The mud-slinging that surrounds the Atlantic Yards project returned to a classic wedge issue — race — this week, when the project’s loudest opponent made what some on both sides of the development divide interpreted as a racially insensitive remark.
Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn spokesman Daniel Goldstein described the relationship between Yards developer Bruce Ratner and some of his black allies as one of control by “wealthy white masters.” Goldstein later apologized for his wording.
The comment came during a heated email exchange between Goldstein and Daily News political gossip blogger Ben Smith in which Goldstein criticized Smith for giving black-led organizations such as BUILD and ACORN a free ride. Both groups receive funding from Ratner.
“When are you going to start outing all the bulls—t on the other side of the Atlantic Yards issue?” Goldstein asked Smith. “Or is their power too scary for you that you have to smack [Yards opponents] while … astroturf groups and their wealthy white masters [avoid] your wicked barbs?” The News’s coverage of Ratner’s project has been generally favorable; both the newspaper and its lead local columnist, Errol Louis, have strongly endorsed the project.
Goldstein’s comments were a hot topic hours later at a candidates’ forum.
“I told Dan he should apologize, and he did,” said Bill Batson, a project opponent running for Assembly, disavowing Goldstein’s comment.
But race has never been far from the surface of the Atlantic Yards debate, with some noting that Ratner has played the game early and often. In April, former Black Panther Bob Law, now a Prospect Heights merchant, charged Ratner with race-baiting for hawking his mega-project mostly via basketball.
“He has the audacity to talk about a basketball stadium, like black people would be impressed,” Law said of Ratner.
In that highly charged context, Goldstein defended himself: “Our opponents are not black people. Our opponents are the powerful interests trying to run roughshod over our neighborhoods.”
Clarification (Posted June 9, 2006)
In our print edition, this article originally implied that Goldstein had used the word “slaves” to describe the relationship between developer Bruce Ratner and his black allies. Goldstein did not use the word “slaves”; he only used the term “wealthy white masters.” The Brooklyn Papers regrets the confusion.
