Protest the Bklyn Museum's gala honoring AY developer Ratner

This email has been making the rounds:
Surely the idea of a major Brooklyn art museum holding a GALA for Mr Ratner smacks of poor taste to say the very least!

CORD

Hi,

I'm forwarding info on a protest at the Brooklyn Museum's gala honoring
Bruce Ratner this Thursday evening. Personally, I find this "honor"
much more offensive than a painting of the Virgin Mary resting on
Elephant dung. Please send along to others you think might be
interested.

I would also encourage you to send an email to
information@brooklynmuseum.org or letter to the museum director:
Arnold L. Lehman, The Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn,
New York 11238-6052 expressing your feelings on this issue.

Sincerely, XXX

From the Brooklyn Paper: "Brooklyn Museum honors Ratner"

By Dana Rubinstein

The Brooklyn Paper

"Controversial Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner has bought himself the Brooklyn Museum’s highest honor, nabbing the institution’s illustrious Augustus Graham Award thanks to his financial contributions to the arts, The Brooklyn Paper has learned.

The museum will hand Ratner the award at its Annual Ball on April 3.

Museum spokeswoman Sally Williams said the honor stemmed from Ratner’s “contribution to arts and culture in Brooklyn and to the museum” and his “generous support of various activities of the Brooklyn Museum.”

Williams declined to provide specific numbers and said the museum’s selection of Ratner did not indicate its support for Atlantic Yards, the 16-skyscraper mega-development that has divided Brooklyn along class, race and socio-economic lines for more than four years.

She added that the museum’s selection of Ratner did not indicate its support (or lack thereof) for Atlantic Yards, the 16-skyscraper mega-development that has divided Brooklyn along class, race and socio-economic lines for more than four years.

“One thing has nothing to do with the other,” she said.

Ratner didn’t respond to a request for comment — but Atlantic Yards opponents were angry that the developer was getting an award from a publicly funded institution, despite spearheading a project that will cost taxpayers billions in direct and indirect subsidies.

“It's just this sort of symbiotic relationship between Mr. Ratner and Brooklyn's publicly subsidized civic institutions that has led to too much silence amongst the city's power elite who should know better, while the neighborhoods continue to oppose his destructive mega-project and its abuses,” said Daniel Goldstein, spokesman for Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn......."

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