From The New York Shitty Inbox: F*ck Them

As some of you might recall I made a last minute announcement about a meeting regarding the future of Box Street Park. More specifically, there are some folks in our community who want to see this piece of public park space as a hang out and “chill” kind of place (“passive space”) as opposed to an athletic field. The latter is what has been proposed by the Parks Department.

Quite frankly, I had been— albeit slightly— leaning in favor of “passive space”. After being notified by a tipster that this park/athletic field will sport (as Marty Maher,  Brooklyn Parks Chief of Staff, as seen at left) stated that Chemgrass “may” be used I raised an eyebrow— and changed my mind. My tipster went on to opine that it sounded like something from the 1960’s. That is because, gentle readers, it IS from the 1960’s.

And our planet’s eco-terrorists good neighbors Monsanto, holds the patent for it.

Given the amount of environmental abuse this community has experienced— and continues to experience— presently, can we:

1. Get a park with real grass in it?
2. And not fill the coffers of a corporation that has no respect for the environment— or people— for that matter?

Then again:

Given the park space in question is the former MTA/Access-A-Ride depot at 65 Commercial Street…

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and contrary to prevailing real estate trends, was sold by our fair city to Clipper Equities…

(the developers behind 77 Commercial Street and its proposed “poor door”) at $8,000,000 (versus the original asking price of $12,000,000 back in 2008).

Should I really be surprised? Outraged (once again), yes! Surprised? No, not in the very least I am sad to say.

I mean, after all, what Greenpoint really needs is affordable housing at 175% AMI. Or at least Clipper Equities does— that way they can pass along the “charitable act” (more specifically its cost) of building this park (which, in return, they get to build a 40 story tower) onto their tenants— all of them.

Let them— or would that be us— eat cake, Astroturf, CHEMGRASS!