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tel/fax:
718.362.4784
Please note our new postal address when sending
contributions to the legal fund:
121 5th Avenue, PMB #150
Brooklyn, New York 11217
About DDDB
Our coalition consists of 21 community organizations and
there are 51 community organizations formally
aligned in opposition to the Ratner plan.
DDDB is a volunteer-run organization. We have over 5,000
subscribers to our email newsletter, and 7,000 petition
signers. Over 800 volunteers have registered with DDDB
to form our various teams, task-forces and committees
and we have over 150 block captains. We have a 20 person
volunteer legal team of local lawyers supplementing our
retained attorneys.
We are funded entirely by individual donations from the community at large
and through various fundraising events we and supporters have organized.
We have the financial support of well over 3,500 individual
donors.
More about
DDDB...
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FOR Immediate Release: December 20, 2006
Done Deal? The Judiciary Will Decide.
Fate of Atlantic Yards
To Be Determined by the Courts
PACB Approves Atlantic Yards
Despite Utter Lack of Public Financial Disclosure
BROOKLYN, NY—Despite an overwhelming number of calls–from
the four Assemblymembers representing the Atlantic Yards project
site and surrounding districts, City Councilmembers, community organizations
and good-government groups from all corners– for the PACB
to postpone its vote and take the necessary time to do its due diligence
concerning the utter lack of financial disclosure about Atlantic
Yards, Albany’s three men in a room approved the project today.
However, with a federal
lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of eminent domain
for the Atlantic Yards project already in court, and a legal challenge
to the project’s flawed environmental impact study looming, the
viability of the largest sole-sourced project in New York’s history
will ultimately be determined by federal and state courts.
“The federal eminent domain lawsuit brought by citizens
protecting their constitutional rights is rock-solid, and without
those plaintiffs’ properties, Atlantic Yards as we know it–an
arena studded with 16 outmoded superblock towers–cannot be
built,” said Develop Don’t Destroy
Brooklyn (DDDB) spokesman Daniel Goldstein. “Except for a few
courageous and principled elected officials, the fix has been in
for a long time on Atlantic Yards. Today’s vote is no surprise.
The surprise for the PACB, the ESDC, Mr. Ratner and his supporters
is that the constitutionality and legality of their illegitimate
project has yet to be proved. Fortunately, we still have three branches
of government.”
It was not until late Tuesday that the Public Authorities Control
Board (PACB) representatives received “some” of the financial documents
that had been denied through Freedom of Information requests and
Assemblyman Richard Brodsky’s recent subpoena of the Empire State
Development Corporation (ESDC), the project’s state sponsor. Those
documents have yet to be made public. The PACB still has not received
a full
accounting of the true public cost of the project or a realistic
projection of the project’s new net revenue for the city and state.
Additionally, financial terms, guarantees and penalties for non-compliance
for the subsidized housing–a key component of the project–have
yet to be negotiated.
"The approvals by ESDC represent egregious violations of multiple state laws
and the public trust. While Mr. Gargano may claim there has been extensive public
review the facts show otherwise,” said DDDB attorney Jeffrey S. Baker of
Albany based Young, Sommer, Ward, Ritzenberg, Wooley, Baker & Moore. “The
New Yorkers whose trust was betrayed by the Governor, Mayor and Mr. Gargano will
now place their trust in the courts to assure that the laws are followed and this
project is sent back for the review that was required.”
Just last month, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who controls one
of three PACB votes, called ESDC Chairman Charles Gargano “the most
corrupt member of the Pataki Administration.” Notwithstanding that
vitriol, Speaker Silver fast-tracked Atlantic Yards, despite the
fact that the PACB had only about twelve hours to review deficient
and complicated financial information.
“Democracy in New York State took another step into the grave today with this
misguided decision. Who indeed is Mr. Silver representing when he completely ignores
his members?” asked Goldstein. "'Day one' is just around the corner,
and we look to incoming Governor Spitzer to make sure that everything truly will
be different.”
Posted: 12.20.06
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