FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DDDB Rally Draws 3,000 Community Members

Opposition to Ratner Plan Grows,

40 Groups Join Community Coalition

Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn's campaign to stop the Ratner arena and development plan gained a surge of new momentum as more than 3,000 people rallied to protest Bruce Ratner's divisive and destructive proposal on Saturday, June 19^th.

Among the groups supporting the DDDB rally were:

• Sierra Club
• Brooklyn Green Party
• Fort Greene Association
• 5^th Avenue Committee
• Pratt Area Community Council
• 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care
• New York Taxpayer's Union
• Fans for Fair Play
• Castle Coalition/ Institute for Justice

Also at the Rally, DDDB announced a new action agenda to mobilize the community, advocacy organizations and elected officials to stop Ratner's secret, taxpayer-subsidized sweetheart deal. Among the upcoming actions are:

* Educate the community about what Bruce Ratner's not telling them, and spread the word about alternative plans that are good for all of us, not just Ratner and his friends

* Release an independent economic analysis that will puncture the myths that Bruce Ratner is spreading about jobs, housing and economic benefit to the community

* Document the environmental degradation and traffic nightmare this project would bring

* Mount a full court press in Albany, to block approval and funding of this boondoggle

U.S. Congressman Major Owens, who has sponsored a plan that places a Nets arena in the Brooklyn Navy Yard said, "This is legal corruption, in spite of the fact that the Governor and the Mayor have signed off on it. City Councilmember Letitia James stated, "It's all about money and corporate greed."

Among the day's other lively events were the filming of a music video of MC Enemy's rap "Brooklyn Sold," and a performance by satirist Reverend Billy, who told the crowd, "I don't believe they're scoring, Children. I believe they're losing the game!"

DEVELOP DON'T DESTROY BROOKLYN is a broad-based community coalition fighting for development that will unite our communities instead of dividing and destroying them.

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