Let's Play Politics without Playing Dumb 2016

Hi, good to see you again.

Once again "It's been a long time, I shouldn'ta left you..."
Life has kept me hyper busy, I was away most of last summer on a film series (I'm blessed) but there is so many thoughts I want to share in response to some wonderful and intelligent friends’ comments on social media, especially Facebook, who seem to have caught what I call "Trump-itis".

You know the condition caused when people are exposed to so much Trump coverage that alarm bells go off in a person's subconscious and results in them spending a lot of time and posting a lot of words discussing Donald Trump’s presidential chances with no eye or ear to the fact-based realities of his chances of being the next President of the United States.

So in short I wrote all this. Trump has little chance of being president of the United States, if a majority of the electorate shows up.

Now I do have a lot to say about a lot of recent NYC and of course especially Brooklyn news, like the planned streetcar line, the method of redevelopment in East New York, the (I'd estimate) 500 new units of housing coming to small area of Crown Heights destined to shift lift further from "affordable", and best of all The Brooklyn Community Foundation, a non-profit that is directly and positively impacting Brooklyn communities.

So posts on all that will come. However I’m going to put that on hold to address more of this Trump fascination.

First, I'd ask you to humor me and do this: swap Bernie Sanders for Barack Hussein Obama, and Donald Trump for John McCain (remember early 2008 John McCain? The very experienced, war hero, centrist who speaks plainly and has the support of all sides!!) and it becomes obvious that a lot of what's happening in media coverage year is playing out like 2008. Personally on the Dem side I know many friends support Hill over Bern, and that's fine because it doesn't matter. We all on the Dem side essentially have the same politics, it's a matter of who we prefer and trust (for a number of reasons) to enact and fight for a majority of those policies.

I believe voting matters, but given the opposition, at this point if the Democrats nominated that creepy robot in the new Boston Dynamics videos everyone will come around and support it. It doesn't matter, after the convention there will be one Dem candidate and we'll all support them.

After the Dem convention someone electric probably joins someone's ticket maybe one of the Latino-American political twin Castro brothers from San Antonio TX, and then they go campaign, with 2 (maybe 3) former Democratic presidents in tow, because the Dems won't make the mistake of 2000 again and not use the sitting president's bully pulpit to galvanize turnout among African Americans especially (which is one reason why the talk of if Bern can get support from the African American electorate is silly)

So no matter who is nominated on the Dem side, no significant number of voters on the Democratic side are going to defect to Trump, Rubio or Cruz. Just like no significant number defected from Hillary to McCain in 2008. I'm sure some people in 2008 refused to vote for Obama, but ultimately twice in the last two elections, with wars and soldiers abroad and a bad economy all making people feel unease, the majority of presidential voters picked the guy who supposedly couldn't overcome the heated anger of the Right wing.

Trump doesn't have the numbers to win. And the entire GOP set of candidates this year are too extreme (Except Kasich who interestingly, Trump's wins is pushing out of contention) to get any major traction with the entire electorate.

And a note about Trump’s “wins”.

Primaries in most states are closed, meaning usually when Trump wins he's winning ONLY among Republicans, he's getting no Democratic votes and no Independent votes because most of those voters are not allowed to vote in the Republican primary. For example in Nevada there are approximately 750,000 self-identifying Latino’ s in the state.

Of that number about 16% are and were able to vote in the Republican primary and Trump won 7% of them with the other Republican candidates splitting the remaining 9%. Trump declared that he had won the Latino vote in Nevada, and if you’re counting that 16% as the entire vote, yes his 55% of that 16% is a win, but it’s not near all the Latinos in the state. The Democrat and Independent self-identifying Latino's in Nevada are over 70% of all Latino. Trump didn’t "win the Latino vote in Nevada" he spun it, said he did, and everyone keeps repeating.Please stop.

Many people are writing, and endlessly reposting these and other numerically inaccurate stories about Trump, and Trump's chances and its a waste of time, energy and a distortion of reality. A better more important more long impacting story is about the remaining vocal fringe of unabashed racist Americans that make up a significant number of his supporters.

It’s a difficult habit to break, reporting sensationalism. The news media gets more money in views, paper sales, and TV ratings by talking up Trump, they think they have to. But it's as useful as when the NYC media pretends to be excited for a new New York Knicks and Nets seasons, knowing damned well they are not going to be anywhere near the championship when the season winds up.

The real issues are making sure more than 40% of the eligible electorate comes out to vote, because the national electorate swings overwhelming democratic. (It doesn't seem like that because of news and congress, but the congressional districts have been rigged by Republican (and sometimes Democratic) governors to corral people into voting districts based on their party affliction.

So I suggest the real issue is getting more people to vote. I suggest we share those articles about denial of voting rights, about voter registrations drives.

Post more articles about what people need to be sure and do so they are prepared to vote. That information better ensures a democratic win. Sharing the news on how much our vote matters is the best news to share this election season.

Snowboard Saturday Throwback

Everytime since I saw this video I think back to it when the first big Brooklyn snow falls.

It's basically about the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, albeit not in that order, and how it all revolved around snowboarding in Fort Greene Park.

Knocked-Out; Big gestures obscure the subtle wind-up

This blog post is about the criminal assaults that have been highlighted in recent months and described as "Knockout Games"

Most of you reading this are not likely to be knocked out by a gang of "savage" urban youth, (which often is code for brown-skinned youth) and there are many reasons statistical and circumstantial why you reading this aren't likely to be randomly assaulted.

Have you ever punched someone? If so, was he or she a stranger? You have to be a little stupid to hit a stranger, it's terrifying for the sane mind, especially when you the potential attacker are not being threatened.

I know this because I've assaulted a person.

When I was a kid I participated in what is being categorized by children and news media as "knockout or knockout games", I'm serious and I'm not proud of it.

