimum of oversight. Your tax dollars are indeed funding the ESDC, and through them and through other, even more insidious means, are getting diverted into Atlantic Yards and into Bruce Ratner’s pocket. For example, Forest City Ratner Companies is leasing the AY area for 50 years for a dollar, with huge tax breaks. Which means that the tax burden on yourself is going to be higher, due to lost revenue from the commercial interests at AY. Kinda makes your blood boil, doesn’t it?