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This summer there's a series of (expensive) concerts going on at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn. The site has been closed since 1984, and last year started undergoing renovations. Recently we received the following email from an unhappy local:
This pisses me off. Clear Channel paid off the parks department to take over the McCarren Park pool site for a series of 6-10 $30 concerts (+ $14 service fee) this summer. They "improve the infrastructure", i.e. whitewash all the fierce, precious 1980's graffiti (much already gone thanks to those dance performances, sorry dance people but that wasn't cool). Sure, better electric and other improvements would be great, but why is a private corporation doing that when last year's rezoning mandated McCarren Park and pool renovations?No community input into the program, or community involvement in the use of the venue. So it brings 6000+ folks, mostly NOT local, to see Tom Petty and "alternative rocks acts". They pillage our hood, our culture, make bank, we see none of it, there goes the neighborhood (again).
Call the the parks department and Councilman Yaasky to complain. He's running for congress, so now's a good time to pipe up.
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, (212) 360-1311
Councilman David Yaasky, 718-875-5200
The email continues, dropping names like Todd P as being an alternate to organize the shows, bringing in a more community feel to the events, as well as a way to support the many local acts. We're actually kind of psyched to see Iron & Wine and The Secret Machines play the new venue...but we think Todd P totally could have booked them as well, mixed them with some local bands and charged way less.
Related: - McCarren Park Pool is haunted!
- FreeWilliamsburg has a political timeline of the pool, up to 2003.
- Warsaw, another Brooklyn venue, is also a Clear Channel venue
[Photo by Tien]
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"they pillage our hood, our culture"?!?
It is a CITY PARK! Unless I'm mistaken, Williamsburg hasn't seceded from the city. If you hate new yorkers so much, you should just move out of the city all together.
btw- i'm guessing most of the Williamsburg born and raised had similar feelings toward the people who moved there recently and pillaged their hood, their culture, made bank, and they see none of it.
Do some of you even remember what Williamsburg used to be like until you $3000/mo loft livin' hipster retards moved in? Who moved in an invaded, pillaged hoods, cultures here? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
So where's the concert schedule? I think it is great to have another venue esp in Brooklyn.
And since it is a public park, and these folks are only putting on 6-10 shows let the "community" produce shows too.
I would rather have the pool used than sit empty. This attitude is EXACTLY WHY THE POOL SHUT DOWN IN THE FIRST PLACE - the locals didn't like the fact that people from other neighborhoods, mostly Hispanic and African-American teens, were coming to the pool. So now, people in the community don't want people coming from Manhattan or the suburbs to concerts here.
Honestly I'd say we have a bigger problem: Where do these 6000 people park? Under the BQE I guess but most of the people driving aren't going to know that they can do that, and they'll drive around the neighborhood and block the streets and snarl traffic horribly before and after the concerts.
And for those who take public transportation: do I even have to finish this sentence? The L is already overcrowded. Although maybe this will make them run the G train at full platform and on a schedule that is reasonable for a change - but I doubt it.
Other issues - petty crime with criminals targeting cars from the suburbs in for the show which could spill into petty crime in our neighborhoods - dumbass kids peeing in the street because they can't find a bathroom - and I'm interested in what the permitted db level will be given the park's immediate proximity to residential areas.
Right, like every group through the years that has invaded every neighborhood in every desirable city. It's a mass conspiracy! I would imagine it's a true "retard" who can't tell the difference between inevitable population shifts and a blatant corporate steaming dump.
Funny, I'd imagine if it was a city park, I'd be able to tour the place without paying out the ass.
"fierce, precious 1980s graffiti"? Please...
I'm stoked to see Bloc Party in July.
Where does the pillaging come in - aren't most neighborhoods excited by the prospect of visitors with open wallets? Compared to the Ratner project in the Slope/Heights this seems downright sustainable and socially concious. I live in a burned out corner of East Williamsburg and I'd be singing the praises of any company, Enron, Ratner, Haliburton, whomever, that invested in rebuilding or improving the parks in my hood.
It's true that the graffiti in the pool was amazing, and a shame that it was painted over. It could have been preserved the venue would have been cooler for it. But that's the whole nature of graffiti, right? When you're painting public space there's no guarantee of preservation. In the end though, McCarren Park Pool is of much more use to the community, both the surrounding neighborhoods and the NYC community, as a venue, ClearChannel or otherwise, than as a broken-glass-strewn destination for hipster field trips.
The big crapper that these folks pulled was that - in converting the place to hold shows - they physically destroyed any hope of the place ever being a swimming pool again.
Here's how -
The pool was built with a large below groung chasm beneath to house filtering equipment, chlorination, etc. All circulation pipes lead to here.
