December 24, 2005 • FREE DEMOLITION MAN Ratner Preps Atlantic Yards Site
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BROOKLYN’S REAL NEWSPAPERS Including Windsor Terrace, Sunset Park, Midwood, Kensington, Ocean Parkway Papers Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 16 pages BWN •Vol. 28, No. 50 •Saturday, December 24, 2005 • FREE DEMOLITION MAN Ratner preps Atlantic Yards site By Ariella Cohen Workers wearing gardening gloves ic asbestos and then demolishing the workers used grocery carts to haul odd will be demolished before the mega- The Brooklyn Papers and knit caps arrived at the moody 19th-century structure. pieces of furniture and mixing bowls project is even approved. Samuel Underberg Building at the in- Five other buildings nearby will fol- still wrapped in plastic from the Un- The initial demolition work fol- It has begun: Bruce Ratner has tersection of Atlantic and Flatbush av- low — the historic beginning of a proj- derberg building, which once housed lowed a report issued by a Ratner- started clearing the site of his pro- enues around 11:30 on Tuesday morn- ect that may take more than a decade to a food supply store. hired engineer that recommended the Carolers posed Atlantic Yards arena, resi- ing to begin what will be a complete and cost $3.5 billion. The buildings — all owned by Rat- building be torn town to prevent a col- dential and office mega-project. months-long process of removing tox- In this first step this week, the ner or in contract to be sold to him — See RATNER on page 13 to Bruce: You’re a Scrooge! By Emily Keller TAKE A HIKE for The Brooklyn Papers At first glance, the carolers — with their red- and-green felt hats, their sheet music and their Transit union strikes, Brooklyn walks accordion accompaniment — appeared to be just another group of holiday mirth-makers on Park By Gersh Kuntzman urns and using up several rolls of toilet paper, a Slope’s Fifth Avenue this week. The Brooklyn Papers Markowitz spokeswoman said. And then they broke into song. “On the 12th day of Christmas, Bruce Ratner took He was there when they went to work in the Welcome to Brooklyn from me/12 months of taxes/11 blocks of sidewalks/10 morning, trudging over the Brooklyn Bridge One Upper East Sider who decided he’d walk acres peopled/nine cultures mixing/eight unclogged sub- in their sneakers or walking their bikes, and to work in DUMBO got hopelessly lost — ways/seven days a-strolling/six sportless months/DE- he was there when they came back, a little while he was still in Manhattan! MO-CRA-CY!/four years in building/three neighbor- worse for wear, but still in good spirits. hoods/two thoroughfares/and an apartment for my The confused pedestrian started down Second family!” Many bi-ped commuters just assumed Borough Avenue, which would have led him to the If the lyrics didn’t give them away, a closer inspection President Markowitz spent the entire first day of Manhattan Bridge — but when foot traffic was of the jaunty hats revealed the words “eminent domain the strike on the bridge’s fabled footpath. too heavy, he shifted to First Avenue. abuse” with a red slash mark through them — a symbol “Welcome back to the big time, Brooklyn, When he got to the eastern spur of Canal Street, of groups opposed to Ratner’s sports, residential and com- USA!” the irrepressible Beep told his constituents he turned left instead of right, and “ended up get- mercial mega-development at the Atlantic Yards. as they returned home during the evening rush ting lost in that crazy off-the-grid tangle down The so-called Prospect Heights Action Carrollers hour on Tuesday. there,” his boss, who requested anonymity for (sic) were mostly well received in Park Slope, but they Despite the hassles of the day, most were everyone involved, told The Brooklyn Papers. smiling. “When he finally got to work, he was tired, “Were you here all day, Marty? God bless yes, but far more mortified that he had gotten you,” one woman said. lost on the island of Manhattan.” “No, just a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours now,” Markowitz told A timely class trip her. But he got a hug anyway. For a Fort Greene school, the transit strike On a practical level, Markowitz was steering the made for an exciting class trip. mass of humanity towards Borough Hall, where More than 40 students from the Urban his staff was dispensing coffee, tea and little Assembly School for Law and Justice — the Entenmann’s carrot cakes (not bad, by the way). ones who actually made it to school on Tuesday This being Brooklyn, there were some