(There is a
protest planned against the Museum's celebration of Bruce Ratner. Click
for more information.)
An open letter regarding the "inappropriateness of the Brooklyn Museum's
'Honoring' Bruce Ratner" was sent to the Brooklyn Museum's Board.
It was sent to DDDB as well, and we've published it over
here. You can join others and endorse it.
One endorser, Mr. Richard White of Park Slope, asked us to publish his
letter to the Museum. It follows below:
Apr 1, 2008
Brooklyn Museum of Art
Attn: Leslie Brauman - Development
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY, 11238
Re: April 3rd Gala and Bruce Ratner
Dear Ms Brauman:
I'm writing to you to voice my extreme concern about your gala on the
3rd. As long-time residents and small business owners in Park Slope, we
regard the Museum as a touchstone of culture in our neighborhood, and
we know that, at times, you have had to struggle. We appreciate your efforts
and have tried to support them. However, while we recognise your need
to raise funds, we object to a public celebration of Mr Ratner, whose
name is so closely linked with the Atlantic Yards Project.
While the Museum has said publicly that the Gala is a separate issue from
Atlantic Yards, the statements have not been strongly worded enough, nor
widely publicized. Thus, the gala will be seen by many as indicating that
the Museum supports, or at least does not condemn, Atlantic Yards, a project
that has enlisted powerful support to ride roughshod not only over required
approval processes, but over every attempt from the community to provide
reasoned input. Further, without knowing the details of Mr Ratner's support,
it is possible that, over time, the Atlantic Yards' negative impact on
the tax-levy funds available for non-profit support will more than outweigh
Mr Ratner's direct contributions to BMA.
If thanks were needed, we wish that a less public and less ambiguous forum
had been chosen. Your celebrating Mr Ratner at a gala implies support
for someone who, in recent times, arguably has attempted to do more than
any other single person, to destroy the face of the Brooklyn we know,
purely for private profit. Further, you run a risk of alienating people
like us, who value this neighborhood. I don't know whether such a contingency
has been part of your planning for this event.
Yours sincerely,
Richard E.C. White (for CIRCLE APTS LLC)
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