OUR TRIPLE-THREAT CYCLONES COVERAGE: P.12 Brooklyn’s Real Newspaper BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 834–9350 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2007 BROOKLYN HEIGHTS–DOWNTOWN EDITION AWP/16 pages • Vol. 30, No. 34 • Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007 • FREE INCLUDING DUMBO ART ATTACK City: Evict art space for … art space! By Dana Rubinstein The Brooklyn Paper EXCLUSIVE The city wants to use its power of eminent domain to push out an Aug. 21, when Jack Hammer, the almost-finished arts venue in Fort director of Brooklyn Planning for Greene to make way for a Man- the city’s Department of Housing hattan-based dance troupe and Preservation and Development, in- / Julie Rosenberg 150 new housing units that com- formed the three partners that the prise the centerpiece of the so- agency wants to seize the site by called BAM Cultural District. eminent domain to make way for the Dancespace Project, a Manhat- “Our goal was to create a live tan-based dance group. music-and-arts venue,” said Todd “We were four weeks away from The Brooklyn Paper The Brooklyn Triplett, one of the three friends be- completion, and we get this letter. hind the Amber Art and Music The city is f—king us,” said It’s still summer, ya know Space, which is being built in a for- Triplett, who has already gotten a mer liquor store at Fulton Street and liquor license and booked musical Two Park Slope chums get in their last laps at the Double D pool in Boerum Hill, a few days before the city’s Ashland Place. acts into 2008. “I’ve never seen cement cisterns close for good on Labor Day. Meanwhile, Kerri Walsh set up partner Misty May-Trainor Lured by the promise of the bur- anything this egregious. This is in geoning “Lincoln Center of Brook- the tradition of Robert Moses.” during their victory in the AVP volleyball final at Coney Island on Saturday. Tourney sponsor Bruce Ratner Callan / Tom sent over his Nets cheerleaders (below right) to make sure sports fans had other things to look at. lyn” that the city envisions for the The partners claim that no one area around BAM, Triplett and his — including the broker who se- partners invested more than $1 mil- cured them the space and the land- lion, and spent a year and a half lord, who let them sign a 10-year turning the run-down, three-story lease and has collected $200,000 in space into a performance venue, rent so far — informed them of the Paper The Brooklyn recording studio and an arts non- city’s plans for the site. Todd Triplett, Shaun Jenkins and Philip McKenzie are just finishing profit. “We refinanced our homes to do up renovations on Amber Art & Music, which will soon be evicted That grand idea was shattered on See ART EVICT on page 6 to make way for other arts institutions in the BAM Cultural District. Hynes reads them his writes By Michael McLaughlin cide” can be a cautionary tale for all the pinned on him by crooked cops. It re- for The Brooklyn Paper rookies out on the beat. ceived good reviews this summer, but “My hope is someday a young cop sales have been modest. Brooklyn District Attorney Charles will walk up to me and say, ‘I read your No matter. Hynes said he felt com- / Tom Callan / Tom / Tom Callan / Tom “Joe” Hynes thinks he is wielding a book and it scared the hell out of me,’ ” pelled to write the cop story because of new, extra-legal deterrent against police Hynes said after reading a chapter at Red “how easily many [cops] were corrupted corruption — his debut novel. Hook’s new bar, Rocky Sullivan’s, on by chump change.” It took him 13 years to get it published Tuesday night. Not that he means it in a negative way, — far longer than it took him to get a “Triple Homicide” is the hardboiled of course. Hynes is apparently so con- The Brooklyn Paper The Brooklyn The Brooklyn Paper The Brooklyn conviction in the Howard Beach beatings story of a young NYPD sergeant’s fight cerned that his book might be considered in 1987 — but he thinks “Triple Homi- to clear his name after murder charges are See HYNES on page 14 Silicone B’klyn Legends of the fall Sept. 13 Jews and Muslims begin obser- NYU-Polytech merger could vance of Rosh Hashanah and Ra- Sept. 20 Summer will end as fast as the splash of a cannonball in the Floating Pool. So to make sure madan, respectively. See, they have The DUMBO Improvement your autumn — arguably the best time of the year to live in Brooklyn — lasts as long as the so much in common! Maybe there District hosts a fundraiser that pits bring more techies D’Town line for the Floating Pool, we give you this, our annual Fall Preview. — Dana Rubinstein is hope for peace after all! classical musicians against hip-hop artists, break dancers versus mod- By Ariella Cohen an enormous amount of economic devel- Sept. 3 the first year of the controversial, Sept. 