Friday, February 8, 2008

Willets Point protests

Willets Point workers and owners rally against redevelopment plans
By John Lauinger
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

More than 50 workers and business owners from the Willets Point "Iron Triangle" protested outside the city Economic Development Corp.'s Manhattan headquarters Thursday.

Their message: Don't destroy 1,500 jobs and a viable economic zone just to make way for 5,500 pricey condos and commercial space.

Workers slammed the city for neglecting the Iron Triangle for decades - and now using the gritty industrial area's shabby condition as a justification for redevelopment.

"After so much neglect, the city is saying Willets Point is blighted and can only be cleaned up by kicking out industry," said worker Michael Batista. "Our community isn't a waste of space; it's an economic engine."

EDC intends to certify the Willets Point redevelopment plan - triggering the start of public review - by Feb. 25, an agency spokeswoman said Thursday.


Photo from Daily News

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe these are the kind of tactics
that the establishment
Queens "preservation community"
should be engaging in instead of occupying
backwater office space warming a bench.

Take the battle for our meager landmarks
directly to the LPC right on their doorstep,
in front of the Municipal Building !

Anonymous said...

And what did Shulman have to say....m-o-o-o-o ?

When is that Bovine bitch going to retire ?

Anonymous said...

Maybe these are the kind of tactics
that the establishment
Queens "preservation community"
should be engaging

---------

While the city wide preservation leadership meets with our political leadership and, with a nod and wink, cuts a deal?

Win win on both sides. Manhattan gets to keep the preservation resources while the local pols unleases the Cossacks on their own community grinding all those upstarts back into the mud where they belong.

Every try to organize as every politician, newspaper, and politician inspired civic undercuts everything you do?

Beg the citywide preservation community to help and read in the newspapers that the developers said the met with them and got the green light?

Naw, its better to engage in internacine warfare to clean the ranks and practice tactics.