Why I Wrote "The Death of DDDB"
Why I Wrote "The Death of DDDB"
In the last day I have been contacted and emailed by many people asking if I wrote "The Death of DDDB", and why did I write it.
I wrote it because of the mass frustration I felt during this entire election cycle as I worked as Chris Owens' Field Director. Time and again I found people like Raul, Robert Puca, Lucy, Amy, Virpi and others help Chris and Bill. What I also found was that there did not seem to be any type of concerted effort by DDDB to get people out and energized. Now I know it is not that easy because DDDB cannot formally endorse candidates. I still feel that there needed to be a real ground swell, from somewhere, telling people we needed to elect officials who were going to stand up against this project. Now, this job was not just DDDB’s job, but all of ours, well actually mine.
Now, what I said was too mean and too harsh, but I hope people realize that I still feel today that if we were able to fully disseminate Chris and Bill’s message on Atlantic Yards in the 52 AD and 57 AD and parts of the 44 AD both candidates would have done better. Now, that message was disseminated to an extent, but not enough.
I am terrified today with what will happen to the borough I was born in, my parents were born in, and their parents were born in (well, except for the ones that came from Galway, but you get my point). My entire family and history is in Brooklyn. I love Brooklyn with my whole mind, heart, body, and soul. Atlantic Yards is an issue that goes to the core of Brooklyn’s values and roots. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Atlantic Yards did not seem to be a deciding factor in the election and now seems closer to completion than ever before.
Finally, I would like to apologize to Mr. Goldstein. We have only met in passing, a few times, and I over-simplified and wrongly denigrated him. For that I am deeply sorry. I am known to be a little hot headed at times and I let my emotions get the best of me. I am sure he thinks that I am a complete jerk; that's his right. Some members of his group still talk to me and I realized we are on the same side and will need to work together. There is a lot of work that we all need to do and we all can improve, most especially myself. Again my deepest apologies.
Hopefully, in the next few weeks, we can all speak, and see how we can make progressive grassroots in Brooklyn stronger.
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Thank you, and I know in the
Submitted by Carroll on 16 September 2006 - 6:09pm.
Thank you, and I know in the next few weeks we will all be working on how we can make our progressive central Brooklyn movement stronger.
Good job
Submitted by mole333 on 16 September 2006 - 7:53pm.
If more of us were willing to admit error things might go smoother.
You make some good points. My take is somewhat different. I saw the grassroots do practically nothing in 2005 despite some excellent candidates. Paul Wooten and Norm Seigel should have brought people out in droves! But the grassroots didn't respond so these grassroots candidates failed.
I saw far more grassroots participation this year and for that I am happy. But it seems it was not enough. Some have blamed DDDB, some CBID, some NDM, some DFNYC, some the candidates, etc. Bottom line is none of us were able to raise much money and that was a huge flaw. Also, although many, including many DDDB people, came out in great numbers for petitioning and just before the primary, in between there were not many people on the street. That was also a flaw. Finally, even when all of these groups were at maximum effort, there was poor coordination of effort. That left some gaps.
I am hearing that where people were on the ground getting the word out, Chris did better than expected. That is key. My experience matches this. I found if I could simply have a chance to present information to people, either verbally or through a flyer, they were very open to Chris. By default, in my area, they went Yassky.
I do not know how much effort people from DDDB actually made. I do know I saw their people around. Since they can't really officially do anything, all they can do is inform people about where candidates stand, and urge their members to get involved. Beyond that, they can do nothing.
Welcome to the fray around here. It does get brutal. Michael Bouldin, for example, has been called a neo-Bohemian and a party hack. I have been called all sorts of things. But we all keep coming back for more.
Ha!
Submitted by Bouldin on 16 September 2006 - 10:23pm.
You forgot 'racist', 'bigot', 'Jew-hater' and 'the reason David Yassky lost'. Seriously, I kid you not.
Apology accepted. The forces
Submitted by DGoldstein (not verified) on 17 September 2006 - 10:11am.
Apology accepted. The forces opposed to "Atlantic Yards" are vast, lets keep them together–the only way we'll win.
Well hold on here.
Submitted by Rock Em Sock Em... on 19 September 2006 - 5:03am.
First off, Carroll, it wasn't your job to bring out DDDB volunteers or any other volunteers, for that matter.
It was mine.
For those who don't know, I was Chris Owens' volunteer coordinator. I know where volunteers came from and where they didn't come from, and I'm pretty damn disappointed with DDDB. Carroll, I think you went a little overboard with "The Death of DDDB" but let's not avoid constructive criticism for the sake of being polite.
I don't know much about DDDB. But I do know about organizing politically-oriented 501c3s, and I know that DDDB's showing in this primary, at least for Chris Owens, was flat-out pitiful. I have thought of four possible explanations for this (but I am more than welcome to hearing other possibilities):
1. DDDB has about ten members.
2. DDDB's leadership decided not to make a concerted effort to help the right people win this primary, following the strictest interpretation of the laws surrounding 501c3s.
3. DDDB's leadership was too busy/preoccupied/lazy/whatever to organize people around the primaries.
4. DDDB's leadership is completely and utterly inept.
I'm not here to harp -- what's done is done. But please, DDDB, acknowledge your problem(s) and ask for help.
Alternative
Submitted by mole333 on 19 September 2006 - 7:09am.
I don't know if this is the case or not, but it is also quite likely that DDDB was forcusing on other races that more directly impact the Atlantic Yards question. Although my personal main colunteer efforts were helping Chris, if I was focused primarily on Atlantic Yards then the races I would focus on are Assembly and State Senate. That doesn't mean Chris was irrelavent to the AY question...he wasn't. But it might mean that they focused their attention elsewhere.
Also, DDDB isn't going to make a big, public to do about helping candidates because it isn't their job. As a group of essentially amateurs doing the best they can, they may well follow the strictest interpretation of the laws surrounding 501c3s. It is the safest approach.
For the record I did see plenty of folks I know from DDDB out there campaigning for Chris. But I don't know any numbers.
Caroll,
Caroll,
You're obviously passionate about this issue, as we all are...and mature/dignified enough to apologize - I can't speak for him, but I am sure Daniel Goldstien will accept and understand where' you're going from. ... I know things have been frustrating lately, but as Ben Franklin said...if we don't all hang together, we'll surely all hang separatedly