Because of years of neglect, there was understandable concern that the structure wasn't solid any more and wouldn't hold the weight of stages, bands, and concert-goers - BUT rather than going down there, solidifying the supports, replacing rusty I-beams or what-have-you:
CLEAR CHANNEL'S CONTRACTORS FILLED THE ENTIRE UNDERGOUND LEVEL WITH CONCRETE - hence ensuring, definitively, after years of debate, that the McCarren Park pool will never re-open as a swimming pool.
Thanks, profit-mongering pricks!
there is no need for more clear channel anywhere. ever.
the whats ok for williamsberg debate will go on forever and its up to those of who live there to take care that it goes the way we all can deal with, regardless, but no community will ever truely benefit from clear channel's avalanch of mediocrity and status quo, much less from its strong arm tactics.
It's a nice idea, but I don't think the addition of one music/event venue will warrant running the G trains at full platform and on a more timely basis. I only wish that were true.
Um, $30 and $14 service charge is just WRONG period, let alone here. I also highly doubt we'll see BK Agent's concerns addressed beforehand either.
And who is supporting this "corporate steaming dump"? It's the fools who willingly help gentrify each of these neighborhoods with their $3000/mo warehouse conversion designer condos. Send all the kids with bad haircuts back to the suburbs and leave Brooklyn alone. Clear Channel would not invest here if they didn't think each and every one of those kids wouldn't quickly shell out $30+ for a show. And stop complaining about the L train. You knew what it was like when you chose to live in that overpriced modern "2 bedroom LOFT" (Since when do lofts have bedrooms?).
WHAT? Complaining about covering up a rundown graffiti covered eyesore??
The pool/park will look beautiful once it's done.
Sounds like this person should move to Bushwick.
Sorry MK, you're way off in your sweeping generalizations. MY friends don't spend $3000 a month on "designer condos," let alone for shows.
If you don't like "kids with bad haircuts," go to the landlords and demand they stop renting their property to anyone other than locals!
Here's what needs to be done:
Tear the whole pool complex down. Plow it under. Let the grass grow.
McCarren Park is a dump and needs to be fixed up. North Brooklyn badly needs more park space.
A space that large should not be used for some hipsters art project, or for Clear Channel concerts featuring the week's latest flavor.
Nor should it sit empty because the racist Polish/Italian old guard can't mingle with the Hispanics.
Yeah but Todd P likes to book shitty noise bands only he and 5 other people like. Black Dice in the pool? No thanks. Countless better bands & bookers out there.
"btw- i'm guessing most of the Williamsburg born and raised had similar feelings toward the people who moved there recently and pillaged their hood, their culture, made bank, and they see none of it."
I know my landlord - and I'd guess the other third generation owner-occupied landlords also - are actually very happy that they can get the rent they do now, and that their neighborhood has become safer and prosperous.
Hey everyone can cool it!
There are some really great COMMUNITY events taking place in McCarren Park Pool over the summer too. One of them being the Billyburg Short Film Festival on June 24th. With the help of the trailblazing Agora folks, other people like us are now able to use the space to create amazing events for everyone in our community to participate in.
Check out www.rabbitinaturtleshell.com
We all know Clear Channel sucks, but as far as I'm concerned they can have their 6 expensive shows and the rest of us grass roots organizations can reep the benefits of their clean up efforts and electrical upgrades.
>>>"They "improve the infrastructure", i.e. whitewash all the fierce, precious 1980's graffiti (much already gone thanks to those dance performances, sorry dance people but that wasn't cool)."
awww, whatta shame about the graffiti being gone.
[sniff]
www.forgotten-ny.com
Just wait until next week...a big press release is being send out...JELLYNYC is doing a 10 week free series featuring really cool bands like Spankrock, Deerhoof, Of Montreal, The Walkmen, Dr Dog etc...and they are ALL FREE!!!!
> Yeah but Todd P likes to book shitty noise bands
> only he and 5 other people like. Black Dice in
> the pool? No thanks. Countless better bands &
> bookers out there.
what better bands? oh yeah - let me guess, your band. I'd be willing to bet you wanted Todd to book your band and he didn't and now you're pissed off.
you find me these countless better bookers, because I don't see 'em.
I guess those five friends of Todd P's are like the loaves and the fishes because I sure see lots of people at Todd's shows - the majority of which aren't "noise" by the way.
I believe Todd's actually throwing an eight hour all *acoustic* bbq this weekend.
The thing about ToddP shows at obscure venues (like pools, parking lots, lofts) is that he books like 8 bands, and says, "Hey it starts at 3!" So, you figure you want to see like the last 4 bands, you show up at 6PM, and the second band is just setting up. They play for like 30 min. Then you wait an hour, and another band plays. Then all of a sudden it's 3 AM, there are 3 bands left to play, but you have to get to your buddy's Moving-to-China-Forever party to see him one last time, so you skip out on the rest of the show, frustrated, drunk and sunburnt. Sure, you had fun, but you were actually there for the music, which didn't deliver.