18 ern dancers, and artsy-fartsy types The Brooklyn Paper opment,” the pundit explained. “Right Boerum Hill-based Khalil Gibran against artsy-fartsy types. The final now, Polytechnic University is an incuba- It may still be hot as and mug- International Academy, the Arabic The politically astute head to act in the four-round “DUMBO The proposed merger between New tor for this growth, but with [NYU’s gy as monsoon in India (or sum- language and culture school that the polls to select candidates for a Fight Night: The Fight to Preserve York University and Polytechnic Univer- scale], there could be much more.” mer in Brooklyn), but this is your has sparked headlines from here to number of highly arcane offices, DUMBO” is an actual boxing sity could turn Downtown Brooklyn into Polytechnic President Jerry Hultin told last chance to swim in a city pool Jerusalem. Stay tuned. including the lucrative Kings match featuring athletes from Glea- the next Silicon Valley, a report suggests. The Brooklyn Paper this week that the until June 2008. So spread your Khalil Gibran International Acad- County Surrogate judgeship. That son’s Gym. “The merger could provide a critical school is already planning new research towel on the wet concrete, soak emy (345 Dean St., between Third race has garnered an unusual DUMBO Fight Night, St. Ann’s spark to the city’s long-standing, and facilities with offices or apartments on top. up the sun in your string bikini and Fourth Avenues). ARTS PREVIEW: P.7 amount press thanks to candidate Warehouse (38 Water St., at Dock largely frustrated, efforts to establish itself “I imagine scientists and engineers and dive in (jump, actually; diving ShawnDya Simpson, whom critics Street), 6 pm. Tickets: $50 or $100 as a vibrant center for technological inno- taking ideas and turning them into prod- is forbidden). beloved amusement district, gearing claim not only doesn’t live at her for families (do the math). For infor- vation,” David Hochman wrote in the re- ucts and services, new ways to down- Sept. 9 Brooklyn address, but is also con- mation, visit www.dumbonyc.org or For pool locations, visit nyc.gov/ Grandpa and Grandma aren’t the up for a conflict that could rival At- port, which was released on Tuesday by load music or see video,” he said. parks or call 311. lantic Yards in its ferocity. nected to disgraced and convicted call (718) 237-8700. the non-profit Center for an Urban Future. Hultin said the new building would only ones trying to make the most of former party boss Clarence Nor- their waning years. While Coney Is- Sea Life Sock Hop, New York The merger, Hochman said, would be similar to the Renzo Piano-designed Aquarium (602 Surf Ave., between man. Sept. 21 bring the cachet and capital necessary to Sept. 4 land celebrates Grandparents Day W. Fifth and W. Eighth streets), To find your polling place, go to tower that New York City College of Yom Kippur begins. Jews absolve spark the desired investment in research Technology is building at the corner of School opens for millions of with a “Sea Life Sock Hop,” local noon–4 pm. For information, call www.vote.nyc.ny.us or call (212) and business facilities. Jay and Tillary streets. The building will kids, including up to 60 attending activists fight off the demise of their (718) 220-5100. VOTE-NYC. See PREVIEW on page 14 “Vigorous engineering programs drive include 625 apartments. Clarke stops by to give us the DC lowdown The Brooklyn Paper In some cases, they’re Republican-light.” Surprise! Rep. Yvette Clarke is running for re- Hearing the term “Republican-light,” Brooklyn election. Paper Editor Gersh Kuntzman questioned Clarke on The first-term representative confirmed her quest her recent endorsement of Sen. Hillary Clinton, for a second two-year stint in Washington last week. whom rival Barack Obama once described with the “Well, you got me,” she joked, after we “confront- same term. ed” her with the ultimate smoking gun: an invitation “We know she’s not ‘Republican-light,’” Clarke to an upcoming fundraiser. said. “Barack Obama is a very intelligent man. I’m “We were going to put out an official statement, Callan / Tom not taking anything away from him or the others, but but you figured it out,” she said. Hillary has much more practical experience that will No one has announced a challenge to Clarke, who enable us to do more in this nation, to build bridges won the 11th district seat in a wild, racially divisive, much more quickly than any of the other candi- four-way race last year, but the congresswoman said dates.” she anticipated a challenger because so many elected Paper The Brooklyn Kuntzman questioned Clarke on Clinton’s bridge- officials are facing term limits next year, including the building skills, recalling that many have criticized man she defeated, Councilman David Yassky.