Bumped - Bouldin

Mermaid Parade Queen's Bid To Save Coney Island Gains Support While Coney Sellout Recchia Under Investigation For Conflict Of Interest Loan

NEW YORK – It's been a long, media blitz weekend for Savitri D, Queen Of The Coney Island Mermaid Parade and Director of Reverend Billy and the Church Of Stop Shopping, as her hunger strike to save Coney Island enters its fourth day.

Her vigil without food, while living in the window of the Sideshows By The Seashore building and broadcasting live over webcam, aims to draw New Yorkers to a June 24th Community Meeting at Lincoln High School to halt a reduction of Coney Island amusement space from 60 acres to 9 acres. The hunger strike has won the hearts of thousands of New Yorkers, with appearances on television, print, radio and the blogosphere.

Speaking of the surprise proposal to replace large swaths of Coney Island with high-rise “hotels” and a shopping mall, Savitri remarked in a recent interview:  read more »

Harlem-based community advocacy group Voices of the Everyday People (VOTE People) will announce a challenge to the City's proposed rezoning of 125th Street on Tuesday, April 1 at 9 am at City Hall.

The announcement will come as the Zoning Subcommittee of the City Council's Land Use Committee will hold a public hearing (at 9:30) and consider the proposal.

Come out to oppose the rezoning -- a proposal that would evict a community, destroy a history, erase a culture by paving the way for "luxury development" without protection for long-time cultural institutions, businesses and residents.

Be there at 9 to support VOTE People and the fight to save Harlem. Hang around 'til 9:30 and testify at the hearing!

VOTE People's position paper on the rezoning is available at: www.votepeople.net.

Tuesday, April 1, 7pm. Screening of Isabel Hill's Atlantic Yards documentary "Brooklyn Matters". Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School
357 Clermont Avenue, Brooklyn
(btwn. Greene & Lafayette Aves.). Co-sponsors: Society for Clinton Hill, The Fort Greene Association, and DDDB

This documentary has been very highly acclaimed. For example:

“It wasn’t until viewing Isabel Hill’s film that I realized the true scope of what is at stake for the future of Brooklyn in proceeding with the development of the Atlantic Yards in its present form.”
-Carmi Bee, FAIA, RKT&B Architects & Planners

“Brooklyn Matters is a remarkable film that slowly, quietly, calmly reveals the extreme ugliness at the heart of one of the most ill-conceived mega-development schemes in New York history.”
-Francis Morrone, Architectural Historian

"Isabel Hill’s revealing documentary about the proposed Atlantic Yards project takes an honest look at the complex role that race, class, power, and money play in the redevelopment of our communities and calls for a more open discussion about equitable urban development."  read more »

Here is the latest from Lambda Independent Democrats:

Thumbs Down on Atlantic Yards, Noach Dear

At its meeting held October 22, 2007, Lambda Independent Democrats, Brooklyn's LGBT Political voice adopted a resolution opposing the Atlantic Yards Project of the Forest City Ratner Development Company.

The club also contined to express it's disappointment in the Brooklyn Democratic party's support for Noach Dear. LID co-President Chrisopher Murray said "Brooklyn's LGBT community and the thousands of LGBT Democrats we represent feel that Noach Dear's lack of courtroom experience and bar associations' assessments and his past statements and actions against the interests of our community deem him an unsuitable candidate for the Civil Court bench. We continue to be disappointed in the leadership of the Democratic party of Brooklyn over their support of his candidacy."

Here is the resolution Lambda adopted opposing Bruce Ratner's overdevelopment of Brooklyn:

Resolution Item: Atlantic Yards. Date Voted: 10/22/07  read more »

Last Sunday was the 3rd Annual Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn Walkathon to celebrate my son's birthday. Okay...so it is only coincidental that it always happens around my son's birthday, but my son has now gone to three of these events. And he always drags us along with him.

Sunday was a beautiful day for a Walkathon. Turnout seemed quite good and the path of the walk was excellent for demonstrating solidarity with the community. Last year went through Prospect Park, which may have been nicer, but didn't really connect with the affected community. This year we started at Freddie's bar in the footprint of Bruce Ratner's giganormous, overdevelopment sinkhole for taxpayer money, went up Flatbush, around Grand Army Plaza, and over to Soda bar where a party ensued. I always tell people these events are really fun, and I think the fact that we started at a bar and ended at a bar is indicative of the fun factor of the walkathons.  read more »