Once in a while you come across the unexpected, even in politics. In
the youtube video the performer is Chris Owens, Candidate for Congress from Brooklyn in 2006. Owens was the son of the retiring incumbent, Major Owens. In this performance, he not only plays the recorder, but he takes on an important urban issue: the use of eminent domain to take private property to allow the completion of a private development project. The actual situation involves the Atlantic Yards Project, a "redevelopment" effort in Brooklyn where public monies are behind a $4 Billion big time developer (Forest City Ratner) owned, Michael Bloomberg aided, Frank Gehry designed effort to create the most dense housing in the country and make everybody rich, except for the tax payers and original land owners who are getting screwed by all.
You might read a political message here. You might wish we had candidates in California who could pull off something like this. Then, you could just enjoy.
Title from Dylan Thomas.
1 comment:
Yes, there was a big fight over that development in Brooklyn. As usual, the Establishment was totally ruthless -- including insinuating that opponents of the project were "racists" for standing in the way of a project that would bring jobs for "our people."
It didn't get much mainstream media play, but there was a little buzz on the Internet. I think Steve Guilliard blogged on it a couple of times.
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