I and the group of other teens I was with, hit two separate other boys, on separate occasions in different places. But the situation was the same, a large group of boys (if you asked us if we were a gang, only the most desperate for attention in the motley crew would have said "yes") against a smaller group or single boy.  We didn't have any title for this other than childhood.  One assault happened in the streets after being let out of Junior High School, once was in my high school.  When we attacked the other kids or kid, punches were thrown. I hit a kid whose name I didn't even know. Bruised we left the kid and went on to similar trouble. In our teenaged minds, this was just what you did. Structural it's what you felt you had to do when your more alpha "friends" started an action, you left or you followed.  Since leaving usually marked you as a future target you stayed.  I was also assaulted on separate occasions, three times with a different friends, and when I was alone, I was robbed about five times in the Brooklyn streets.  Twice I witnessed people within 50 feet of me being robbed at gun-point.  Most everyone involved was under the age of 20 I'm nearly certain. That's life in an area where youth crime isn't controlled.

When I was a kid in the prehistoric 1980's this was childhood.  I'm willing to bet you can find instances of the same or very similar behavior in the 1970's 60's 50's, 40's 30's… etc in Brooklyn, the five boroughs and on farms, reservations and tundra across the country.  I know hard nosed italian descended kids who occasionally randomly violent attacked other kids during the 70's around Fort Hamilton and New Utrecht, I've heard stories from old gnarled characters of irish kids doing the same decades earlier. 

For me the mixture of guilt, shame, fear of being a life-failure and arrest, grown out of a very law-abiding up-bringing (constant attempts by guardians and care-takers to keep my on a straight path) and my personal character eventually convinced me to avoid criminal acts.  I had vision of my future, and I wanted to make sure I was around to get there.

Today there are internet video sites and apps, some essentially as organized as TV channels twenty years ago, that have entire compilations of the relatively small amounts of heinous random crime that happens around the country.  There's a mixture of causes, sensational promotion of violence and criminal action heavy among them, that many frustrated youth if given an unsupervised opportunity, will be aroused by. 

Instead of addressing the mixture of causes relevant in the New York City assaults, most media  reports blare widely of "knockout games", because it causes incendiary sparks like a spectacular lightning bolt.  the reports have lit fires under local politicians and reporters and of course the hot bacteria of argument has sent the virus round and round. 

There are obvious reasons why this story is so hot and viral.  no one wants to randomly attacked, and yet it's probably the biggest fear of any long term and especially new coming new york resident.  we can't prepare for the random, so when we hear of these types of attacks, we have to consider we might be a future victim.  that isn't necessarily true and I'll explain why in a moment but first since we all can't keep from looking at a story we think relates to us, we put our eyes on TV, and into newspapers and definitely online, an web hits go up, and paper sales go up and local TV ratings improve and that of course guarantees even more stories about the subject which makes us near certain it's an epidemic.

I live in Crown Heights.  I've seen the footage of teens and young adults randomly punching stranger. I recognize the streets, I've known them for over thirty years.  Yet when I wander the streets late at night with writers' block or an under done bit of potatoe to work out, I don't see roving bands of criminal intent youth.  When I stand on Kingston, Nostrand, (definitely not Franklin) Eastern Parkway, and Utica, I don't see these supposed ubiquitous menaces.  Probably because as horrible an act of uncivilized criminality as it is, it isn ubiquitous.  It's street crime which has generally gone down every few years since the mid 1990's.  It's not a new game that going on, it's a mugging same as it ever was.

Mobile Devices with cameras.  Security Cameras. Red light cameras.  Cameras.  Did kittens become amazingly more cute and entertaining in the last 13 years or do we have more cameras.  It's easy to over blow a phenomena when you have multiple cameras recording multiple angles of solitary actions.

So the story is hot and viral because we haven't gotten over the fear that embedded itself deep in us since the World Trade Center attack in 2001, 2003 blackout, 2008 financial meltdown, and most recently the 2012 hurricane.  We expect some bad new thing can be coming and its not hard to feed that subconscious fear. 

I also suggest there's another thing at play here; whats the hottest local political issue in New York City, is it not Stop & Frisk? After years of popular opinion in favor of abolishing the practice, those in favor of violating civil rights in the name of policing haven't had a leg to stand on.  Nothing to show their contention that there is an extreme threat in the streets requiring extreme measures.  nothing to strike fear in the hearts of fair-minded people and turn away their eyes from the deer like visage of the incoming Mayor's congenially Afro'd son.  Until now.  If you are fair minded and you don't think there are people who see "Knockout" games as simply the other side of "Stop & Frisk" ("Stop & Frisk" thank god we have popular media to boil complex ideas down into marquee titles) then meet me on Roebling tonight with your debit card, I have a bridge to show you.

Between story that makes news media money primarily off of yours (and their) fears, and an opposition to public policy finally finding suitable (and witless) messengers, the story of Roaming gangs playing Knock-Out Games is here.

With colder temperatures and higher concentrated policing the reports will taper off soon, but just after the drop in tax season stories next April, the moment there is a street crime resembling it, knock-out stories will be back up off the canvas.

In 2012 there were less than 700 reported assaults/robberies in New York City.  Presume that's half the total and there may have been for the sake of argument 1500 hundred assaults in New York City in 2012, most of these happened in the same areas, most happened among people in the same peer groups. Terrible if you're a victim but you in a city of 8 million the odds are against most of people being attacked, depending of course on the neighborhood.

What gets under reported is that most of the crimes, happen in the same crime-likely areas. Many of the unfortunate victims seen in video footage, though not all, were like many of us, unaware of their surroundings, making them easier targets, and unaware they were being targeted.  And my experience in the streets leads me to believe many people including myself are assaulted in a big urban environment when we are in the company of frustrated violent people who see we are not on-guard.  In a city of 8 million people, millions of the people who pass us by could have some ill-intent.  Our personal vigilance, our choice of street, often, thought not always, casts us as unappealing choices for assault.  Is it your fault if someone attacks you, of course not. But we have a responsibility to ourselves to recognize when someone is a danger to us.

