Revenue, thy name is Xerox?
Hmm… maybe. The situation: about 16 months ago, some people started a non-profit called “Brooklyn United for Innovative Local Development,” or BUILD, that appears to have been created for the express purpose of promoting and/or defending Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project.
Pretty much everyone who opposes Ratner thinks that he’s somehow behind the group. The BUILD people are acutely aware of their suspicion. From buildbrooklyn.org (yes, they have a real website now):
Myth: BUILD is financially supported by Forest City Ratner.
Fact: Since its inception BUILD has been supported by its members and community based supporters. BUILD’s faith in God and strong ties to the community has sustained and perpetuates our operations and advancement of our mission…”
Well… that’s nice. But not exactly what I would call full disclosure. I asked Dan Goldstein of Develop Don’t Destroy if anyone knows just a bit more precisely how BUILD gets its funding:
“It’s only been speculated upon. I do know that they have held fundraisers where Bruce gets his buddies to come and donate.”
“Nobody has proven that Ratner directly funds them. I think it hurts our cause to accuse them of that.”
“I also do know that Develop Don’t Destroy has raised all of its money from the community to this date, and we can’t afford an office on Vanderbilt.”
That’s about as far as we’ve got. We’ll post an update if we get any news from BUILD.
here’s an article that has some info into BUILD’s point of view:
http://www.thebrooklynrail.org/local/nov04/ratner.html
probably not ratner-funded, but perhaps a little misguided:
“James Caldwell, President of BUILD, explains that ‘In the past, when projects came to the community, we didn’t have an opportunity to participate.’ It is with this hope in mind that BUILD has endorsed this project ‘from day one.'”
so because they felt left out of other projects in the past they want to be on the record as being for this one from the get-go. that’s like voting for Bush just because hey, he’s probably gonna win anyway, right?
Kudos to Daniel Goldstein for speaking the key words: “Nobody has proven that Ratner directly funds them [BUILD].”
Goldstein’s comments about BUILD being able to afford an office on Vanderbilt Avenue can be interpreted in several ways. One is the popular implication that Ratner funds BUILD (no proof of this). Another is that BUILD has been more successful in its fundraising efforts (no proof of this, either). While BUILD’s answer to the Ratner-funding myth may not come across as a full disclosure, neither does Daniel Goldstein’s statement about funds raised for DDDB. Both BUILD and DDDB make general comments about support, donations, and money raised from “the community”, but none provide more detailed financial information. Perhaps if each made their financial statements available on their respective web sites, we could all make a more informed decision about who supports them.
Ratner’s “buddies” donating money to BUILD’s efforts should come as no surprise. I’m sure that Daniel Goldstein and Patti Hagan have also convinced some of their “buddies” to donate to DDDB and Prospect Heights Action Coalition. Each side is soliciting money for organizations acting in their best interests.
Chris G. might be on to something with his Bush analogy. I’ve found that opponents of the Atlantic Yards project have behaved exactly as Democrats did when Bush won last year’s election. First came disbelief (How could they want a stadium and high-rise buildings?), then came comments that people were either tricked or simply too stupid to know better (“They can’t see through Ratner’s PR machine”), then came rage (“They’re going to be sorry when the streets are clogged with traffic and people are pissing and puking on the streets”). And the quote selected from BUILD’s web site for this Daily Heights post provides a good analogy of how Democrats presented the average Bush voter as a religious nut. The latter half of the quote in the above post was deleted so that BUILD’s members appear to be running their organization mainly on God’s love. In reality, the deleted part of the post states that members have donated time, computers, supplies, and space (perhaps the last item explains how they can afford their office on Vanderbilt Avenue?).
Also, I’d like to point out two interesting quotes:
“Its purpose: to advance the struggles of oppressed people for justice and self-determination. For over 36 years, IFCO has assisted the poor and disenfranchised in developing and sustaining community organizations to fight human and civil rights injustices.”
“Mr. Goldstein moved here with his fiancée in May 2003. He declined to say what he paid for the apartment, but according to Hal Lehrman, a principal broker with Brooklyn Properties, which sold 70 percent of the units, a similar unit cost just under $600,000. (Prices for the building, he said, ranged from $305,000 for a one-bedroom to $975,000 for a three-bedroom penthouse.)”
The former comprises is from the web site of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, the organization that took on DDDB as a project. The latter is a quote from the February 27, 2005 online edition of the Gotham Gazette. Color me ignorant, but how is defending an expensive luxury condo comparable to “advancing the struggles of the oppressed” and “assisting the poor and disenfranchised”?
Correction: the second quote was NOT from the Gotham Gazette, but from Penelope Green’s NYT article from the same date. Sorry 🙂
Just to be clear: you’re accusing me of manipulating a quote in order to cast BUILD as “religious nuts”?
I think Jack Krohn has a good point…it would be nice if both Build and Develop Don’t Destroy gave more details on their contributors. My senses is that both organizations are mostly receiving money from individuals and maybe local businesses.
DDDB is a 501c3, our records are public. we have nothing to hide. all monies raised have been from individuals in the community through direct solicitation and fundraisers. any future monies raised can be found out as our accounting is public, because we are a 501cs. As for Mr. Krohn’s comments about the value of my home. Mr. Krohn, thats nonsesne. DDDB doesn’t exist to save my home. DDDB exists to fight for democracy, self-determintion of communities, and the right for communities and public officials to have a voice in a development process that proposes to use 2 billion in public monies. Low income to high income people live near, in and around the Ratner footprint. IFCO wouldn’t have sponsored us if we were about saving luxury condos or protecting peoples property values. That IS NOT WHAT we are fighting for and its definitley not what i spend full time volunteering for. Once and for all, look at DDDB’s position statement:
http://www.dddb.net/position.php
and stop pretending to know what DDDB is about. Its clear and concise in that statement and has nothing to do with saving luxury condos.
get it straight. my point about BUILD is that I have no idea how they are funding themselves. and frankly i don’t care. what i do know is that they support Ratner and he’d be wise to help, help, fund them. that is his right and their right.
another thing, Mr. Krohn, If you are fine with a group being partially funded by Ratner, if that is the case (and you freely admit that is probably is), while simulataneously “negotiating” a “CBA” on behalf of the “community”, well so be it. Personally I, and many others, think that is a hugely significant problem.
Thanks for the response, Mr. Goldstein. Even though we may be on opposite sides of the fence, I certainly respect your determination and willingness to stand up for your beliefs.
DailyHeights, if I came across as accusing you of deliberately trying to create a false impression, I apologize. I only intended to discuss my first imprression of your post. I hope that I didn’t offend you.
Mr. Krohn. Thanks for the respect. But I’d prefer you read our position and stop saying that we’re about protecting luxury condos when that really has nothing to do with what we area about.
I have read the DDDB mission statement, but I also believe that, in the end, people always act out of self-interest. I suppose that’s a difference between us.
I tried to find your financial info on your web site and on guidestar.com, to not avail (ditto for BUILD). I tried IFCO on guidestar, but found nothing. Is your accounting info available on your web site? I couldn’t find anything on BUILD’s site, either.