FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 8, 2006
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn Announces Formation of Advisory Board
Brooklynites Including Rosie Perez, Steve Buscemi, Jonathan Lethem, Heath Ledger, Jhumpa Lahiri, David Salle, Dan Zanes, Nelson George, Congressman Major Owens and Supreme Court Eminent Domain Lead Plaintiff Susette Kelo Join the Fight Against Bruce Ratner's "Atlantic Yards" Behemoth and For Sensible, Democratic Development
BROOKLYN, NY -- Question: What do Brooklyn residents such as author Jonathan Lethem (Fortress of Solitude), actor and filmmaker Steve Buscemi (Fargo, The Sopranos), actors Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain), actor Rosie Perez (Do the Right Thing, Lackawanna Blues), artist David Salle, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri (Interpreter of Maladies and The Namesake), musician Dan Zanes, filmmaker and cultural critic Nelson George (Everyday People), author Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything Is Illuminated), activist and radio personality Bob Law, and Congressman Major Owens know about Bruce Ratner's "Atlantic Yards" development proposal that has compelled them to lend their names and support to the fight against itand for democratic, sensible, sustainable, and community-based development?
Answer: That "Atlantic Yards", the largest single-source development proposal in the history of New York City, would cost taxpayers at least $1.6 billion; is wholly out of scale and character with the historic, low-rise residential communities that surround it; has no local legislative oversight or genuine community input; would create a traffic nightmare at Brooklyn's crossroads of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues; relies on an unconstitutional use and abuse of eminent domain; and places the greed and profit of one wealthy developer above the real needs of the communities it would effect.
After more than two years of advocating for community-based planning' accountable and transparent processes, sustainable and contextual development, and fighting against Forest City Ratner's "Atlantic Yards" proposal, Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB) today announced the formation of its Advisory Board. The board is comprised of 33 prominent individualspredominantly New Yorkers and Brooklynitesfrom diverse fields and areas of expertise, including the heroic lead plaintiff in the lightning-rod Supreme Court eminent domain case, Susette Kelo.
Board members' involvement with DDDB will range from lending their names in support of our efforts to actively working on fundraising, outreach, political outreach, and education.
The Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn Advisory Board members are:
Mr. Pheeroan akLaff – Musician
Ms. Jo Andres – Artist
Mr. Marshall Brown – Professor of Architecture
Mr. Steve Buscemi – Actor, Filmmaker
Reverend Dennis Dillon – Chief Executive Minister, The Brooklyn Christian Center
Reverend David Dyson – Pastor, Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church
Ms. Jennifer Egan – Author and Journalist
Mr. Sean Elder – Professor and Journalist
Mr. Jonathan Safran Foer – Author
Ms. Marian Fontana – Founder, 9/11 Widows and Victim Family Association
Dr. Mindy Fullilove – Author and Professor
Mr. Peter Galassi – Museum Curator
Mr. Nelson George – Writer, Filmmaker and Cultural Critic
Ms. Christabel Gough – Preservationist
Ms. Sheri Holman – Author
Ms. Susette Kelo – Homeowner, Lead Plaintiff in Kelo v. City of New London
Ms. Nicole Krauss – Author
Mr. Clem Labine – Entrepreneur and Preservationist
Ms. Jhumpa Lahiri – Author
Mr. Bob Law – Entrepreneur and Community Activist
Mr. Heath Ledger – Actor
Mr. Jonathan Lethem – Author
Mr. Francis Morrone – Author and Literary Historian
Ms. Peggy Northrop – Editor, More Magazine
Ms. Evelyn Ortner – Preservationist
The Honorable Major Owens – United States Congressman
Ms. Rosie Perez – Actor
Mr. David Salle – Artist
Mr. Robert Sullivan – Author
Ms. Michelle Williams – Actor
Ms. Martha Wilson – Artist and Founding Director, Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc.
Mr. Dan Zanes – Musician
Mr. David Zirin – Sports Commentator
DDDB spokesman Daniel Goldstein said, "Ratner's ‘Atlantic Yards' proposal is the largest single-source development proposal in the history of New York City. Such a massive scheme, with its multitude of controversies, enormous public cost, potential impacts and ramifications, deserves much greater scrutiny from our elected representatives, from the press, and from the public. The astounding diversity and prominence of the members of our Advisory Board is conclusive evidence of deeply important issues at stake and of the strength and breadth of the opposition to Ratner's undemocratic, destructive and costly plan. Mr. Ratner and his political supporters wish to marginalize us, but with the formation of our Board it is clear that the opposition is bigger and stronger than ever."
"Our DDDB Advisory Board members were recruited because they predominantly hail from or reside now in Brooklyn. They respect and appreciate the Brooklyn that we do, and have chosen to join with us and the community so that our collective voices resonate even more clearly in the cacophony," said DDDB President Eric Reschke.
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DEVELOP DON’T DESTROY BROOKLYN leads a broad-based community coalition fighting for development that will unite our communities instead of dividing and destroying them. We oppose Forest City Ratner's "Atlantic Yards" proposal in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
www.developdontdestroy.org