If you find yourself in an area that is unsettling to you, and a group approaches you, and then seem to be remotely aware of you, you need to walk away.  is it your fault there are people in the world who cause problems, no, but it is your responsibility to be aware of your surrounds, so when you see people who are going to cause problems you can get your self clear of it.  That means, not being so engrossed in your phone call, or words with friends, that you don't see a punch coming.

That suggestion comes from my experiences and the experiences of people I've grown up with in New York City.  Each time I've been assaulted I was a teen, or more recently too unaware of my surrounds to realize I'd walked into a bad situation.  There have been many more times where I feel confident, on a subway, a dark street, the person or persons walking toward me was looking to see what might happen, and a dry, but an unwelcoming stare from me, made me unappealing.

When crime happens in new york city, some of us like to engage in what I like to call crime victim fantasy role-play, "will it be me", or "I was just on the street" is the type of prattle I hear in local conversations after a crime happens. Understandable reaction to shock, but so what.  Besides an opportunity to unleash our narcissism these crimes allow us to demonize the other, because its easy and if we are the hero of our story of course, the nebulous generic black/urban attacker is the villain.  This to me is a lesser but still tragic by product of these stories.

What gets lost in the news media's sensationalizing, the local politician's ham fisted attempts to explain, and the citizens narcissism, is that most of these violent acts are committed by children.  12, 15, 18 lets be realistic.  if they are roaming the streets in a group on a school night, and stupid enough to choose punching a stranger, committing a crime, recording, sending it to the world, they are clearly children who have yet to mature, and they've possibly been clear of the mechanisms of maturation, school, consistent goal oriented parenting, positive organization membership)  for years.  that is not an excuse, but it is important to realize because, possibly, they are not totally lost as potential contributing members of our society, and most likely, despite the type of opinions found in the comment sections of the new york post, these kids aren't going to "kill them selves off" they will however, if they don't change course, continue to be a social, economic and potentially criminal drain on themselves, and the rest of the city. 

For the problem of youth violence and apathy, there should be easier access and greater awareness of organizations in the community where decent level headed parents, aunts, uncles and or grandparents can go to say, make no mistake there are plenty of broken families in poor neighborhoods in our city, and they require more effort than just a phone number or a meeting. 

If we as a city, and in these neighborhoods want to address the local crisis of idle youth turning to uncivilized criminal actions, then we need to create an enormous effort.  we need to devote time in meeting, planning and doing.  we need to give the families, of these children a clear sign that we will work with them to turn a situation out of hand back into a reasonable direction.  because if we don't police ourselves, from within, we will be policed, without the compassion that comes from community understanding.  if we don't steer our community's kids in prosperous civil direction, our kids will be policed from a perspective of an unforgiving criminal justice system.  No matter how tall, arrogant, frightening our community's children seem to others and salacious news reports, they are children.  If our children encounter the criminal justice system out there in the streets as a result of their ignorance, they are lost and our future parents, home-owners, community leaders are lost and then we're all gone.

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I didn't want to post this blog not due to the subject, but because I felt I hadn't made enough writing passes to be sure my point was clear.  It's important how I present these posts because I want them to communicate effectively.  I started this post over the weekend after a frustrating thought about how much control and power and organization we allow unstructured chaotic elements in our society to have over our mindset, often because of a mix of our personal fear and societal bias.  My reason for being resistant to posting has everything to due with a sudden tragedy I learned about last night Tuesday just about 15 hours ago.  The the youngest member of my immediate family, a baby, was murdered. 

I can't understand it.  I can't really understand what I wrote in that sentence.  The baby's killing had noting to do with viral trends, or this thing some call "knockout", it didn't even happen in this state.  But it has shocked me in a way that I thought a life time of serious tragedies had steeled me against. 

There does seem to me to be a relation between this current trend and the crime against a child so young I never met them, a pattern of poor, unguided, ill-conceived judgements, cultivated through a life that wasn't never challenged to do more.  In my family there is a stunned grieving parent.  My relative is totally innocent of the crime, however my opinion is choices made by my relative, choices of social circle, choices of lifestyle, choices of how much responsibility to apply to that life, contributed to our personal tragedy.  I feel firmly that we need to punish the incorrigible and give a hand to those drowning, even in their own turbulent sea, not just cast the entire lot off hoping those who are misguided sinking to the bottom of their troubles and out of sight. 

To paraphrase what until that horrible news last night had been the end of this post, If our children encounter crisis in their lives at an early age that result in lack of guidance, apathy, little effort on their part, giving up on a positive direction as a result of their ignorance, and then our easy dismissal,  instead of presuming they can be better, then the become the that. It's a lock as soon as we presume no hope and give up on those who still have time to improve. That's what most people under twenty, not all, have, time. If we all in one way or another embrace their failures as normal,  they are lost and our future parents, home-owners, community leaders are lost and then we're all gone. 

Sometimes sooner and closer than we expect.

OBAMA IN BROOKLYN, BAM!

So yeh. I'm excited. I like the President, and I write a blog about Brooklyn. So if the 1st African-American President of the United States comes to Brooklyn (to the P-Tech High School on Albany Avenue in Crown Heights), just a few blocks from where I was born and I didn't have something to show for his visit, this site would be useless.

So without wasting more time, here's video of President Barack Obama landing in Prospect Park (which I am all down for)

And a photoslide show (who loves ya baby!)
(PS I just heard the President and our soon to be Mayor Bill DeBlasio are eating cheesecake downtown at Juniors) What's your Brookyn/Obama sighting?

