Points of View, Literally: Save Greenpoint and Reasonable Development

On Wednesday’s crisp afternoon, a crowd that estimated itself at somewhere between 65 and 100 gathered to renew the call to action to prevent two (literally) looming developments from progressing without further input from the community.  Organized by city council hopeful Stephen Pierson and neighborhood organization Save Greenpoint, the gathering was intended to raise awareness and support for a campaign of legal and community actions intended to prevent or at least stall the currently planned waterfront developments from manifesting in their presently intended forms.

The rally had two main parts: first, a legal action intended to challenge the legitimacy of an eight-year-old environmental impact statement that claims that the intended development would have no adverse impacts on the area was introduced.  This was followed by an invitation for those gathered to share stories about the neighborhood, an exercise that made human and visceral the stakes at play: a beautiful waterfront view enjoyed by families who finally found themselves in the housing they had worked for years to arrive at, a rational and sane commute, a last refuge for artists hounded from one neighborhood to the next in search of real neighbors and affordable rent.  Kids held signs and shared their stories; dogs barked in solidarity.

Those whose schedules precluded attending shouldn’t worry – this was the first of many.  Sign up for the mailing list at savegreenpoint.org and keep your eyes on this and other community pages for future events.