Is astroturf a symbol of the tension between the haves, the have mores and the ain't got nothings? Perhaps. There is an amusing sign of such tension over the renovation of Cadman Plaza. Photographer and Brooklyn blogger Sonja Shield caught the rancor on a sign at the park: "Thank you for your patience while we rebuild your park," its says. Beneath which, someone has written: "Into a private park for wealthy kids paid for by taxpayers."
The city is spending $2.5 million to renovate the park, including replacing dirt, grass and pavement with artificial turf. A group called New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P) has also issued a study called "A New Turf War" that looks at the pros and cons of synthetic turf in NYC parks and notes the "tension" it caused in Cadman Plaza. The simmering class issues that keep bubbling up in Brooklyn, though, are beyond the scope of the study.
· Plan to Renovate Cadman Plaza Meets Resistance [NYTimes]
Bonus: Sonja Shield's brand new Brooklyn Ramblings blog focuses in on Gowanus with a deconstruction of the many toxic hazards at the Whole Foods site on Third Avenue and a "Dirty Gowanus" Map identifying nearby environmental issues. Some naphthalene with your Free Range Organic Orange Chicken? Riveting reading and clicking.
[Photo courtesy of shield on flickr]