There’s a meeting to “organize a group of active Save Coney Island members” coming up on Monday, Sept. 17. It will take place at 7PM at the City Reliquary Museum, which is located in Williamsburg at 370 Metropolitan Avenue. The goal is to, in the words of the person that posted the notice on the Coney Island Message Board, “to brainstorm ideas about future events, petitions, fund raisers & exhibitions” and it exhorts possible members to “Conspire! Brainstorm! Organize! Dream!”
You might recall that there was a “Save Coney Island” demonstration at City Hall in the spring, but that loosely knit group fell silent during the summer.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Anonymous // Sep 13, 2007 at 7:42 am
I was wondering what happened to them. Isn’t it a bit after the fact to organize, dream etc? Where were they all summer? Selling t-shirts oh yeah that’s right!
2 Anonymous // Sep 13, 2007 at 9:00 am
no, it is definitely not “after the fact.” it’s because of the fact that Astroland and the businesses on the Boardwalk have not gotten the hoped for 1 yr lease extension from Thor. We don’t want any more bulldozed lots and plywood covered windows in Coney! But the real battle will begin in a few weeks, when the CIDC releases the details of the rezoning plan. Every branch of city gov’t from the Mayor to the Community Board gets to vote. Public hearings will be held. So it’s precisely the right time to rally the troops to SAVE CONEY ISLAND
3 JackSzwergold // Sep 15, 2007 at 4:40 pm
I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to call bullshit on this. Here’s my personal experience with Save Coney Island.
The Save Coney Island group was organized by the owner of the Lola Starr boutique on the boardwalk when her deal with Joe Sitt went sour and when others were bullied and harassed. I was complete for what Save Coney Island did and threw my support fully behind them.
Then when the lease for Lola Starr was renewed something odd happened. Suddenly, no more activity from the group. Even on their MySpace page, no more updates on what was happening in Coney Island.
Personally, I was also approached by Lola Starr’s owner to put together a Save Coney Island website. I volunteer my skills. She said “Great!” and that was literally the last I heard from her.
It all seemed odd, but I couldn’t put my finger on what was up. Part of me felt that Joe Sitt might have been leaning on her and subtly—or not so subtly—threatening her business. Such as, he had no problem with her casually talking about Coney Island stuff. But organizing protests? Maybe that was too much.
Regardless, I actually wrote a frustrated message to Lola Starr on MySpace simply asking “What’s up? Why so quiet?”
Then I was told about this sudden planning session and such.
Give me a break.
With hindsight being 20/20 it seems that the Save Coney Island group was setup to serve one purpose and one purpose only. Getting the Lola Starr boutique open and not much else. The second that happened, all activity from the group ended. And now that the season is over and her lease is presumably up, NOW there’s activity. Beyond belief!
Folks, it’s pretty much over. At least as far as odd protests go. At least in the case of Astroland, locals got together and got a petition setup and had people actively signing up.
Save Coney Island? Outside of a t-shirt designed for the Mermaid Parade, they have been as ineffectual a group as Dick Ziggun’s Coney Island USA.
Ultimately everyone was divided, pitted against each other and didn’t work anywhere close to together to try and save the place they love.
I hope Coney Island emerges as a destination of worth again. And that the old flavor survives. But as of now, I’m so personally sick of the pettiness and non-action of groups involved I’m sit back and enjoy my memories of Coney. It’s too late for something like this despite whatever good intentions one might have.