Tuesday, July 22, 2008
A Frequent Visitor to Tompkins Square Park : Former Council Person Miriam Friedlander ...
Yesterday afternoon we photographed former council person for our part of town , Miriam Friedlander , on her usual park bench in TSP talking to another park regular , Philip VanAver .
Ms. Friedlander was council person in this district for a considerable period of time . She preceded the current council person Rosie Mendez and former council persons Margarita Lopez and Antonio Pagan .
Ms. Friedlander says that she visits the park to talk to the people ; it is a "people's park" and she wants to know whats happening in the neighborhood .
We asked Ms. Friedlander if the people have a right to claim their communities as their own and to not have them developed out of existance by an elite group of wealthy and powerful individuals , corporations and educational institutions ? She responded , "yes , of course they do " .
Comments:
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Miriam Friedlander is the BEST--fair and right and good and caring--and knowledgeable
# posted by 
: 6:10 PM
: 6:10 PM
Beautiful, important documentation of the East Village history and what city politics should be about -- the people and in sharp contrast the fact we won't see anyone representing the community every hanging out in the park because they are busy looking for "donations" for lack of a better word -- looking for something but it doesn't seem about better representing the community or getting to know us...almost like they want to be invisible, read between the lines.
They are not about mingling with the people and even if they show up at rallies -- it is rallies that best serve their interests not the people.
The photos of Miriam Friedlander speak volumes about what is wrong and how poorly our community has been represented. Representation now is about trips -- ego trips, power trips, ambition and in my opinion trips to the bank but a bad trip for the community as the area looks more and more like a college campus for kids and grown ups where condos, hotels and dorms all look the same.
If only we had watch dogs for the people representing the community...if only.
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They are not about mingling with the people and even if they show up at rallies -- it is rallies that best serve their interests not the people.
The photos of Miriam Friedlander speak volumes about what is wrong and how poorly our community has been represented. Representation now is about trips -- ego trips, power trips, ambition and in my opinion trips to the bank but a bad trip for the community as the area looks more and more like a college campus for kids and grown ups where condos, hotels and dorms all look the same.
If only we had watch dogs for the people representing the community...if only.
# posted by : 6:55 PM
: 6:55 PM Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
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