Change is Almost Always Good
Posted on 21. Jan, 2010 by DK Holland in Agents of Change
Whether filling an unmet need or capitalizing on an opportunity, change has been breathtaking in our three Hill neighborhoods – Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Wallabout over the past few years. And while some may be dismayed, disgruntled – the reality is that change is not just inevitable, it’s almost always good.
New ventures have payrolls and annual reports; some run on a shoe string by folks working on their laptops.
Regardless, positive change aids the health and growth of our neighborhood and more often than not, starts with one person taking three giant leaps of faith. Leap #1: that you will not be wasting your very precious time. Leap #2: that others will believe in your vision. Leap #3: that they join to help. We are most fortunate; we have an impressive assortment of fearless leap-takers, many of whom are volunteers working in their ‘spare’ time.
Articles we’ve included in this issue on the theme of grassroots change agents include: Green Fort Greene Clinton Hill; SNAP; the MARP and FAB BIDs; Society for Clinton Hill, Fort Greene Association and PACC. In addition, here are just some of the people (mainly volunteers) improving our lives:
Safety First
Suzanne DeBrango works with all the local organizations and community leaders to improve safety conditions through the Public Safety Task Force. She, along with co-chair Alfred Chiodo, Richard Norton, Alejandro Varela and Ursula Reshoft-Hegeswisch are organizing a Town Hall Meeting in March that will stress the importance of block associations, especially how to start new ones. They are also working on improving the street lighting on Carlton and Clifton Place, adding speed bumps on Washington Avenue. If you want to get involved, they have no Web site. Contact Suzanne@brooklynproperties.com
The Arts
SONYA (South of the Navy Yard Artists) include such zealots as fine artists Natasha Harsh, Kathleen Hayek, GG Stankiewicz, and Lammie Hanson. The ‘Halloween lady’ Janna Kennedy Hyten and her phenomenally creative crew once again filled Clinton Avenue with an amazing performance. MoCADA and the array of arts groups at 80 Hanson Place and around the corner at South Oxford Space fill the Hill with an embarrassment of riches.
Making Food Affordable
There are now four Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups on the Hill: Fort Greene CSA (Jen Datka), Clinton Hill CSA, Paisley Farm CSA and Greene Harvest CSA. Meredith Modzelwski and Stephanie Bergsma are two of the organizers of Greene Harvest CSA. Of the families enrolled in receiving fresh delicious organic produce many are low income, some of which are sponsored by neighbors. The Greene Hill Food Co-op is also forming a 100% working co-op to provide affordable food options to the entire community.
The Brooklyn Food Coalition is working to create access to healthy food in the borough (including in our public schools) has a chapter here with over 18 organizers in Fort Greene / Clinton Hill.
All Politics is Local
Spurred by the emergence of a new political voice – Barack Obama – a group of smart, mostly young, democrats (including our own Jordan Thomas) formed Brooklyn for Barack before he became a candidate. Inspired by their organizing success and the subsequent election of Obama, New Kings Democrats formed to encourage new leadership in Brooklyn (one of the volunteers is Fort Greene resident Lincoln Restler). Confused as we are about Brooklyn politics? The next issue of The Hill will help spell out how it all works (or doesn’t).
A special shout-out to our neighbors involved in Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, residents who have volunteered valiantly, relentlessly, for five years to mobilize and educate neighbors about the state and city’s plan to hand Atlantic Yards over to Forest City Ratner, a Cleveland real estate firm and in particular, to use Eminent Domain in the process.
We Aren’t Getting any Younger
Good Neighbors provides, for a modest annual fee, assistance in shopping, bookkeeping, getting you to the doctor when you need it. In short, you can stay in your home; avoid moving into assisted living and/or in with your daughter in New Jersey. Interested? Beverly Emmons who lives in Fort Greene has volunteered to help organize this through the Fort Greene Association. Contact goodneighbors@earthlink.net if you are interested in getting involved or knowing more.
Community of Gardens
Besides the many community flower and vegetable gardens that have changed our landscape, The Brooklyn Brownstone Garden District inspires all of us to add greenery to our homes, window boxes and tree pits. Volunteers Emily Wasserman, Jessica Warren and Allison Karasz currently head BBGD. Their annual tour of gardens is in June.
Office of Letitia James
Our ultimate change agent and volunteer, Councilmember James has worked an 80 hour week on our behalf since she came into office in 2003 (we pay her for 40 hours; the other 40 is out of love or obsession).
She and our district leaders, community board members and other local leaders are only as good as our informed residents.
When You Find Yourself in Times of Trouble
Consider this story about heaven and hell: the man was given a tour of hell. He saw that all the sinners were seated at a magnificent banquet table laden with a sumptuous feast but braces on their arms prevented them from eating. The man was whisked up to heaven where he was shocked to again see people seated banquet table, wearing braces. But then he saw the difference: They were happily feeding each other. I bet those good people volunteered a hell of a lot when they were alive.
