Literature attempts to save Brooklyn

NOW


SOON


Thank god for people like Jonathan Lethem who has not only immortalized streets right next to where I live in his books but is one of the individuals with a large voice standing against R*t Ratner and G*t Gehry the two misguided men about to destroy Brooklyn with an ill conceived, misplaced, inconsiderate and downright over-density development at the major junction of Flatbush and Atlantic Ave's in Brooklyn.

I live right next to this so called "development" which is nothing but a DEVOLUTION and attempt to F... my beloved Brooklyn right in the ... well. Anyway that's my personal opinion. Not only will it 'cause massive gridlock, overload of the MTA system, overload of the local school system, noise pollution and separate Prospect Heights from Fort Greene (where it will cause massive shadows) this scheme still has NO PARKING !! So whose land are they going to abuse the eminent domain laws to steal parking spaces for? Is my house up for grabs ? When Gehry said there was no neighborhood here I wanted to see him on my street so I could spit on him - it made me that mad. A stupid sports stadium for a team who couldn't sell out in New Jersey when they made the playoffs, 16 skyscrapers and 4000 yuppies paying over $800,000- $1.2 million for apartments right at the major already gridlocked junction of Brooklyn is a STUPID IDEA for all the neighborhoods around the site. Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Park Slope, Atlantic Ave and downtown Brooklyn will NEVER be the same again. It's still going ahead and the developers are using tons and tons of tax payer money too. URGGGGGHHHH. Can you tell I'm angry ? I could on and on about the abuse of the system and how the State is kissing Ratners .... but that's New York today - $ talks and the rest of us can get out of the way unless we can cough up the $.... you can't complain unless you're in the game is what the rule of law seems to be.



Well there is some relief - I have to say thank you to Lethem who is one of a number of authors behind a brand new book called "Brooklyn Was Mine." All of the authors behind the short stories collected in the book and its publisher have banded together in a valiant, selfless pledge to help stop the development by donating the book's proceeds to Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn , the main group opposing Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Yards Project. I saw the book for the first time yesterday in my neighborhood book store Unnameable Books on Bergen St. I'll be buying it soon too (still no book buying this January). And I am looking forward to reading work from writers I don't already know. It's also available on Amazon. Support it if you love Brooklyn.

Speaking of Lethem here is the cover for the upcoming paperback of his most recent novel. I often feel that UK and Japanese editions kick the ass of US editions - for example the Murakami UK editons are just that bit more appealing with their white scheme than the rubbish US sleeves. But this ticks some boxes with me for some reason - feels kinda melancholy but romantic too.