Fueled by hype that began last Friday -- "Cultural Icon Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter" would make a "significant announcements" regarding the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn and the "borough's future NBA team," the media turned out in droves Monday for a heavily-managed press conference in Brooklyn across from the under-construction arena.
There wasn't much news, as I reported, since the owners of the now-New Jersey Nets and the arena operators already had doled out exclusives to the daily papers and Fox 5: yes, the team would become the Brooklyn Nets upon the move in 2012, and Jay-Z would open the arena in September 2012 with some concerts.
Still, they stage-managed many pictures of the construction site and leveraged the fleeting presence of Jay-Z -- less than two minutes on-stage for the anti-climactic announcement, before leaving in a black Maybach -- into international coverage.
The main "controversy" for the press (as on CNBC) was whether it was wise to call the team the "Brooklyn Nets" rather than choose a new name.
But there were reasons to look deeper. Malcolm Gladwell, in a Grantland essay on the NBA lockout coincidentally published the same day, pointed to the enormous profit the team and arena owners -- Mikhail Prokhorov and Bruce Ratner, mainly -- stand to make.
Michael Galinsky, co-director of the documentary Battle for Brooklyn, which portrays the not-so-seemly machinations behind the project, stood outside the event trying to get the press to recognize that the developer's promises of jobs and housing have come to little.
He got few takers, but those of us listening to developer Ratner noticed that, while making vague promises of jobs at Atlantic Yards -- where 16 promised towers have yet to be built -- he proudly offered statistics about jobs in the malls nearby he developed -- projects completely unrelated to Atlantic Yards.
Nor did anyone notice what Forest City Ratner's pressure to get the arena done in time for Jay-Z's 2012 concerts is doing to the community.
They're building an arena that encroaches on a residential neighborhood, and the tally, as compiled via the initiative Atlantic Yards Watch, includes trucks going down residential streets (instead of truck routes), illegal parking, trucks idling outside residences in the early morning, and vehicles going the wrong way on a one-way street in search of parking.
"We don't want to take any chances," an enthusiastic Ratner told Fox 5 regarding 24/7 construction. "It's going on all the time, on weekends, and after-hours." He didn't mention the collateral damage, including during-the-night noise that's driving some people nuts.
Last week, one of Ratner's staffers reported at a public meeting that the developer had revamped procedures to reduce the impacts of construction.
The only problem: on that day and subsequent days, videos shot by a local resident showed that those procedures hadn't worked.
Construction surely comes with noise and disruption, but it shouldn't come with blatant flouting of site regulations and city regulations.
On Monday night, in a far less publicized meeting, Kenneth Adams, the CEO of Empire State Development, the state agency that both partners with Forest City Ratner and oversees the project, met with concerned community residents.
Adams, a Brooklynite, was genial and non-defensive, and he was given credit for at least being willing to show up. However, he wasn't exactly informed. One attendee, pointing to the documentation on Atlantic Yards Watch, asked Adams if he'd ever looked at the site.
You can bet he'd noticed the Brooklyn Nets.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.