I don't know what yer talking about because nine out of ten shows of Todd P's that I go to are more on time than shows at clubs. I've rarely seen him send a headliner on after 1am unless it's some kind of special bonanza crazy party.
a way bigger problem is somewhere like Irving Plaza or Bowery or Northsix that makes openning bands (often the only decent band on a bill) start at like 7:30 at night right as the doors are openning.
And the worst is when they get their goon security guards to kick you out heavy-handed style five minutes after the last note of the last band. God forbid those assholes take a second to take it in or enjoy the fucking party of the whole thing.
lame!
does anybody else care that these jerks have poured concrete in the drains and ruined the pool as a pool?
hey I was at that outdoor parking lot show todd p did - it ended at 2am.
Afterwards me and half the audience went over to Bushwick and saw coachwhips play on a roof at somebody else's show until like 6am.
so yeah, if you left at three you saw everybody and hung out for an extra hour for some reason. maybe you passed out?
Broadly classifying someone based upon how much they pay for rent is such an asshole thing to do. Go fuck yourself.
The pool is/was an overgrown mess. I have no love for Ticketmaster, so go buy your tickets at the Bedford record store to avoid the fee and quit your bitching.
Someone comes along and tries to do a little something that involves change to a completely blighted, neglected craphole site, and you guys shit all over it. You sound like a bunch of complaining assholes, plain and simple... behavior WORSE than what one would expect from $3000/month rent assholes running around Wall Street.
And $30 bucks for three solid acts is NOT too much... get a fucking job or move to friggin' Buffalo.
First off, it is not clear channel doing shows at the pool. The company is Live Nation and, yes, they USED to be owned by Clear Channel. But even if it was CC, why would they suck for trying to help? I wouldn\'t care who it was if it got the pool back on track to becoming a pool at some point.
Second, people who take the time to attend their community board meetings give input. This is how this came about and the people who were there added their input. Those who don\'t show up shouldn\'t complain. I didn\'t see you there.
Third, some chimp named andy earlier said that the underground was filled in by \"clear channel contractors.\" I know for a fact that the underground is just fine and STILL FILLED WITH WATER AS IT HAS FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS BECAUSE NO ONE HAS DONE ANYTHING THERE! Andy, I didn\'t see you at the community board meeting either. You have ZERO idea what you are talking about. The only pool you have been in is Union Pool.
Fourth, the graffitti was cleaned by the city\'s contractors and, yes that stinks. It gave the place a much more interesting vibe, but it was the city\'s choice to do so, no one else. Ultimately, if the pool was actually a pool again, it wouldn\'t be there either, now would it?
Finally, Todd P is doing what a number of you people are not. Creating events for people to go to. If its 5 or 500 or 5000 why do you care? If you can do a better job, go do it and stop your whining. (Just a quick aside, todd p could not have make iron and wine happen in these circumstances, nor could he have for less money. No reflection on todd, he does plenty of great work).
The whole point of this was and is to generate what money is possible for the pool and yes, some people may make a dollor off it. It was also done to point attention to what has been a public eyesore for 20 years in a relatively nice area. Not everything is a zero sum gain and not everything is free. Look at the other events at Central or Prospect park. Some paid, some free. It was with this in mind that the project was begun.
What way do you want it people? To have someone try to do something that won\'t involve you getting a property tax increase or would you rather sit around bitching on the blog of an uninformed person (like the person that originally posted this for Gothamist) allowing other uninformed, apathetic people to whine about the sky falling when all that is happening is some involvement on the part of local and national businesses.
Kudoos to you people who realize that the people working at the pool, both public and private, are trying to do something to help it. If not, they would not be there. NOT EVERYTHING IS JUST ABOUT MAKING MONEY. There are both paid for shows and free shows happening. The nature of the shows may not please everyone all the time, but hey, it\'s Brooklyn, NY. Go do something else that night. Like you had a choice before.
This is a 40 million dollar project to get the pool back on it\'s feet. Got a problem with how it\'s being done? Get involved. Apathy before or after the fact is only one thing: PATHETIC. I am really tired of hearing all this complaining. Get a life quite being a blog quarterback.
I support anything that improves McCarren Park, brings Karen O back to Brooklyn and contains the words \"Sonic\" and \"Youth.\" Now, would the Parks Department please go out there and cut the grass? It\'s already June for christ\'s sakes.
I agree with the williamsburg resident two posts up . . . what is so bad about a private company hosting shows in a facility that is currently not in use?
Face it people, private-public partnerships are how things are done now. And they often provide the most efficient way to get good things done. The beautiful park on the Long Island City waterfront is a great example. As part of the development deal, the condo developers had to contribute to the new piers, the new public waterfront park (which everyone in the area enjoys, not just the condo owners), and the public elementary school that is housed in the first floor of one of the condo buildings.
