The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Putting the Pro in Propaganda

All over the neighborhood you'll see the flyers. Within lies a case study in how to deceive and manipulate. Let us count the ways.

1. Call yourself a "movement," when in fact you're a handful of people that has tried to grow from a handful of people for months without traction.
2. Use the word "they" as if you have a specific "they" in mind, even though the target is as varied as the neighborhood itself.
3. Use a picture that is completely fabricated to scare the hell out of you, of 16+ story buildings that have never been suggested by anyone including the Department of City Planning in its own tallest-case scenarios, that wouldn't look like this anyway because there's not enough land to go that high and wide at the same time, even with overly generous zoning.
4. Make it sound like this issue alone is the reason that developers will make money and push you out, when dozens of projects are already happening and landlords have been trying to get people out for a few years now...and are generally succeeding.
5. Suggest that "stop the vote" is a legitimate way of engaging the issues. In fact, a better way to get what you want would be to calmly and rationally state your position, or work on individual elected officials and community board members to come around to your viewpoint. As it is no one can hear you because you're screaming and spitting in their face.
6. Don't mention that the only reason any of this is up for discussion is because people DON'T want skyscrapers, and are looking to have a DISCUSSION about how to limit outsized development, improve infrastructure and keep the neighborhood affordable. Basically, the same goals, unless of course your goals are actually something different.
7. Don't mention that the only way to ensure the neighborhood is somewhat economically diverse in the future is to focus on building some affordable housing and/or addressing the massive influx of new buildings to the neighborhood, particularly in R6 and R7 designated areas or - as I've said a million times - focus on keeping people in their current homes by being a positive force and team player. Most recently, MTOPP has been denouncing the work of the Crown Heights Tenants Union, one of the few examples of REAL activism that is achieving results.



Look for another shitshow on Tuesday. Where will the Q be? Right in the middle of course. He's been appointed for another two years on the Community Board, and he loves being cursed at.

UPDATE: Another email goes out, with this gem, separating us all out by race/religion, just as God intended:

Just take a look at the CB9's rezoning plan for the R2 districts
R2 are very restrictive and protect 1 and 2 story homes

There are three areas,
1. Prospect Lefferts Garden (largest percentage of  Whites)
2. Jewish community
3. Crown Heights (Predominately Blacks) Crown St between Bedford and Rogers!
 
City Planning and Community Board 9 recommendations for these zones.
 
1. Prospect Lefferts Garden - no changes leave in tact (protect)
2. Jewish Community - Create a Special District that will have specific controls of development only half a story increase!
3. Crown Heights - Up zone adding 2 more stories!
 
In the Whites they are protected, in Jewish Area, they will be protected by a special district

but in the Black community they will be unprotected.

12 comments:

Alex said...

They've criticized CHTU? Really? Do tell!

I predict procedural error tomorrow evening, but I guess we'll see.

kimplicated said...

Glad to see that this issue isn't disappearing from the blog.

Clarkson FlatBed said...

She was uncharacteristically subtle, but she was really pissed at the Working Families Party (WFP) and their support of Diana. The CHTU was supportive of both. As you know, the great thing about CHTU is that it's gentrifiers AND longtimers working together, since they're both being reamed.

Here's from a late-night Alicia screed:

But who really is supporting the WFP? The new gentrifiers! This is the new van guard here in Brooklyn, backed by de Blasio and grass roots organizers
who are fighting on the front with our tenants but the whole time supporting the mass displacement of the people through rezoning and development, which they won't touch, but support.

Some people saw it, but not enough! Some people saw all the money coming into both camps knowing that kind of money only exists from developers money. Some people saw the connection between WBF [sic] and developers but not enough! Not nearly enough!

Right now the gentrifiers still need the black faces in the front In front of the tenant movements and in front of the political ones But that too will disappear as their power base gets straighten and the voters continue to be hood winked and the people of color displaced!

Alex said...

Ummm... what the hell? That passage makes no sense.

Clarkson FlatBed said...

Perhaps you needed more of the quote.

The gist as far as I can tell is: the Working Families Party embraced known Developer-Lover Diana Richardson, who is also known to be pro tenant-organizers. The only group that I know that is combining the muscle of new white and old black tenants effectively is CHTU. She's basically accusing the whites of bullshitting so they can...I dunno, conquer?

Anonymous said...

You're a jealous old feeble minded simpleton with nothing interesting to say other than to attack those who are doing something. Maybe if you were nice and generous to Alicia Boyd, there would be room for someone like you. Keep talking though, because we have allies in Bushwick, East New York and all over Brooklyn!

diak said...

It's become a familiar tactic:
Seek to disenfranchise minority voters but hide behind "opposed to vote fraud."
Try to cripple reproductive rights but hide behind "a women's health initiative."
Push Bible stories into biology courses but hide behind "creation science" and "teaching the controversy."
Deny gays full rights but hide behind "religious freedom."

And here we have NIMBYs who want to block any affordable housing or intelligently managed growth but hide behind "anti-gentrification" and "protecting poor people of color" and the label "housing activist."

The far right has certainly shown her the way. And a few people are falling for it. But as the saying goes, you can run but you can't hide.
Enjoy the shitshow. Wear a smock.

Curious27 said...

@Anon 3:06 Now now, no need for name calling.

Besides, I think it would take a simpleton to actually believe that being "nice" and "generous" to Alicia Boyd would give one "room" for much of anything, unless you're talking about a cozy little AirBnB retreat. Maybe then.

Caucasian Please said...

Sounds like tomorrow's ULURP will be like a good ole-fashioned WWF Battle Royal Steel Cage Match.

Or kind of like NASCAR but for community boards...watching not to see who wins, but to see the crashes, in our case the destruction of the social fabric of our community.

Alex said...

Her three points of contention are totally wrong. Is she doing that on purpose?

Soooo sick of her.

MikeF said...

I won't be able to attend the meeting tonight, but hope that everyone who does attend gets an excellent show.

Anonymous said...

Videotape AB at the meting and send it to all the news outlets. Her words, actions and demeanor will tell our neighbors what they need to know.