Page 504 - Demo

Page 8, PHOENIX, Jane 20, 1974 l E d ito ria lsSaga of theAnd the NewThe lone voice in opposition to the Atlantic Avenue special zoning district designation was the most dramatic example we have seen in recent months of the difference in viewpoint between the old and the new on this %u201c main street%u201d in our local area.Speaking out against all those useless, old, ramshackle buildings he saw, and in favor of a modern, new Burger King fast-food franchise at the corner of Atlantic and Third Avenues, the speaker typifies those many in official and unofficial positions who refuse to recognize the dynamic change that is taking place along the Avenue, from Flatbush to the Expressway.His view speaks for the same course that brought us the Atlantic Terminal Urban Renewal Area, whose saga is being covered during these weeks in The PHOENIX news columns. The PHOENIX itself excepted, new is not necessarily best, and the mania to tear down simply in order to rebuild has been discredited in most quarters. We hope to see a favorable decision from the Planning Commission to make the Atlantic Avenue Special Zoning District a reality. We need it to makecertain old does become best.We SupportLocal InputThe meeting this week of concerned community leaders seeking to chart a course to convince City Hall of their determination to have input into the concept of neighborhood government now being formulated by Mayor Beame is strong evidence indeed of the effectiveness of the old Urban Action Task Force operations in South Brooklyn.Hopefully, it will also be evidence of the determination of Slope and South Brooklyn residents to have a voice in what the Mayor is now formulating. The last-minute decision to cancel a public meeting where citizens could express their views was a serious slap at the right of self-expression and an ill-advised avoidance of input that at least suggests the possibility of a bad decision ahead. However, we are pleased to see the formation of the local Coalition for Neighborhood Government, and we pledge our support and voice in their efforts. Speaking up and out%u2014 loudly%u2014 is the best way to warn City Hall of the consequences of hostile decision-making.A Public JournalThe PHOENIX is a public journal whose pages are open to its readers. We welcome and invite reactions and comment about both our views and our coverage. We are also interested in hearing about the views of our readers on subjects of local interest. Send your letters and longer comments to: Editor, PHOENIX, 155 Atlantic Ave. Brooklyn 11201. We reserve the right to edit all material received. Please include a stamped self-addressed envelope if you wish your material returned.The PHOENIX is published 50 times a year byA r lv o r ^ tp P r p e s In c 1AA A tla n tic A w o n ijo R rn n M w nNew York 11201. Single copy price is 15$; annual subscription by mail in New York State, effective July 1, 1973, is $5.00; outside New York State, $6.00. Michael A. Armstrong, Editor & PublisherEileen Blair, Managing Editor 155 Atlantic AvenueBrooklyn 11201Tel. 643-1032^iiiBiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiuuimniiiiiHiiimimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiRiiiNiiiii^| WAY BACK WHEN: The above view [which ran unidentified last week] shows the Long| Island Rail Road Terminal under construction. Below Is the Terminal at the turn of the= century, facing west along Atlantic Avenue.L e t t e r s t o t h e E d i t o rEssence LostWithout PoemTo the Editor:I was deeply disturbed that you edited the main point, the poem memorializing the death of Gabriel Cardona, Jr. and the birth of the Columbia St. children%u2019s park in his memory, from my article in The PHOENIX June 13.It was the heart of the matter I wished to bring to others%u2019 attention. The most unusual plaque in a public place I have seen in America. This is the %u201c missing%u201d context that puts Red Hook-and all such places like it, the shoved-aside human hellholes of our cities-into perspective.The vest-pocket park with a dead soldier%u2019s name on it may be bulldozed away tomorrow; but the spirit that build %u201c La Plaza Gabriel%u201d and composed the poem of its reason for being will endure the prevailing failure of all our civilization%u2019s cities...That is what the poem says itself (far better than I).I wish you would reconsider and publish the full poem inscription %u201c In Memory of Gabriel Cardona, Jr.