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ACORN CEO Flames Atlantic Yards' New Millionaire Gadfly
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 22, 2010
Modified Apr 22, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 22, 2010
Modified Apr 22, 2010
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During much of the battle over the Atlantic Yards development, opponents of the project portrayed ACORN, the embattled community organizing group, as sell-outs, because the organization partnered with developer Bruce Ratner after he pledged more than 2,000 units of below-market-rate housing for the project. Some critics, like Daniel Goldstein, the former spokesperson of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, saw this as betrayal, and questioned the ethics of a low-interest $1.5 million loan later given to the group from Forest City Ratner. Fast forward to yesterday: After Goldstein accepted $3 million in exchange for moving out of the Atlantic Yards footprint, ACORN's CEO Bertha Lewis sent out a rather nasty email to reporters, slamming Goldstein hard:
Finally, the itch that was Daniel Goldstein has been scratched and scratched out. After almost seven years of flawed strategies, smear campaigns, stupid tactics, disingenuous rhetoric and total disregard for people who have lived in the downtown Brooklyn community for years before he even thought about coming here; finally he got what he really wanted. A Deal. Not for the community he claimed to love so much, but for the only beneficiary of his community of one, himself, Double Dealing Danny Goldstein.
How utterly despicable for him to be in the newspaper today whining that he did not have enough time to move, and had nowhere to go because he was being stiffed by the State and Forest City Ratner, when low and behold, all the time, he was negotiating, not for the community, but for himself. Well good riddance and don’t let the door hit ya’.
The email continues below, but before we proceed, here's Goldstein's response to the Observer: "I can't waste my breath on this vile, hateful nonsense. All I will say is that Atlantic Yards has served and will serve to harm most those Bertha claims to represent. And it is really a shame that supposed housing advocate does not care one bit about the abuse of eminent domain."
ACORN has all but dissolved in the wake of the hidden camera "pimp" scandal, which was followed by Congress cutting off funding for the organization. In New York, the group has reformed as New York Communities for Change. Lewis is not involved, and she told the AP on Tuesday that ACORN was "on life support." Last month a federal judge in Brooklyn ruled that it was unconstitutional for Congress to cut funds for ACORN without conducting a formal investigation, but earlier this week a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the ruling. With little money coming in, Lewis probably has more time to send nasty e-mails about enemies to reporters. Her latest screed against Goldstein continues:
Low and moderate income people have had to wait years for housing while he obstructed the Atlantic Yards Project that could have been well over half done by now. He never had to worry about housing so he did’nt care how long other people had to wait. Behold, the Gentrifier. He has slandered and denigrated not only me but my organization and my members relentlessly. What benefit has he delivered to the community? None except for his own pocket.
Well, the housing at Atlantic Yards will be built, and the day after he moves out, which I hope will be sooner rather than later, the building that he squatted in these past years should be razed to ground immediately, and salt poured into the soil, so that never again can the likes of one of the biggest shakedown artists in Brooklyn return. We will still be here, we will still be fighting for the all the people that Danny spurned and used for his own enrichment.
We hope that now everyone in Brooklyn and New York can see him for what he really is and can see what his actions cost Brooklyn. I hope whatever he settled for was worth the pain and misery he caused to so many people who just wanted a decent place to live in Brooklyn and who just wanted a decent job and a place for their family. Now that the flim flam man is gone, they can finally see it on the horizon.
Harsh words, but last month Lewis called the Tea Party movement a "bowel movement," so maybe Goldstein got off easy.
Tagged
acorn
Atlantic Yards
bertha lewis
Daniel Goldstein
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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