The Battle For Brooklyn: Eminent Domain Abuse Gone Wild

The Battle For Brooklyn, a documentary about one man's fight to stop a private developer from using eminent domain to take his home, recently opened in select theaters in New York City after a successful film-festival run.

In 2003, billionaire real estate developer and New Jersey Nets owner Bruce Ratner decided to move the team to Brooklyn, with the intention of building an arena, an affordable housing project, and bringing desperately needed jobs to the borough of Brooklyn. Ratner's friend and fellow billionaire, Michael Bloomberg, enthusiastically put the weight of top-down government planning behind the project. That included using the city government's extensive powers of eminent domain, despite the fact eminent domain is supposed to be used only in cases where development is for public uses such as schools and roads. And despite the fact that the construction of what became known as the "Atlantic Yards" project would displace many thriving businesses and homes.

Graphic designer Daniel Goldstein fought for nearly seven years to keep his home out of the hands of Ratner's company, Forest City Ratner. Goldstein's quixotic struggle is the centerpiece of The Battle For Brooklyn.

Reason.tv sat down with co-directors Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley to discuss eminent domain abuse and political perceptions of their film. Galinsky and Hawley insist their film is not a polemic, but rather an all-too-common story of a single person fighting an injustice against figures whose power and influence drawf his own.

Produced by Anthony L. Fisher. About 4.40 minutes.

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• bruce ratner
• brooklyn
• nets
• jay-z
• eminent domain
• land grab
• build
• acorn

[richardcadbury]

All eminent domain use is eminent domain abuse.

[sintruder]

Property rights literally made this country great.

[barudzija7]

nobody cares about the nets anyways. most of manhattan now looks like an episode of sex and the city. a bunch of suburban freaks that would rather bring their strollers and suvs instead of assimilating to new york city's culture. same thing is happening to astoria, a bunch of people from miami beach and whatever the hell, bullshit town they're from. they come here to queens, brooklyn, and the bronx acting like it's manhattan. thinking they are creating something, when really they are ruining.

[Mezey5]

So instead of the companies paying the market price for the land, they get the government to sell it to them, sounds like Crony Capitalism.

[utopianwebsurfer]

Greetings earthling-just kick their ass!just kick Their booy,

[smujismuj]

Welcome to Fascism, everyone.

[healthhavencom]

Two real heroes.

Great job Reason.

[viletree]

@leafwatch exactly.

[UTubekookdetector]

When you don't roll over for big gov't, they'll just declare your property "blighted" and take it. Kelo v. New London opened the floodgates for this crap (although it did happen prior to that, it wasn't as well-known).

[leafwatch]

@McDicker96 Without government there would be no corporations with unfair advantages bestowed by your beloved authoritarians. People all of the world make jobs without corporations. American once was full of self-starters and entrepreneurs. But regulations, taxing, and licensing have made start-ups too expensive; only the crony corporates can afford to pay and comply. Government creates monopolies and shuts out independents. The iron fist is killing America. Prosperity requires freedom.

[justintempler]

Liberals were never taught Frédéric Bastiat's seen and unseen, they only see the promises of the new.

[netsfandave]

Thats why the Nets should've just stayed in Newark smh.. It doesn't make sense to destroy part of a community..