NYCHA reports "Unexpected" budget cuts could close Public Housing Community Centers

NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) is facing an "unexpected" budget shortfall of over $200 Million dollars or 11% of it's operating budget. NY1 reports that as a result of this surprise, "a spokeswoman for the agency says the federal government's sequester cuts will affect every part of the housing authority's budget. She says that without a new source of revenue, "difficult decisions are unavoidable.""
 http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/183540/nycha-budget-clobbered-by--205m-in-federal-cuts

NYCHA Senior and Community Centers which provide resources for public housing residents could be forced closed as a result of this, which would negatively impact thousands across the City. I won't rant about how unacceptable it is that an action taken by the federal government months ago suddenly results in an "unexpected" shortfall because it's already happened and it's better to focus on fixes.

To that end, the City Council has scheduled a last-minute budget hearing on Thursday to address the unexpected shortfall. Let your Council member know you want them to find a fix that keeps those Community Centers open, and if it's not too much to ask figure out how to better monitor budgetary situations so $200 Million "unexpected" shortfalls don't happen.
 

Drawer Dropping - Mr Weiner, please, holster that Mayoral bid.

Sigh, look at the headline up there.

Is that what brought you here? Is that all it takes to titillate our minds, motivate our hands, get us to the box, the ballot box? Mr. Weiner, I think you're hoping so.

Anthony, you've disgraced yourself. How can seriously run for Mayor as anything other than a testament to the enduring chutzpah of a born and bred New Yorker?

Mayor. Mayor? No.

Can I see you as flaunter of the deadly duo, collective amnesia/public apathy? Yes. Poster child for Fuggedabout it? Good God, Yes!

Look at that headline. You've knocked off any other reference to "weiner" from google's image search. Doesn't that tell you something? All press isn't actually good press.

Ya know, I'd much rather be blogging about setting the waters of the Gowanus Canal ablaze as luxury hotels are built on it's banks. But you Sir demand my attention and I say, serious Mayoral candidate? GTFOHWTBS!

Brother Weiner, as a man, the urge to introduce and master your Johnson, on-toward the young female masses, is one I struggle with everyday. Every, day. But c'mon man, you went so far across the red line, yours must have looked like a traffic cone. You successfully diverted progress (albeit temporarily) from national political discourse with your package displaying scandal. Then your handling of it, the dodging, the lies, the righteousness, made it worse by a factor of at least two.

No matter how iDeviced-Zombized we are, all it takes it one finger swipe to bring it all back.

Mr. Weiner, I enjoyed you as a Congressmen. I liked that tenacity was an understatement in describing you. You were the Democratic pit-bull, barking loudly and intelligently on the Sunday talk shows. Not only unafraid to snarl, spew, and spit at the Bush administration, but you communicated the clear sense that if you were loosed from your chain you'd bite the shit of him and take out Cheney with your last growl.

But friend, let us be reasonable. You're not getting elected. Part of your reintroduction came with the self-admitted ticking time bomb that in the days to come "women may come forward with more emails, photos, DMs". Really.

I get it. You and some consultants ran a poll that says the current Mayoral candidates are weak. Duh hard to be strong when one guy sucks the air out of the office for twelve years. Now you want to suck up much oxygen from the candidates. Some whom, I'd really like to see have a clean shot at the office (Bill De Blasio). So you yours did some math that says you can get a run-off and worm your way in. You won't. You will distract from serious questions I have about Speaker Quinn (three terms eh, okay...) and you won't get elected.

You already felt so embowered to do what you want that you besmirched a woman who besides being wholly in your corner; wife, mother, partner, is highly intelligent (how did you get her?) and dare I say it, pretty darn foxy (TO SAY THE LEAST). You felt so embolden that in the face of your lies you chose to circle the wagons and ignore your party's (polite at first) calls for you to resign. And now you feel so singular that after all that you want to distract New York City away from more suitable candidates. I get it, you are an island.

Okay big shot, run as an independent. Clearly you think you're a hot-dog.

Happy Memorial Day weekend all, and enjoy your weiner roasts.

Photo Wednesday 01/20/10 : Super Soverign Edition

The situation in Haiti after last week's devastating earthquake essentially destroyed the capital of Port-au-Prince has barely progressed. Million's are still uncertain where the basics of food and medical care are going to come from despite the nations of the world coming to aid the island. I've learned since last week that some friends of mine are still waiting for word on their families in Haiti, and in one case a friend lost an older relative to a house collapse during the quake.

If you're interested I found this page posted by Google with links to several legit aid agencies helping in the Haitian Earthquake aftermath:http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/

Last week I picked a photo for Wednesday reflecting the national Haitian pride that was on display at last year's West Indian Day parade here in Brooklyn. This week another image from the parade:

A quick bit of history, I don't know that anyone has every written about the style trend of wearing a flag as a cape. But I declare this fashion was started by Nueva Yorquinos (Puerto Ricans from New York if you don't know). In the early 90's I'd go to the Puerto Rican Day parade, for a variety of reasons, and that's the first time/place I saw a flag as cape. It was awesome by the way. Not just for the cleverness of mixing nationalism with style points (the Puerto Rican flag with it's triangular end is positioned so coolly at the top of the back when worn as a cape) but for the way the ad hoc accessory evoked ideas of cultural ingenuity, (flag becomes cape) mythic cultural identity especially in our comicbook-hero obsessed american culture where cape equals super powered. In essence that Puerto Rican dude with PR flag-for-cape (and the rest of the "uniform" consisting of then prerequisite sneakers, acid washed jeans and sleeveless white t-shirt) equaled a "Super Rican".

I think it was a great statement and I declare a Puerto Rican did it first.

Since then I've seen the same styling with a number of different flags, most frequently occurring before my eyes at the West Indian Parade, which many don't seem to realize is a pageant of cultural love as much as it's of great food, loud music and occasionally hyper teenagers. One year I noticed a guy wearing the American flag-as-cape. I was surprised, that a young guy, who happened to be brown of skin would even consider adorning his body with the symbol of America, since alot of guys who fit that description in New York, who I'd grown up with would no even think of repping the American flag. But I've seen the American flag-as-cape more often, usually at the West Indian Day Parade and it's clear to me from the photo I took above that the idea of who America is, is changing in the minds of many.

