Skip to main content

Featured Post

Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park infographics: what's built/what's coming/what's missing, who's responsible, + project FAQ/timeline (pinned post)

An odd Times blog post about plans to screen Battle for Brooklyn: arena is reality, battle lost, but filmmaker "argues" the story remains relevant

The New York Times's City Room, noticing just one aspect of the counter-programming planned in response to the Barclays Center opening, yesterday published a short article about plans to screen Battle for Brooklyn.

In On New Arena’s Big Night, a Rebuttal Down the Street, the Times reported:
Though the arena is now a reality, and the battle the movie tracked has long been lost, [filmmaker] Mr. [Michael] Galinksy argues that his documentary remains relevant.

“There’s a real tendency to want to forget,” he said of the contentious process. “But that’s how these things repeat themselves.”

A spokesman for the Barclays Center declined to comment.
My comment, as posted:
Yes, the battle tracked in the movie has been lost, but declarations of victory are rather premature. Forest City Ratner promised "Jobs, Housing, and Hoops."

The result so far: hoops (and concerts).

In other words, the benefits used to sell the project--and the significant government help, subsidies, and tax breaks--haven't been delivered.
Beyond that, does one have to argue that a documentary about recent history remains relevant?

Comments