FCR goes Caribbean, supporting parade, exhibit (& more)

Today is the annual West Indian Day Parade, the largest public event in Brooklyn, and Forest City Ratner saluted the parade on Wednesday in an advertisement (right) in the New York Daily News, connecting the company, the parade, and the Nets' planned move.

Also, as No Land Grab pointed out, the developer is sponsoring Infinite Island, a Brooklyn Museum exhibition (Aug. 31–Jan. 27, 2008), recent works from artists, in the Caribbean and abroad, "that reflect the region's dynamic mix of cultures, its diasporas, and its socio-political realities."

A mix of corporate citizenship and the Atlantic Yards permanent campaign, such support comes a lot easier for Forest City Ratner when Atlantic Yards gets an extra $105 million from the city and a special tax break worth up to $200 million.

More outreach

Forest City Ratner sponsored a basketball clinic Aug. 27-31 in Downtown Brooklyn featuring Nets player Josh Boone. Promotional pictures were circulated.

Such p.r. wasn't designated for the major newspapers but for small papers like the black-oriented Daily Challenge, which gave the clinic prominent coverage (right).

Also, the developer is sponsoring Tribute: A Concert Honoring the Teachers of America, a concert that will air on Channel 13 on October 4. The concert will be recorded September 6 at Town Hall in New York. The Thirteen/WNET production is in association with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and supported by several donors, including FCR.

UFT President Randi Weingarten has supported Atlantic Yards, so maybe this is part of an ongoing relationship.