I bring all this up because this seems to me, part of the issue in Haiti as well. The news has reported that many nations including Iceland were on the scene in Haiti before America troops aid and what-have-you arrived.

Certainly sending the military into a destabilized nation is a smart way to begin securing the Haitian capital city and preparing it to take on relief supplies, but why it took so long baffles me. These Chinese rescuers arrived before the US landed and they journeyed from 8,000 miles away, but that story comes from Chinese state media which can be tricky and there is disagreement over reports of their goals. Also couldn't some advanced troops have hitched a ride with the cable news? Obama's people explained they couldn't reach the Haiti president, meanwhile I was watching the Haitian Prez talk on CNN. Huh?!?

I'm also unclear why our military, which is well trained on how to get into a heavily defended country, or even a lightly defended island nation like in the Grenada invasion, yet they couldn't make the 2 hour flight and setup bases in the outskirts of the unpowered island nation of Haiti. I assume there is more going on, I wonder if the Haitian government is worried about which flag becomes dominate in their nation going forward, who real sovereignty will belong to, and I wonder if any of this matters to people dying in Haiti under the crush of all above.

Again if you're interested this page posted by Google has links to several legit aid agencies helping in the Haitian Earthquake aftermath:http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/

PhotoWednesday 12/16/09 : "Pay Your Fair!" Edition

The M.T.A. is having math problems, you know the kind where things don't add up. If they have their way, thousands of school kids will be in the same position.

The New York Times reports an M.T.A. $400 Million budget shortfall this year. This after they supposedly avoided "doomsday" earlier this year thanks to action from the State.

To deal with this latest revenue crisis, the M.T.A. has decided to take subsidized Metrocards from NYC school children. This supposedly will save $140 million annually.

And here's where the math gets really ridiculous, you'd think taking away school students way of getting to class would be the type of last resort that comes after all other options have been tried and failed. But nope there's at least $90 million the M.T.A. is owed that for some reason they're not even trying to collect on.

The proposed Atlantic Yards proposal is meant to be built on M.T.A. land. That land has essentially been given to developer Bruce Ratner's company for $10 million instead of the $100 he was supposed to pay for it. (the $10 million is one of several payments he will be allowed to make well into the next decade).

(above right: Land claimed by Forest City Ratner for the Atlantic Yards Project )

And the $100 million is less than the appraised value of the land which is around $200 Million.

(above: several buildings have already been demolished for the Atlantic Yards Project, like the lot above where the old Ward Bakery was demolished. Yet the M.T.A. hasn't been paid for it's land)

 My question, to all who support the Atlantic Yards plan as a benefit for New Yorkers, if you want a stadium on M.T.A. land (which personally I am against) fine, how about actually paying for it?

(above: The MTA Vanderbilt Rail Yards, proposed site of Atlantic Yards, has been reduced with permission of the M.T.A. so less trains are able to use the yard, the reduction benefits Ratner's proposed Atlantic Yards and Nets Basketball Stadium, but the M.T.A. hasn't collected full payment)

 For that matter as City Council Member Letitia James points out, why was an offer of $150 million given to the M.T.A. for development of the same land rejected? (see below)

Why hasn't the M.T.A. collected on the over $250 million fee for the renaming of the Atlantic Avenue Station?

If the M.T.A. needs money, has deals unpaid for, and the reason eminent domain was used (to give private land to Ratner for this project) because it will "benefit" New Yorkers, why isn't he being told to pay in full for M.T.A. land?


(above: An unanswered call to Governor Patterson for a "Time Out" on Atlantic Yards from last May)

Before the M.T.A. starts throwing kids under the buses and trains how about collecting Ratner's fare?

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*The full release from Councilmember James is here

THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA JAMES

67 Hanson Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 260-9191
Press Release

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** December 15, 2009

Contact: Amyre Loomis at (718) 260-9191

SAVE STUDENT METROCARD PROGRAM, CRUCIAL SERVICE, AND MTA JOBS –
CANCEL THE ATLANTIC YARDS SWEETHEART DEAL FOR FOREST CITY RATNER!

(December 15, 2009) The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s latest doomsday budget cuts include a proposed cut of the student Metrocard program, which provides full and half fare Metrocards to over 550,000 students who commute to school each day. Also, numerous service cuts are proposed on routes where bus and train services are over-crowded, and waiting times are long. Lastly, severe layoffs and salary cuts within the MTA are proposed.

The MTA says these cuts will help alleviate a massive budget deficit and maintains that these proposed service cuts are for underused routes already serviced by other trains and/or buses. But, riders say they will be inconvenienced, especially because of the recent fare increase and reduction in service this year already. Some students have expressed expectations of having to choose between paying the Metrocard fare, or buying a meal for themselves. It is unacceptable that riders, specifically youth, who depend on the student Metrocard program for educational needs be subjected to unsafe walks, and/or possibly not being able to travel for classes at all.

An obvious questions for residents of Downtown Brooklyn then comes up - why is Forest City Ratner, the multi-million dollar developer of the Atlantic Yards project not paying upfront for what he has purchased from the MTA? If Bruce Ratner paid upfront what he owes to the MTA for use of the MTA’s Vanderbilt Yards, then the doomsday budget cuts could be significantly reduced.

“Cancel the sweetheart deal for Forest City Ratner,” said Council Member James. “Forest City Ratner should pay the $100 million owed now for the purchase of the Vanderbilt Yards. I also question why Forest City Ratner is not being made to pay the millions of dollars owed for the naming-rights deal upfront? And, had the MTA accepted a higher bidder, they would have received their funds upfront and their current budgetary gap could have been cut almost in half.”

