Stephen Witt, writing in the January 10, 2005 edition of the Park Slope Courier, reported on an "incendiary letter" charging that "Forest City Ratner is the hidden force behind grassroots suppport" for the Atlantic Yards project. According to Witt, the letter alleges that Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) "orchestrated and engineered" a protest outside the office of City Council member Letitia James.
Witt writes of the "quickly scrapped" note: "The note, bearing the letterhead of City Council member Albert Vann, asks for ‘black elected officials’ to express outrage …"
BUILD President James Caldwell is quoted in the article: "I as a black man can think on my own … We’re an independent organization and all we want is betterment for all the people in our community." ACORN Executive Director Bertha Lewis: "Out of respect for Mr. Vann, I refuse comment…" Forest City Ratner Companies spokesperson Joe DePlasco: "Ridiculous."
Would be nice if the whole article was online, but it doesn’t appear to be. Can anybody find it?
Whether or not FCRC “orchestrated” the protest in front of Councilwoman James’s office is hard to prove. However, this same pro-Ratner coalition (minus ACORN) has also filed a friend of the support brief in the case of Kelo v. New London, the eminent domain case to be heard by the US Supreme Court on Feb 22. The theory is that ACORN is a national organization and wouldn’t be caught dead supporting eminent domain abuse, which inordinately affects their supporters. The fact that this unlikely band of allies continues to march in lockstep suggests some coordination beyond the grassroots.