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Caldwell, former head of BUILD, charges retribution by de Blasio, has hot dog stand outside FCR mall

Former Courier-Life and Our Time Press reporter Stephen Witt, who now writes the Kings County Politics blog, on 7/7/15 wrote Hot Dog Vendor Alleges De Blasio Using City Services To Even Score:
A well-connected hot dog-cart vendor received about $,5,000 in health inspection tickets, today, after calling a special ‘Little Peoples” Town Hall to confront the de Blasio Administration for not involving local clergy and community leaders about issues in the community.
...James Caldwell, president of the 77th Police Precinct Community Council in Crown Heights for the past 17 years, alleged the tickets were in retribution for the meeting.
...Caldwell, 64, and an army veteran, is the former president of the now defunct Brooklyn United for Innovative Development (BUILD), which was formed as a local support group in favor of and financially supported by Forest City Ratner, the developer of the Atlantic Yards project including the Barclays Center.
Recently, FCR let Caldwell set up a hot dog cart on the plaza of their Atlantic Terminal Mall across the street from the Barclays Center.
Note that Forest City is also paying to defend Caldwell in a lawsuit filed by former BUILD trainees who claimed he, BUILD, and also Forest City executives promised them construction jobs and union cards. After BUILD closed, Caldwell was retained by Forest City as a "consultant."

Note in the photo below, from Kings County Politics, the cart says "This Cart is Owned & Operated by U.S. Army Veteran," an identity Caldwell has often invoked. And the slogan "Faith & Prayer Works" was consistently used by BUILD, part of its letterhead.


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