“Battle for Brooklyn” will screen March 12 and 13 at Trylon Microcinema in Minneapolis and the documentary tells a story that may sound frustratingly familiar to Minnesota taxpayers who have followed the ongoing Vikings stadium drama (or, for that matter, the Target Field drama that preceded it). The doc focuses on Daniel Goldstein, a Brooklyn resident who is informed that he will have to sell his “blighted,” brand-new condo because a developer wants the space for a multi-use facility that supposedly will include housing and a basketball arena (“I believe it’s un-American to take someone’s home to build a money-losing arena for a billionaire”).
The film is not fantastic — it’s repetitive and it misses big chunks of the several-years-long story — but Goldstein’s very personal fight, over a period of years, is inspiring, there are plenty of surprising dramas along the way and the issues raised — Should eminent domain be used to benefit private entities? Should public resources be dedicated to private millionaires? — resonate.
Details: http://take-up.org