The MTA’s deal with Forest City Ratner simply does not make sense. Many are questioning why the MTA, who is facing a potential budgetary gap of $615 million next year, and today faces a $343 million massive budgetary gap, is able to accept a $20 million payment towards a $100 million dollar property deal. This purchase and construction of the Atlantic Yards Development by Forest City Ratner was also given the option of spreading the balance of $80 million owed in payments over a 21 year period.

Community advocates suggest that another means of closing the budget gap would be for the MTA to do a new appraisal of the railyards valued at $271.5 million, and open up bids to other developers who would pay more of the cost upfront. Severe cutbacks in service, layoffs and especially cuts to the student Metrocard program appear unconscionable in light of the MTA’s business agreement with Forest City Ratner.

Critics and opponents of Atlantic Yards have continued to argue that rival developer Extell, who submitted a bid that offered $150 million in cash, was a far better plan. For unclear reasons, the MTA board negotiated solely with Forest City Ratner. Extell head Gary Barnett in a December 2007 interview with the Observer said he was shocked that he bid $150 million, and Forest City Chairman Bruce Ratner bid $50 million, yet Ratner was offered the deal.

“Something simply doesn’t sit right with the community about the preferential treatment that Forest City Chairman Bruce Ratner has received from the MTA. Now it appears as though MTA customers and specifically our youth - the future of the City - may pay dearly to support the project of a multi million dollar developer that the community doesn’t want to begin with,” said Council Member James.
###

NYC Mayoral election 09 - An admission

Watching the sun go down on Change.

Yesterday morning my first thought when I learned Bloomberg was reelected Mayor by a 5 point margin (basically squeaking into office more like an ambitious rat than a financial wizard) first thing I wondered was who to blame. Of course I blamed Bloomberg for running a campaign that was more of a purchase than an anything else. And then I gave some time to the what had been been and could have beens, which is when I began blaming Obama for the way I felt he fostered doubt in the form of neglect for contender Bill Thompson.

But eventually this morning I brought it home. We don't like to hear it, but it's the fault of any New Yorker who has a problem with the way things are and yet voted to prolong the problem or worse didn't vote at all. I'm sure you know self-incrimination is not concept we're excited by. Not as New Yorkers, not as Americans. It's not an attractive concept.

An attractive concept is that we are a nation of rules and principals. That we stand for something good and right. But at times some of us are too often willing to be very human and ignore the rules and our principals if we think there is something in it for us. And then worse, sometimes we close our eyes and pretend invisible.

A majority of voting New Yorkers decided it was okay to let our principals slip, and let Bloomberg get away with causing of a lapse in our democratic process.

We gave up on ourselves and so from this point on if Bloomberg fails anyone in this third dynasty turn, it wont be as much as what we the unprincipled and or apathetic have failed in ourselves.

I can't help thinking of that saying, that "Americans get the president we deserve" (based on our actions, which was brought up often in describing the Bush presidency as a reflection of the citizenry). This (and whatever may come) is what we get. The blame is not Bloomberg's for running a third time, the blame is ours for getting out of his way.

Beer Summit (or not....)

I thought the inner turmoil raised by the intersection of race and politics was the most unbearable thing I had experienced (in minutes that last weeks after all I've personally been embraced and snubbed by the Skipper, both times in a case of mistaken identity) but that was nothing compared with the inner conflict that arose from announced drinking choices for the much publicized "BEER SUMMIT"!

HoneyMoon over?

For those who don't know, the cop (Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge P.D.) that arrested Dr. Henry Louis "Skip" Gates (noted Black guy) for breaking into his own home, selected (appropriately) BLUE Moon, while out of preference (or the implied subversive palette choice?), Dr. Gates chose (apparently Sam Adams, see my update below)RED Stripe. Those, I kid you not, are my two fave widely distributed bottled beers. My god. Why must we choose sides?

More importantly the Beer Summit suggested by Prez. Obama and joined by V.P. (and foot in mouth disease sufferer) Biden (how greatly awkward must that convo have been ?Luv ya Joe, fer reals!) seems to have gone flat.

My question; why wasn't a funnel involved? Politicians, even President Swagger are supposed to be skilled at ramming things down our throats, couldn't that skill have been employed to generate a Stevie/McCarthy moment?. Frankly I'm still thirsty. For Harmony!

Btw this entire post (which has nothing to do with Brooklyn) is all written to support my graphic, of which I find cool and refreshing.

For those who didn't take the reference/link plunge, I now ram this down your throat:

(UPDATE) It seems that the star of my amazing graphic, Red Stripe, never made it to the party and was instead replaced by Sam Adams (who's going to tell the Jamaicans?!?) I don't know what happen but I suggest an appropriate distraction from this story is to look at your healthcare premiums (or especially, lack of coverage) and drink until the situation becomes even more blurry yet incredibly attractive.

All Steak No Sizzle: New Lt. Gov sworn in rare ceremony

Okay now, I haven't chimed in on the little matter of our state government being totally hijacked by intemperate state senators, since it demonstrates that 62 2 elected officials can take away the rights of citizens and government which makes me furious and the baby jesus cry. But, now that something seems to be happening after 30 plus days of stalemate, chime I do.

Not because the Governor enacted the controversial step of appointing Richard Ravitch Lieutenant Governor, to give the state a new second in command, which Gov Patterson was, back when previous Gov Spitzer still had a social life, and to help get the State Senate going again. And not because of the threat that the other politicians may sue the governor, and not because the new Lieutenant Governor is a career politician who has worked in gov since 1959.

My soap box song comes from the fact the new Lt. Gov got sworn in at Peter Lugar's Steakhouse here in Brooklyn.


The reason being is that whole suing thing I mentioned, Gov Patterson's people wanted to get Ravitch sworn in before lawsuits blocked the appointment and made it impossible.

