Parks Platform 2013 - White Paper
Note #7:
"Parkland alienation should not occur unless no other land is available to serve an essential public need."
Of course! That's why this partner of the NYC Parks Dept and self-proclaimed "park advocacy" group, New Yorkers for Parks, not only gave their blessing to parkland alienation for a non-essential private need: a walkway at the USTA National Tennis Center, but they also brokered the deal that allows the USTA to dictate where their paltry annual donations to the park will be spent, and also will be looking the other way while cars are parked on grassy parkland that the USTA doesn't lease during their annual tournament, which amounts to a secondary alienation.
And #8:
"State and local laws regulating parkland alienation should be strengthened to require earlier and broader notification of alienation actions, and to mandate acre-for-acre replacement of lost parkland."
Another no brainer! Which is why Holly Leicht, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks, squealed with delight to the newspapers when the USTA pulled some phony baloney and "swapped" tennis courts it was leasing for land that it wants (and will still get to use the land it "gave up").
It's so easy to see through this group's hypocritical bullshit, yet the media takes them seriously. Well their free ride ends here.
These people are not park advocates and do not speak for us. They are nothing more than shills for the City of New York.
5 comments:
This might be hard to swallow.
I just viewed a documentary film, which revealed Robert Moses' intentions, regarding the "valley of the ashes" ...AKA, the FMCP site.
Moses envisioned a great showcase park for Queens being built here, after the 1939 Words Fair was over.
Unfortunately the fair went bust in 1940, so there was only a shadow of a park left over when it was finally torn down.
Another try with the 1964 Worlds Fair.
Since then, it's been abused by concessionaires, developers and the avaricious USTA.
It's time to rebuild upon that original dream, and not let privateers loot our public parkland.
You see this everywhere when well funded 'community groups' suddenly spring up.
Test case: Riders Alliance.
Their website states they are a "membership organization of subway and bus riders in New York, dedicated to winning better transit by organizing transit riders into a powerful political constituency."
Like the NY for Parks and the Waterfront Alliance, they style themselves a 'grass roots movement.' Events are aimed at young people and frequently use the word 'fun' in descriptions of events.
Got my suspicions when they showed up concerned about transportation issues (or should we say lack there of) in areas along the G Line and bus service along the Astoria waterfront.
hmm..... areas targeted for development.
No discussion about those long suffering commuters in double fare zones, no comment about the biggest problem in public transportation - shoehorning too many people into a system not designed to handle them.
Now when I looked up their board (which is the first thing you must always do when one of these outfits show up, I found that they are sponsored by the "Fund for the City of New York."
The Fund's chair? Vaughn C. Williams (Chair), Of Counsel, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager & Flom.
Skadden, Arps et al, an international law firm, is perhaps best known politically in the United States for its lobbying arm, and as a clearinghouse for donors to the Democratic Party. Lobbyists working for Skadden, Arps represent some of the largest political players outside of elected office, including the U.S. (opensecrets.org)
The Democratic dictatorship of Queens has their fingers in every pie in the borough, in one form or another.
And they never wash their dirty hands.
At least little Jack Horner did.
Well what do you know - the Riders Alliance made the front of the Gazette with Mr Mike.
The last time we saw him was plugging for a stop sign.
Just what does the state senate do again?
So true and sad, NYers for PArks and Metropolitan Waterfront Allaince are two phony grassroots groups par excellence, with both directors making six figure salries to shill for the developers. Neither Exec Dir had any experince in their supposed area when hiored either! developers and fundraisiers and ass kissers
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