Eric McClure, who runs Park Slope Neighbors, is urging all of his friends and neighbors to heed Develop Don’t Destroy’s call to protest the groundbreaking on March 11th at the Atlantic Yards. The details are below.

Dear Park Slope Neighbor,

We haven’t written about Atlantic Yards for some time, as the fate of the project has for the most part been playing out in the courts.  Unfortunately, legal rulings have favored developer Forest City Ratner and its government sponsor, the Empire State Development Corporation, and it’s now looking increasingly likely that a basketball arena — and a vast surface parking lot — will soon begin to take shape in Prospect Heights.

While there are still two lawsuits extant that could stop the project, or at least send it back for additional review, Forest City Ratner has scheduled a ceremonial groundbreaking tomorrow, March 11th.  We believe, as do the numerous groups that have fought to stop or at least significantly alter Atlantic Yards, that it is vitally important to show that there are many, many of us who remain steadfast in our opposition to the corruption of public process, the broken promises, the give away of valuable public assets, and the likely havoc that a 20- or 30-year build-out will wreak on the adjacent neighborhoods.

To that end, we strongly urge you to heed Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn’s call to protest tomorrow.  From DDDB:

What: Groundbreaking to Bury the Soul of Brooklyn
Who: Three-foot tall bobblehead Bloomberg, Markowitz, Pataki, Spitzer, Paterson, Schumer, Cuomo, Prokhorov and Ratner
Where: Outside of Freddy’s Bar, 485 Dean Street (corner of 6th Avenue)
When: Thursday, March 11th, 12:30 p.m. SHARP

Following the event at Freddy’s, protestors will march to the “official” groundbreaking ceremony, which is planned for what used to be the intersection of Atlantic and Fifth Avenues, before a block-long stretch of the latter was condemned and conveyed to Forest City Ratner for the sum of $1.

We hope to see you there.  For more info, please visit http://dddb.net/upcoming.php.

Sincerely,

Eric McClure

Campaign Coordinator

Park Slope Neighbors