Quoth the new Lt. Gov.:

‘This is my favorite restaurant, and I wouldn’t take the oath of office anywhere else.’

image editing by bklynborn©

Ms. Spiera — whose father, Sol Forman, bought the historic restaurant in 1950, and whose family owns the two Peter Luger restaurants, in Brooklyn and in Great Neck, on Long Island — added: “It seemed to be a fait accompli. I don’t know what the legalities are. I only know from steak.”

Something about all this seems perfectly normal and surreal, like our state government.

How appropriate.

Details in the Times: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/ravitch-was-sworn-in-at-brooklyn-steakhouse/

Photo Wed 4/8/09: Spring's back When's Koch coming?

This park bordered by Fulton St, Carlton Ave and start of Greene Ave in the Fort Greene swath of Brooklyn, has a rich history, which is detailed on the park's plaque.

But more recently (I believe in 1982) was rebuilt and rededicated in a ceremony that Mayor Koch was supposed to attend (as my cubscout master was told, who then told us cubs) it would have been a big deal seeing hizzoner in the Fort Greene of that time but whatever, he didn't show and the park still opened.

Pols speak out against Billionaire money grab

One of these images inspires jokes, the other laughs at our expense

Several area politicians in response to growing concern that the billionaire developer of the proposed Atlantic Yards Stadium project could get his hands on some Obama stimulus dollars have sent a letter to Governor Patterson excerpted below:

Assembly Members James Brennan, Hakeem Jeffries, and Joan Millman, Council Members Letitia James and David Yassky, and 52nd District Leader Jo Anne Simon sent the attached letter to Governor Paterson this past week. The letter explains why these Brooklyn elected officials feel the proposed Atlantic Yards project should not receive funds from the federal stimulus package passed last month.

The letter also suggest that people who have send their own letters to Govenor Patterson.

Brooklyn residents have expressed a similar concern, and the elected officials are providing a voice for their constituents. Please feel free to contact the offices of elected officials who signed onto this letter with any questions. Thank you.

Don't like what you're hearing? Well you can sign the online petition asking the Governor to not use stimulus money for Atlantic Yards here: [http://www.petitiononline.com/noaystim/petition.html]

The complete letter is at the end of this post.

For those who have no idea what Atlantic Yards is, in this blogger's opinion Atlantic Yards is a classic misuse of taxpayer dollars and taxpayer hopes by a developer intending to shove something huge and dishonest down our throats. I wrote some details of Atlantic Yards below but I'd recommend checking out both the Atlantic Yards wikipedia page and Atlantic Yards Report the site of reporter Norman Oder who from the beginning has been shining an unbiased light on what the project really is.

Here's a computer rendering projecting what the project would look like compared it's surroundings when it's done:

Before

After

here's a line from wikipedia about the scale of the project:

"...since Atlantic Yards sits on 22 acres (89,000 m2), it can be expected to become the most densely populated census tract in North America, with a density of 361,000 to 490,000 people per square mile, about twice the density of the current densest census tract in the United States..."

If you can find it, you could also watch the Simpsons episode where Mr. Burns decides to destroy land and build an NBA stadium which sums up the whole issue pretty well. That episode is called "the Burns and the Bees" Here's a clip:


The point of the message our elected representatives has sent to the Governor is that it has been suggested that the developer of Atlantic Yards the proposed stadium, luxury condo and rental project which if completed would shoe-horn 20 sky scrapers into five square blocks, may be looking for Obama stimulus dollars to help complete the project which has lost funding thanks in part to the global economic crisis.

If you want to read more about the Atlantic Yards proposal (and you should since you're probably helping pay for it) here it is:

The developer Forest City Ratner (led by Bruce Ratner) had been expecting additional corporate and taxpayer dollars to help raise the money necessary to build. The project itself takes a mix of things people can support, like new housing, development and entertainment (the proposed Nets basketball stadium) and overdoes each element compounding the poor judgment is the attempt to place all of this on a few blocks at one of the most congested points in Brooklyn, the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue which itself intersects a block away with Fourth Avenue.

In simple terms it's too big for the area it's proposed to be in, the claim of affordable housing is exaggerated, the impact to the area will be damaging and considering the project was decided by governmental officials without oversight, the project has spent too many millions of taxpayer dollars. Worse the developer without a clear plan has been allowed to destroy several buildings in the proposed development area making the area look more rundown than it had been.

Another jacked-up part of this project is that the land to be used is owned by the same MTA that operates the subway and even now is crying poverty to raise the transit fares. Well the land itself was valued at $215 million and yet they allowed Ratner to buy it for only $50 which he hasn't paid after six years.

The Wall Street Journal wrote about it on March 7th:

the MTA accepted Forest City Ratner's bid of $50 million for the LIRR's rail yard, even though an appraisal valued it at $214.5 million. Extell, a Manhattan developer, later submitted a competing bid for $150 million. The MTA rejected that bid, but did negotiate with Forest City Ratner to get it to double its bid to $100 million. The MTA then accepted Ratner's new bid, even though it was $50 million less than Extell's.

The MTA hasn't seen a dime of the money yet. The opposition has waged a relentless court battle that has halted construction of the arena. Mr. Goldstein, whose condo stands smack in the middle of the proposed arena site, is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit aimed at blocking the state's use of eminent domain to condemn his building.

Currently the project is being fought most intensely by local residents including a group who would be forced out if the project is allowed to be completed as proposed.


The full letter:
***************************************************
March 3, 2009
Honorable David A. Paterson
Governor of the State of New York
The Executive Chamber, State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Paterson,

We are writing regarding reports that Forest City Ratner is requesting funds
from the Federal stimulus package for the Atlantic Yards Project. We request that
any application or other submitted documents to the Governor’s office related to
the stimulus package be immediately disclosed to the public and the elected
officials signing this letter. In addition, there should be a public hearing and
opportunity for public comment on any application for funds. We also request a
meeting with responsible state officials prior to any decision on the use of stimulus
funds for Atlantic Yards.

