"The body of the proposed Coney Island casino was still warm when its funeral began. As locals filled the front room at Coney Island USA on the night of Sept. 29, Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny fake wept over a makeshift casket filled with "The Coney" flyers and cotton candy. People snapped photos of their middle fingers outstretched toward the coffin and scribbled not-so-fond notes in the guestbook."
""We are here to mock [The Coney] as they have mocked us for three years," Rinn told the crowd. "It took a group of dedicated grassroots activists to take down a multimillion dollar effort, which consisted of paid lobbyists, paid advocates. Lobbyists who pocketed thousands upon thousands of dollars to sell a pack of lies." The raucous funeral was a celebration for the Coney Islanders who had most vehemently opposed the casino, and marked the end of a long and divisive period in Coney Island history."
A mock funeral at Coney Island USA celebrated the defeat of a proposed casino after the Community Advisory Council voted The Coney down 4-2, ending its bid for a state license. Locals staged a makeshift casket, middle-finger photos and critical guestbook entries to express contempt for the project. Council member Justin Brannan, who opposed the casino, was warmly received by opponents. Adam Rinn credited grassroots activists with overturning a well-funded campaign and accused paid lobbyists of spreading falsehoods. Thor Equities had proposed a $3.4 billion casino project with partners including the Chickasaw Nation, Saratoga Casino Development and Legends Hospitality.
Read at Brooklyn Paper
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]