who — headed to Cadman Plaza, where a group of viewed Markowitz’s caffeinated offering warily. transit strikers were walking the picket line. “Is it free?” asked one man. “We decided this was a good chance to show the “Of course it’s free!” Markowitz said. “Oy, students something relevant to their lives and the the last thing I need is to charge people for cof- legal issues they study,” said teacher Julian fee. I’d be on the front page of all the papers!” Sciammarella, who handed out clipboards and On a less-practical level, Markowitz said he told the students to interview the strikers. felt an obligation to entertain the troops during “They really want their money,” said ninth- Callan / Tom the strike. grader Edania Heslop, who lives in Flatbush. “I Amy Greer The Prospect Heights Action Carrollers (sic) sing out “What else can I do? I don’t have a seat at the understand where they’re coming from, but if against the Atlantic Yards project in Park Slope. negotiating table,” he told The Brooklyn I’m going to be a lawyer, I need to understand Papers. “I feel that this is the least I can do to both sides.” did quickly overstay their welcome at the new Com- keep people’s spirits up.” But, Heslop added, even standing in the cold Papers The Brooklyn merce Bank on Fifth Avenue. Dozens of people took Markowitz up on his to interview strikers was “more fun than a regu- Mayor Bloomberg marches over the Brooklyn Bridge Tuesday morning from At first, an unsuspecting bank employee let the revelers offer, drinking the contents of three large coffee lar day at school.” the Office of Emergency Management building in DUMBO. inside — but once there, the singers broke into some of their big hits, turning “Jingle Bell Rock” into “Ratnerville Sucks” and “Silent Night” into “Blighted Heights.” “Ratner’s a shmoe and Ratnerville blows,” they sang to frightened employees, including bank manager Eileen Holmes, who worried the new branch’s image would be tarnished. Real New Yorkers LOVE the transit strike “We can’t get political,” said Holmes. “We’re not supposed to have this stuff. We’ll get hate mail.” HE TRANSIT STRIKE is the sie (from Canarsie, Jerry! Canarsie!). network!” Brooklynite, would have ensured But one customer threatened to close his brand new best thing that could ever hap- THE BROOKLYN Naturally, reporters ignored the real “This is a transit strike,” Barowitz that there was coffee and good account if Holmes booted the singers. pen to us — even if some of us story and chose to lead the gripe pa- retorted. bagels. I will talk to him about that.” The customer, Jon Crow, told The Brooklyn Papers T By Gersh can’t see it. Kuntzman rade. At the mayor’s digs — the Of- The mayor, hatless, eventually Fortunately, the mayor was told, that he had opened an account with the bank because it ANGLE “Transit chaos!” screamed the fice of Emergency Management head- emerged, and gave his first exclu- La Bagel Delight has finally opened showed good faith when it abandoned a plan for a biking or walking in the cold to a quarters under the Brooklyn Bridge, sive of the day to this bike-grease- on Front Street. drive-through window after local complaints. front page of the Post. “We’re Stuck,” added the Daily News. job you probably hate when you can where he slept on a double-wide cot stained wretch. Bloomberg walked a few more “If I hear different[ly], I’m going to close my ac- whine all day about it and be com- and an air mattress — news producers “The hospitality I’ve experienced blocks in his faded jeans and tasseled count here,” Crow warned Holmes. And these people call themselves New Yorkers? pletely justified? screamed at mayoral spokesman Jor- in Brooklyn has been extraordinary,” loafers, and then he was off, bound- After filling the bank with holiday cheer, the carol- dan Barowitz after he said the mayor Hizzoner said, although he did echo ing up the stairs of the Brooklyn ers headed towards Seventh Avenue, where they en- Let’s face it, the only time a New New Yorkers generally don’t talk countered giggles, smirks and indifference. Yorker is truly happy is when he to each other, but the transit strike ac- would not do live interviews with the most persistent culinary complaint Bridge towards the world beyond. Some pedestrians said they thought the lyric, “Rat- gets to complain about how tough it tually brought us together, as we Matt and Katie or Harry Smith. of DUMBO residents: No bagels. People travel from all over the ner hell time/Something smells time/To line pockets at is to be a New Yorker. shared cars and shared war stories.