It is our understanding that neither the M.T.A. nor the Empire State
Development Corporation has submitted the Atlantic Yards project to your office
as part of any list of projects for the use of Federal stimulus funds. This indicates
that Atlantic Yards is not considered a priority by these agencies at this time.

It is regrettable that the State of New York, in cooperation with the
developer, chose to override New York City’s zoning and land use laws for the
Atlantic Yards project, depriving local community boards, the Brooklyn borough
board, and the New York City Council, of what would have been their legal right
to vote on the Atlantic Yards project. As a result, the project has never been vetted
through the traditional democratic land use processes available to the community
and the people of the City of New York.

Many events have occurred which have created uncertainty and risk
regarding the 8 million square foot development approved by the State in
December 2006. The original economic and financial assumptions upon which the
approval was based have dramatically changed. At a meeting with elected officials
in December, Forest City Ratner stated that it hopes to be able to finance the arena
this summer, notwithstanding the economic climate, if current litigation against the
project is unsuccessful. If it is unable to finance the arena, it has not yet committed
to proceeding with a residential development. This is hardly a basis for the State to
commit additional funds without a full public discussion process.

We hope your office will be quickly forthcoming with the requests we have
made. Thank you.

Sincerely,

NYS Senator 18th S.D.Velmanette Montgomery
Assemblymember 44th A.D. James F. Brennan
Assemblymember 57th A.D. Hakeem Jeffries
Assemblywoman 52nd A.D. Joan Millman
Councilmember 35th C.D. Letitia James
Councilmember 33rd C.D. David Yassky
District Leader 52nd A.D. Jo Anne Simon

cc: New York State Congressional Delegations
NYC Assembly and Senate Delegations
Timothy Gilchrist, Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and
Infrastructure
Jeff Pearlman, Assistant Counsel, FOIL Officer, Governor’s Office
Lee Sander, Executive Director, MTA

**********************************************************************

When Worlds Collide, Kevin Powell stays Real

So as promised last July 4th weekend was intoxicating and as a result I'm still not quite up to divulging and the funtastic details, but an email I just got reminded me of one moment from the weekend that was.

(Above AfroPunk Skaters from the "5Boro" team which is this wed's photo selection)

I slid on into the AfroPunk skate park built in downtown Brooklyn
for the annual Afro Punk festival (til July 13th) where seemingly
disparate worlds were merging in the ways that only Brooklyn can offer.

On the one hand you had unadorned skaters grinding and into the air and on the other you had helmeted Grammy winners (Vernon Reid) feet coolly on the ground and in between it all, none other than candidate for congress, Kevin Powell.

Congressional candidate Kevin Powell (center) Keeping it Real between worlds of Brooklyn

I've noticed that Kevin Powell (yeh I can't help but refer to him with both names)
is a regular presence in the neighborhood as well as in local community affairs.

Kevin Powell and Vernon were rappin (ol'skool definition) and so rather than step in I waited to test him on the issues. He was cool enough to give me a pound and ask how I was doing in a totally believable manner, ( I skipped the part about my childhood traumas ) and before I knew it he was seemingly answering the "what are you doing here?" question by revealing that he was digging the skate demos and that he had been a skater as a kid. I admitted the same, and in our shared moment of realization, that we each were two of a handful of urban black skaters in the early 80's, we embraced and launched into bluesy rendition of "Kick, Push" which swayed me toward voting for him. Okay we didn't but in my imagination we did and Vernon laced the track.

Kevin Powell did share (in addition to his skater cred) his opposition to the current Atlantic Yards project. Making my vote for him more likely although it would be great if anyone had been asked to vote on Atlantic Yards at all.

Finally I couldn't help but ask what he thought of the upcoming "Real World: Brooklyn Edition." Kevin of course was an original cast member as all us ol' folks remember from the mythic 90's and according to reports the next time the world gets "Real" it will happen just a few blocks from where we were standing. Kevin Powell tolerated my question which for him (he's a noted author and columnist) has to be the same as:

Photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage.com

Takeshi Murakami being asked what he thinks of being Kanye's "album cover artist".

Without missing a beat Kevin Powell responds "Hey... Brooklyn's where it's at!" Indeed, Brooklyn is where it's at, I couldn't agree more. And with that natural and diplomatic answer, um sold.

So yeh, based on this thorough vetting and the fact that in my three BK decades I've never even seen my current Congressman (but I seem to run into Kevin Powell in the neighborhood on the regular) I have to officially throw the full weight of the "UBB" blog behind his candidacy and implore you the readers to do the same.


The race is on...

Hopefully that means all five of you will remember to vote this Fall for Kevin Powell, and of course any other cool African-American community activists you find on the ballot.

skate or vote but don't just die!

Btw if you want to see the man in person and contribute to his cause check below:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9TH, 2008
KEVIN POWELL FUNDRAISER HOSTED BY DAVE CHAPPELLE
7-10PM
THE MADISON/EUGENE
27 West 24th St bsetween 6th Ave and Broadway
***$50 young professionals under 30***
$100 general admission
$1000 VIP admission to hang w/Chappelle & Powell
$2300 VIP reception & photo w/Chappelle
visit www. kevinpowellforcongress. org/contribute to RSVP
featuring a live performance by
EMILY KING
w/ DJ REBORN spinning (***Yay Reborn!***)

(FOLLOW UP: Added Thu 7/10)

So the idea of actual support for Kevin Powell's campaign led me to pay to attend the fund raiser listed above. I really wanna support the brother, but the event was a mess and hopefully not reflective of him. After a long wait I had a short stay and left before the night really went downhill. For more check Gawker, I'm gonna go look for Dave Chappelle.