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Page 8, May 24,1973, PHOENIXIt Was LikeIt Could BeThe crowd that turned out in the rain on Sunday to help the Brooklyn Bridge celebrate its 90th birthday bears eloquent testimony to the viability of the revitalization of the Fulton Ferry area for public use.The weather put only a small damper on the enthusiasm of the crowds who gathered at the historic ferry site and trooped across the Brooklyn Bridge with the Mayor to commemorate the Bridge's birthday.Elsewhere in this issue we detail our impressions of the day's events, but here we want to renew our pledge to continue during the months ahead to pursue the quest for an opening up of the Brooklyn waterfront here to public access and public use, and we hope that others will join us in urging this re-acquaintance with our waterfront.it s an oacK to normal again at tne Toot or uaaman Plaza West (Fulton Street) after the weekend Brooklyn Bridge Birthday party. This spectacular view, which is most often enjoyed by longshoremen and truckers, is in their hands again after the brief exposure to the public for the festivities. It seems to us that something should happen to open up full-time public access to the waterfront here, on the site of the old Fulton Ferry. If you agree, we would like to hear from you. Write: PHOENIX, 132 Clinton St., Brooklyn 11201.Another CynicalDeal Costs N.Y.C.The cynical decision by the Republican in New York State to postpone consideration of a new City Charter for New York City until 1975 to avoid the 1974 elections is just one more example of the back-of-the-hand treatment applied to New York City by the GOP.In his grand pian for the future of Neison Rockefeller, the Governor seems to have discarded the most elementary efforts to apply some rhetorical drapery to his proposal to postpone consideration of the new charter until after the 1974 statewide races.It is unfortunate that Commission Chairman, Senator Roy Goodman, has chosen to cave in to this political foot-work, and meekly follow along with the Governor%u2019s wishes. It is even more unfortunate that Assemblyman Al Blumenthal, also a member, has been too occupied with campaigning for Mayor, to jump on this issue.If we can create a Charter that does, realistically, provide a mechanism for the decentralization of city services and power so that efficiency is tempered with local input, it would be a tragedy to delay its ratification to an off-year when its examination and vote would stand alone on the ballot. The time to consider and discuss the proposal is precisely the time when elected officials stand before the voters.We urge that the cynical attempt to derail the revision of the City Charter be stopped and call on our local legislators to speak out and fight this move.Corrine ColemanDo you hove something to soy?. W # w t l c o m s y o u r c o n trib u tio n s to%u00abH@ PHOENIX Csssssunify Forum fag%u00aeProlor 5 0 0 -7 5 0 w ord longth.Sond Your M aterial to: E d ito r,.PHOENIX, 132 Clinton St., Brooklynm J fPUBLISHED EVERY WEEK BYADVOCATE PRESS, INC.,R c h a r t H u r lr a I n n o c P r o t i f f o n lM ichael A. Armstrong, Publisher132 CLINTON ST.,BROOKLYN 11201TEL 64 3 -1 0 3 ?Feelings %JIn early women%u2019s movement talk, when parallels between racism and sexism were beginning to be delineated, the sexist specialty of woman%u2019s intimacy with her oppressor was noted as an exception. While the black movement could counsel distdain of whites-and members could then state more strongly the righteousness of separation-which existed to begin with, women, save for a small group, were not able to sever a lifelong connection.Yes, specific relationships were broken, friendships, affairs, marriages; but the desirability of a totally female society was not pushed, nor much contemplated. So while the blacks in the midst of their movement were not often turning aside to see whether whites were catching on %u2014 whether whites were relating to black changes, and thus changing themselves from oppressors to comrades %u2014 women have never stopped looking over their shoulders to determine where the men were at.Men, who have indeed been exposed to the women%u2019s movement-personally in relation to the changes of the movement women they know well, or less personally-through the speeches, the literature or the media distortions-seem to be holding fastconfident of the basic continuation of the old connection.Men came to the Gloria SteinemMargaret Sloane evening at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last week-but it seemed that most of the male audience came not to listen, but with some fantasy of making out. Judging from the turned off look on most of the men classifiable as affluent whites (the category described by the two speakers that night, as the most threatened sexist group) they seemed to be at best appeasing %u201ctheir%u201d women, going along for the ride-or for the wine and cheese reception after the discussion.However, unbeknownst to even the most cynical of on-lookers, many of those men had something else in mind, something that fenabled them to close off the contents of the talk with the knowledge that the real stuff was homing later, and the real stuff it seemed, was to be the beginning ofOnstage, after the talk and thequestions were over, they almost to a man encircled Steinem, relatingto her stellar image rather than tothe opposite vision she expressedthat evening, they questioned,cajoled, flirted; kept the womenback, away, and each one, doctor,lawyer, advertising chief, seemedto hold on to his fantasy-his truth-toknock out the other guys and windup with the star.No dice of course, Steinem whoquite possibly uses her made upimage for its reverse shock value,,refusing the offers of assistanceput on her own coat and dashedaway, leaving the charmed circlewithout a center.City's Tattle-tale GrayMay Be Reduced ByTransportation Planpersonal rifVv F%u2019 l o rOur city%u2019s tattle-tale gray may soon lose some of its dingy appearance and even worse smell. How? Via the exciting and innovative transportation plan drawn up by the Office of Implementation and Planning at 75 Frost St. in Williamsburg and headed by Brian Ketchum.The plan gives New Yorkers hope for the future. Just imagine %u2014 clean air, streets no longer choked by congestion or an occasional mall to walk and browse in. In short a city for people, not machines.The first strategy of the plan and the one affecting most people is the retrofitting of private Vehicles. Car owners would be required to purchase and install a device called a catalytic converter which dramatically reduces the three major pollutants. The initial cost of the converter is $175.00. Tack on to that an annual upkeep of $40.00 and you may hear grumbling about the cost of clean air.Another hot item in the plan calls for tolls on all East River bridges. Sounds like a 100 per cent bad idea? Look at it more closelv. First, much traffic travels these bridges just because they are free. A more regulated traffic pattern would probably develop if the cost of entering the city was equal no matter what the route. Tolling the bridges would balance what is now an unbalanced situation.If the bridge tolls (estimated at $125 m illio n a v p a rl w p tpSteinem.. , m-m m -w V * %u25a0 * 'designated for up-grading and at 622-5026.expanding mass transit, the majority of residents would be served. Only one-fifth of the city%u2019s population own cars; four-fifths use, and suffer with, our current inadequate public system. We could rely solely on mass transit if the system were human, inexpensive, and efficient. As long as it is cheaper to drive to the city than ride a bus or subway, the air will be foul, the streets will not be ours, and we will be ruled by endless ribbons of concrete, parking lots and skinny unaccommodating sidewalks. If tolls on our bridges can help %u2014 perhaps we should consider it.Another approach to the transportation problem would be to expand bus lanes and express bus service. Express buses are very popular in Queens and parts of Brooklyn. The Implementation plan calls for immediate institution of express service on Eastern and Ocean Parkways during peak rush hours.Other strategies in the Implementation Plan guaranteed to raise heated debate are 1) free subways; 2) elimination of PortA , . 4-U-----: 4... JU_________4-%u201e _______n u u iv /in j uiov-uumo, u/i tu iu -muters; 3) selling the public on the benefits of mass transit and making the existing system more attractive.A copy of the Implementation Plan is available from the State Department of Conservation, 1700 Broadway, Manhattan. Speakers are also available for groupW\\ 1 *1 /-Tr- (H T/r,4-L..vyv/iicctct i v a i u j lit Cl m a i l