%u2019%u2019-not just my border-edgings and trimmings.Hoa binh, Jan Barry Dean Street P.S.: I really am upset about this-even more so privately, than publicly (above).Editor%u2019s Note: Due to spacelimitations, it is often necessary to edit unsolicited material, including letters to the editor and Community Forum articles.Paone Will StayIn Race for SeatTo the editor:The political stories written by Michael Allen in The PHOENIX have been infinitely superior to those of other newspapers--far o euer informed ana iar less partisan.However, I would like to correct one statement made in last week%u2019s story. Allen implies that Arthur Paone's race for Congress may be a blind and that Mike Pesce may enter the race at a later date with Paone withdrawing in his favor.That will not happen. Three of the five members of Paone%u2019s committee on vacancies are members of the Central BrooklynIndependent Democrats, and I know I can speak for them when I say that Arthur Paone and only Arthur Paone is our Congressional candidate.I love Mike Pesce and think he is destined for great things, and I look forward to supporting him for higher office whenever he seeks it. But the next Congressman from the 15th District is Arthur Paone. Period.Charles Monaghan Democratic District Leader 51st Assembly DistrictRoving LICHSubject of RumorTo the Editor:Civic Action Group, as an active community organization has been keeping a watchful eye on the vacant church on the corner of Amity and Clinton Streets. The most recent rumor has it that LICH is negotiating to buy it. Two years ago this was a very real issue, but the hospital convinced us that they had no desire to move onto a totally residential corner and in theirpresent financial condition such a purchase would be unwise. We certainly hope this is nothing more than a rumor and that there will not be a repetition of community confrontation.SincerelySelma Abramowitz Civic Action Group of Cobble HillWhat's the Story?To the Editor:Last week I read in your weekly column, %u201c Report from NYPD,%u201d that a policeman from my precinct, the 76th, arrested someone for driving an unregistered car and possessing marijuana. Big deal, isn%u2019t it?I did not read anything about the total number of crimes committed in my precinct last week, nor did I read anything about progress in solving the dozen or so reported thefts and burglaries on my block within the past year.If you are going to print news about crime and police work, please print the whole story, not just the part that the Police Department wishes us to know.Robert C. Newman 56 Dean StreetHeights Senior CitizensNeed Housing, Not HomesTo the Editor:Home is not home for the elderly remaining at the Pierrepont Hotel. There is no way that these people can continue to live lacking contact with the outside world through a switchboard that is not always operable%u2014guards that do not guard and are not always available when you need them.The elderly in Brooklyn Heights need housing now. In the New York Times of May 28, 1974, the bold print on an article regarding housing for the elderly reads as follows:%u201c City is Taking Possession of Concourse Plaza Hotel; Will Cofiven h to Residence for Eideriy; Expected to Take 18 Months.%u201d In the body of this article it further states, %u201c In the remodeled hotel apartments will be designed for couples or single residents who can do their own shopping and cooking.%u201dThe Daily News of April 3, 1974, concerning the above conversion of the Concourse Plaza, savs. %u201cThe housing space occupying the top nine floors of the hotel will bemodernized into 254 studio and one-bedroom apartments and will rent for about $55 a room a month. %u2019 %u2019Most of the focus of attention has been those elderly who might require institutional care. The majority of older adults in New York City are mobile, well and active, and want freedom to come and go as they please. There are others that with expanded Medicare and Medicaid payments for Homemaking and Visiting Nurse services would remain independent.I wish to commend Mayor Beame, Borough President Robert Abrams and Councilman Barry Salman for responding promptly to the needs of the elderly in the Bronx.At the present time, there is litigation affecting the conversion status of the Pierrepont Hotel. This is an appropriate time for our government officials to seek an alternative to the proprietary home concept.Anne Cohen, Chairperson Citizens for the Rights of Older Adults. Brooklyn Div. of the Gray Panther Movement