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.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

One Year Later - Back to ULURP Committee

It's hilarious. Unless you're sitting right in front of the action. Here's me taking a selfie video, but with my good buddy Alicia behind me. She probably cost us 45 minutes of our time, and basically runs the meetings now. Pretty much everything we do is on the Planning issue is respond to her. District Manager Pearl Miles spends countless hours answering FOIL requests and defending herself and the Board in lawsuits leveled by Alicia Boyd's legal team.

This video should give you a front row seat to what it's like to sit through these things. I had no idea she was so virtuosic on the noise-horn:


Some good ideas were shared amidst the shouting. Suki and Alan shared some nice ideas about conducting their own study, which I think they should absolutely make happen. I hope they do, so we have even more information to go on as we move through the process.

IF we get a chance. I'm still not hopeful that we'll ever get anything going. A narrowly defeated motion to scratch the draft entirely and start over at committee was beyond ludicrous. The draft is a fine place to start and members can add or edit at will. Have you ever tried to write something from scratch with, say, 20 people in the room writing every word? Nightmare. It (discussion) was (past tense? discussion) a (why not an? have we already decided the next word will start with a consonant?) dark (is that racial?how dark?) and (conjunction junction, what's your function?) stormy (adjective choice - too provocative) night (I told you they'd do it under cover of night!). Maybe we should have Snoopy write it. Probably be just as good. Like I said, nightmare!

Which is probably what I'll have tonight after being subjected to more than 20 minutes of the above. My ears are still ringing. But for the most part, I kept my cool. Progress, not perfection.

10 comments:

cheryl on parkside ave said...

I've had enough. I refuse to have anyone screaming in my ears for hours. Chose to attend the Parkside Empire-Flatbush Ave Merchant Association instead. Way more productive!

Bob Marvin said...

From § 195, NY State Penal Law:

"S 195.05 Obstructing governmental administration in the second degree.
A person is guilty of obstructing governmental administration when he
intentionally obstructs, impairs or perverts the administration of law
or other governmental function or prevents or attempts to prevent a
public servant from performing an official function, by means of
intimidation, physical force or interference, or by means of any
independently unlawful act, or by means of interfering, whether or not
physical force is involved, with radio, telephone, television or other
telecommunications systems owned or operated by the state, or a county,
city, town, village, fire district or emergency medical service or by
means of releasing a dangerous animal under circumstances evincing the
actor`s intent that the animal obstruct governmental administration.
Obstructing governmental administration is a class A misdemeanor".

Jamesy said...

I'm sorry. I know the issues fueling this clown show are serious, but this is comedy gold. She looks like she just rolled out of bed all angry and gnarly looking, then whips out her hybrid party horn/kazoo to start her tooting spree. At this point, how can you blame the city for moving on and making whatever decisions they see fit? I mean, it really is laughable.

MikeF said...

Residents of CB9 are about to get large lessons about not only what "as of right" means, but also the meaning of "variance".

MikeF said...

My coverage of the mtg can be found here: http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/45186/cb9039s-mtgs-on-feb-4th-feb-11th-feb-24-#Item_131

Spoiler alert: I agree that you are a white guy.

diak said...

Wow. Who says one person can't make a difference. Especially when that person — with no sense of dignity or any respect for her neighbors — acts entirely out of self-interest.
I think Mr Marvin's implied suggestion above is spot on.
And meanwhile, I hope they build a prison in her backyard.

babs said...

Screw that variance crap - Empire State Development Corporation (former EDC) and three men in a room all the way. Cuomo, how you feeling about that?

babs said...

And, of course, your tax dollars at work - because this is way more blighted than Atlantic Yards ever was, and so much less need for eminent domain.

Alex said...

Why did the near meaningless letter get sent back to committee? I do not get it - DCP gets the option of conducting a study upon receipt, and doesn't have to pay attention to the specifics in the request if they don't want to. Why do we need draft after draft?

Clarkson FlatBed said...

It's an internal issue - in-fighting about process - that lead to the current situation.

Leadership is M.I.A.

None of it has anything to do with the merits of the proposed letter. Very, very frustrating. A more experienced leader would never have let MTOPP get the upper hand.