SATURDAY • JULY 17, 2004 Brooklyn’s REAL newspapersFREE ill Paper, Bay Ridge Paper AWP • Saturday, July 17, 2004 • t Greene-Clinton H • Vol. 27, No. 28 18 pages © 2004 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY Includes Brooklyn Heights Paper, Park Slope Paper, Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Paper, Downtown News, DUMBO Paper, For Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, Published every Saturday — online all the time — by ized and even then it will be at the SILENT PARTNERSdiscretion of the investors.” have become relatively quiet as Rat- But opponents of the plan say it is ner continues to push ahead with his their right to know, especially with At a press conference in Decem- Atlantic Yards proposal, which also millions of public money expected to Ratner won’t ber,name rapper Jay-Z and Vincent investorsViola, includes 17 commercial and residen- in team go into the project. By Deborah Kolben chairman of the New York Mercan- tial towers. Ratner will only own a 10- to 15- The Brooklyn Papers tile Exchange, stood beside Ratner Asked to divulge the other in- percent interest in the team, according 4 So just who is buying the New and announced they were also in- vestors in the project, Beth Davidson, to a Business Wire report fromon January. page / Mango / vestors in the project. a spokeswoman for Ratner, said, See RATNER Jersey Nets? The following month, Ratner For the past seven months real es- “We’re not going to discuss the in- reached a $300 million deal to pur- vestors until the ownership is final- tate mogul Bruce Ratner has been chase the team. touting his plans to purchase the team But since then both co-investors and move it to an 800,000-square-foot arena in Prospect Heights. The Brooklyn Papers File Papers Brooklyn The Bruce Ratner Bomb scare rattlesHomeless Court man wasSt mistaken forAvenue terrorist were temporarily closed to traffic, and a fruit vendor on the By Jotham Sederstrom southwest corner of the intersection The Brooklyn Papers was ordered to move his wares. A man who knelt on a Members of the Emergency Downtown Brooklyn sidewalk Services Unit restrained him and with a suspicious-looking device cut the device from his chest. It strapped to his chest incited a was covered in a ballistic blanket for examination, police said. police investigation that shut By 4 pm, police had deter- down several blocks Tuesday. mined that the “bomb” was only To the concerned citizen who a small black bag with a leather called 911, the man looked like a strap, a clock with a large face, terrorist, possibly with a bomb exposed nuts and bolts, a calcula- strapped to his abdomen. To tor and a small pan. The “terror- Mango Greg / many of the merchants lining At- ist” turned out to be a homeless lantic Avenue and Court Street, man with a pillow, rather than a however, he was simply the latest prayer rug. in a series of homeless characters The man, described as being to inhabit the area. 48 years old and of apparent Papers Brooklyn The Police responded to the corner Middle Eastern descent, was tak- of Atlantic Avenue and Court en to Kings County Hospital for Street at about 3:30 pm on July evaluation but was not arrested, 13, after a caller reported seeing a police said. scraggily haired man of Middle Merchants in the area, who Eastern descent with a bomb tied claimed to know the man, said around his chest. When police ar- the allegations against him, and Papers’ girls rived, they described seeing a the ensuing hysteria, were curi- Sara (left) and Rachel Leah Weintrob hand out copies of The Brooklyn man kneeling on a prayer rug ous at best. Paper during “Brooklyn Papers Day” at Keyspan Park last Sunday. The with a fanny pack around his see page 15. “He’s our friend,” said Gus Cyclones capped an exciting 10-inning match against the Staten Is- waist and an oversized-dial clock Matli, who works at the Damas- hanging from his neck. land Yankees with a 3-2 win on a “bunt home run” by Derran Watts. For cus Bread and Pastry shop on At- the most complete coverage of the Brooklyn Cyclones, The bomb squad and Emer- lantic Avenue near Court Street.12 / Ramin Talaie Ramin / on page gency Services Unit were called to See IT WAS NO the scene, two blocks of Court Street and two blocks of Atlantic The Brooklyn Papers Brooklyn The Study: Police restrain a homeless man they thought might have had a bomb attached to his chest, at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Court Street on Tuesday afternoon. Ikea a Marching