Last Sunday was the 3rd Annual Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn Walkathon to celebrate my son's birthday. Okay...so it is only coincidental that it always happens around my son's birthday, but my son has now gone to three of these events. And he always drags us along with him.

Sunday was a beautiful day for a Walkathon. Turnout seemed quite good and the path of the walk was excellent for demonstrating solidarity with the community. Last year went through Prospect Park, which may have been nicer, but didn't really connect with the affected community. This year we started at Freddie's bar in the footprint of Bruce Ratner's giganormous, overdevelopment sinkhole for taxpayer money, went up Flatbush, around Grand Army Plaza, and over to Soda bar where a party ensued. I always tell people these events are really fun, and I think the fact that we started at a bar and ended at a bar is indicative of the fun factor of the walkathons.

A tour bus passed us twice along the way and the faces of the tourists, mouths agape, as we marched along with banners, giant puppets, etc. was comical. I think the tour company should charge them extra for showing them an honest to goodness rabble rousing in Brooklyn. I can hear them now telling their families, "It's just what Rush told us it was like there in New York!"

Most local motorists seemed sympathetic. Surprisingly little irritation at the traffic snarls our march involved (perhaps they realize it would be nothing compared with the traffic mess Ratner's plan would create) and quite a few people cheering us.

The crowd was quite a mix...racially, age, politically. To give you an idea, we saw Greens, Ron Paul Republicans and Barack Obama Democrats...plus plenty of generic Democrats like Joy and myself. Politicians I saw included Tish James (of course), Velmanette Montgomery (my classy and wonderful State Senator who had joined us straight from church), Chris Owens with his kids (one of his sons is well on his way to becoming an activist!), Bob Zuckerman and myself from the board of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats, Josh Skaller and Joy Romanski, officers of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, and Kevin Powell (who, I understand, plans on challenging Towns again for the NY-10 Congressional seat). If I forgot anyone, please let me know in the comments here.

I am told the walkathon raised around $50,000. A very respectable amount, though not as much as last year when, in the midst of all the activism surrounding the 2006 elections, brought in $100,000.

Top fundraisers include:

Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Tish Team (led by Tish James): $7,040.00

Prospect Place Block Assoc (led by Lee Zimmerman): $5,646.67

Park Slope Neighbors (led by Eric McClure): $3,645.00

and The Gay Team (led by Lisa Badner): $3,186.00

In other DDDB related news:

Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, who many, including myself and many union volunteers, assumed was solidly pro-Ratner, is proving far more nuanced in his stand on Atlantic Yards than expected. Jeffries is continuing to oppose quite vehemently the use of eminent domain either for Ratner's project or to destroy the Duffield St. Underground Railroad houses. To quote Assemblyman Jeffries:

We now have a renewed opportunity given the hearing that is going to take place and the fact that the City has been forced as a result of the excellent advocacy by the councilwoman [Letitia James} as well as the lawsuits that were filed by the able lawyers [South Brooklyn Legal Services' Jennifer Levy] in this matter to go back to square one to renew our call at the highest level possible, to Spitzer and to ESDC, reiterating our position against the use of eminent domain, both to create a basketball arena as well as to tear down these homes connected to the Underground Railroad.

Finally, the next DDDB fundraiser sounds pretty damned fantastic. Klezmer, African and Bluegrass music all in one evening! Coming up:

The Klezmatics, Kakande, and Demolition String Band
Thursday, November 8
Doors at 7pm
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 857-4816
$20 in advance, $25 at the door
For online tickets, go to http://www.dddb.net/klezmatics

Several local merchants, such as Erica’s Rugelach and Maria’s Mexican Bistro, will be donating food, baked goods, and drinks to the show.

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