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:
“The people here really don’t want this to be a slick profit center for retail entertainment. The kiddie rides are open at 2 AM! That's Brooklyn, and we love it” ... “Coney Island has an amazing history of entrepreneurship and creativity. Is it possible that the solution for Coney Island lies with the community of Coney Island?”
Meanwhile, Council Member Domenic Recchia, who supports the proposal to reduce the beloved seashore hot spot to 1/6th of it's current size, appeared in the New York Daily News on Sunday with a rather less heroic headline, under scrutiny for City funding to a 501(c)3 that engaged in conflict-of-interest loans.
Savitri D's hunger strike, declared after the “Mermaid Ball” that followed the yearly parade, will last until the 6:00pm Scoping Meeting at Lincoln High School, 2800 Ocean Parkway on June 24th. The entire duration of the hunger strike will be broadcast live, via webcam over the Internet, at http://revbilly.com/mermaid [1]. She is available for interviews throughout the hunger strike, contact Michael O'Neil at (917) 825-3562 or michael@revbilly.com [2] for arrangements.
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