seniors rip traffic closing of their center THIS WEEKEND By Deborah Kolben horror The Brooklyn Papers Klein Jori / Fighting to keep their sen- By Jotham Sederstrom ior center alive, a group of The Brooklyn Papers about 40 seniors took to the A proposed Ikea home furnishings mega- streets in the rain Monday Papers Brooklyn The store in Red Hook would flood the neighbor- morning chanting and carry- hood with 20,000 more cars each Saturday, a ing placards that soon number that would force as many as 800 became too wet too read. Callan Tom / drivers to park along already crowded side Using walkers and even a streets, according to a report by an independ- motorized cart, the group ent traffic engineer. slowly made their way to Bor- The findings conflict with those revealed in an ough Hall to plead that the on viola and Wolfram Koessel on cello. “Going environmental impact statement commissioned by Away Party” will be performed to music by Bob city not close the St. Charles Papers Brooklyn The Dance under the stars Ikea in April, which reported that 14,000 cars Jubilee Center, operated by By Lisa J. Curtis Wills and His Texas Playboys; and “Grand would vie for 1,400 parking spaces each Saturday. Catholic Charities, at 55 Pier- Duo,” last seen at Celebrate Brooklyn in 2001, “They low-balled all the numbers,” charged traf- GO Brooklyn Editor is set to violin and piano music by Morris’ repont St. in Brooklyn Heights. Enjoy a cheap night out full of priceless, fic consultant Brian Ketcham, executive director of “We’re used to being here, Dodi Kenaw (left) leads chants outside Borough Hall oppos- friend, the late Lou Harrison, performed by Community Consulting Services, the company that Kawasaki on violin and a Gabriel Kahane on pi- we’re like a family,” said ing termination of the senior center at 55 Pierrepont Place. joyful choreography performed beneath the conducted the new traffic study. Caryl Liberman, 76, who Heights. For more than three stars with a performance by the Mark Mor- ano. Ketcham said the inconsistencies are not the re- ris Dance Group at the Prospect Park band- The event is part of the Celebrate Brook- takes yoga classes at the cen- The center, which serves decades that contract has gone sult of erroneous research on the part of Sam ter and marched in the rain to St. Charles Jubilee, but this shell on Saturday, July 17. lyn performing arts series at the bandshell, Schwartz, a former city Transportation commis- nearly 100 seniors each day, located in Prospect Park; enter at alongside her 87-year-old hus- year, Heights and Hill submit- Fort Greene’s own critically acclaimed modern sioner, better known as “Gridlock Sam” for his will close it doors at the end Prospect Park West and Ninth Street. band, Larry. ted an application and was dance troupe (pictured above in “Violet Cavern” newspaper advice column, whose firm compiled of September. granted the contract. Suggested admission is $3. For Last month, the city an- at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House traffic data for Ikea for an estimated $1.5 onmillion. page 4 Heights and Hill is still ne- in June) will perform Morris’ “My Party” (1984), more information, visit the Web “The name of the game in thisSee is gettingIKEA the project nounced that after 34 years it gotiating for a lease on prop- “Going Away Party” (1990) and “Grand Duo” site at www.celebratebrook- had opted to offer the $1 mil- lyn.org or call (718) 855- PAGE 8 Special Paper erty at Clinton and Joralemon (1993). BEGINS ON we’ve pub- lion, three-year contract avail- streets for a new senior center. In “My Party,” the dancers will perform Jean 7882, ext.45. In previous years, able to the area to the Heights But seniors who braved the lished 50 times; this year, by Francaix’s Trio for strings in C major performed and Hill Community Council rain at Monday’s rally say popular demand, we will pub- instead. live by Yosuke Kawasaki on violin, Jessica Troy they want their center to stay E THE BROOKLYN PAPERS • WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM October 20, 2003 AT 10 EST lish 52 times — including two Every six years the city De- AL E | R DS FIE S 12 SI O K where it is. S O A B CL es | consolidated Brooklyn Papers E y of og on page IF nthol dam n a HOME L n kly T & ased a Broo partment for the Aging puts H le f f G ust re iety o tion o I uns has j a var ollec n N G ooks ainst s a c uma | g i h S shic B set a Noir” f the nt SENIORS T Aka iction klyn ilty o iffere R ort f roo e fra s a d , A w sh ds.