BEE and the Nets: a metaphorical Atlantic Yards moment in Fort Greene Park, at the National Night Out Against Crime event

On Tuesday, August 2, I visited Fort Greene Park for the National Night Out Against Crime event sponsored by the 88th Precinct and the precinct's Community and Youth Council.

I wandered by the table occupied by a representative of Brooklyn Endeavor Experience (BEE), the Community Benefits Agreement signatory whose leader, Delia Hunley-Adossa (also president of the Council), has distinguished herself by leading Forest City Ratner rallies.

What BEE gave out

What exactly does BEE do? You couldn't tell at the table. There were raffle tickets and gift bags, information about a law internship for teens at a community court in Brownsville, bags of potato chips, and handouts for a BEE-branded credit card that shares fees to support the organization.

I picked up the paper handouts, took a look, and, as I was about to leave the table, was offered a parting gift by the cordial volunteer: a Brooklyn Nets keychain (also on sale on Ebay for $5, as shown below).

The message seemed to be: BEE is connected to the Nets. Which it is, in a sense, as the organization has almost exclusively received financial support from Forest City Ratner.

BEE was a sponsor of the event, as was Forest City Ratner (and Target and a few others), as indicated above.

What BEE hasn't done

BEE, which acquired the broadly meaningless name after first being known as the (limited to one building) First Atlantic Terminal Housing Committee, has never (publicly, at least) fulfilled its CBA obligations.

It was supposed to form a working group for "community input" regarding environmental issues on the project.

I've previous described BEE's role as a the Potemkin responsibility, because the CBA says, regarding environmental mitigation, that "the Developer shall be in compliance with this Agreement by following the state mandated process."

However, there is that pesky issue of community input. Perhaps BEE could take a look at Atlantic Yards Watch.

Meanwhile, BEE's web site, as shown below, still leads off with a May 2010 clip of President Barack Obama, on energy policy. The latest Atlantic Yards Update on the web site covers the weeks June 21, 2010 through July 4, 2010.