Are the condos "cool" in the minds of the 20/30-somethings who bitch about hipsters and gentrification, but are prime examples of each phenomenon? Probably not. But Williamsburg could learn a lesson of the LIC development - to participate in the conversation, you have to sit down at the table.
First of all as far as the park goes. The city will do what ever it takes to make money! If that meens selling this park for the summer to Clear channel then thats what it meens! You want to complain about sh#t, Complain about the construction that has been going on all along the "G"line! That sh%t has been going on for the past [14]years! Back to the park, I wouldn't be surprised if it took the city [2]-[4] years to finally complete this project. That due to the fact that these summer concerts are going to be a boon for the city and Clear channel so as to give the city an excuse to keep this going for future summers! That inturn delays the completion of this project and the residents of the area continue to bitch about it!!
We will be nuked soon and it will be pointless.
Yes, concerts are cool. Using an all but abandoned space is cool. What's *not* cool is handing over PUBLIC space to a large bully of a corporation/spin-off and for them to rent out their equipment to the other groups want to use said public space. I get that corporate sponsorship happens. I don't get that something built during the DEPRESSION is in danger of being run by Live Nation, Clear Channel's patsy live entertainment spin-off, because there's not enough money now to fix it up.
Other groups are proving that free programming's possible, and there's been lots of community discussion about how to use the space for events (gasp) not even related to music -- so why support a monopolistic behemoth like CC/Live Nation? Why support something that censors music based on political beliefs, steamrolls competition, and lines war mongering pockets? 6 summer shows, a three-five year contract, McCarren Park's name changed to Clear Channel Meadow...??? Yuck.
It's fun to be snarky & pick on hipsters and Williamsburg, but it's even more fun -- & potentially more effective -- to pick on Clear Channel & Live Nation. Make sure they don't bully their way into a public park & eliminate the other community-generated plans.
1.The drains were not filled in, I spoke with the Parks Dept guy (Eric Petersen) at the show last Friday. The pool can absolutely be a pool again.
2. There are other amenities there, like a full-size basketball court in one of the bldgs, that should also be restored and reopened.
3. Live Nation is the same as Clear Channel. They were "spun off" in name only. Live Nation has the same board of directors, they have clearchannel.com email addresses, they share a pension plan, they share a payroll service, and they were both indited a few weeks ago in an antitrust lawsuit that the "spinoff" was a lame attempt to prevent.
4. It is fucking ridiculous that there are $50 shows, set up through a back channel deal, going on in our park. Summer Stage in Central Park and Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park both have great shows, and they are FREE. Because it is a public park. If Clear Channel wants to sponsor FREE shows, like Jelly NYC is doing, then they are welcome to.
5. THere is a meeting tonight )7/10)at Union Pool to organize and inform. 8:00
6. www.poolaid.org
Give the Pool to the People!
I'm goin to see The Shins here at the Pool.
Do they serve beer at these shows?
I want to see if I have to take off the next day ;-)
you could always go to the pool on sundays between like 3-8pm for the FREEEEEE rock shows (THE POOL PARTIES). and dodgeball!!!! and slip and slide!! and good times for FREEEEE. courtesy jelly nyc....
i've gone every sunday so far and it is always worth it and fun. You are asked to donate whatever you like but no 50 dollar ticket or what have you- you could give a penny to what ever you like- or nothing at all too. and there are good bands too like pretty girls make graves and les savy fav to name a couple bigger name ones....so don't get mad go watch some free shows and relax this summer....xo
People are going to murder me for this, but i'm from Long Island so i'm damn glad i dont have to pay ticket cost plus my $16 round trip LIRR ticket fare plus a few bucks to take the L. i'm planning on going to at least two of the free JellyNYC shows, and i'm pretty damn happy about that because its usually too inconvenient for me to see the bands i want, especially when theyre all 18+ or 21+ anyway. so fuck that. it's all good. and we will be nuked anyway so who cares.
What a second, where is there a full-court basketball court in McCarren Park??? I've never heard about that - that's crazy.
Damn, gentrification means nothing for the people from the inside than mass genocide! I agree that the weeds and graffiti were very integral elements of the pool. Why do these abandoned places carry so much stigma? TO me they embody the soul and history of the worlds they live in, like time capsules, untouched and preserved forever from change. They are relics, not eye sores and these "hipsters" and whatever else they want to be have no idea what they are killing cause their aims in life are so material and shallow they could never understand the depths of this problem. They don't care who can no longer afford their own neighborhoods so they can live in the new hot spot, or what local diner or store has either closed down or gotten too expensive for regulars to enjoy so that they may feel more important in a funky place. I remember when many places were deemed just plain uncool, like Brooklyn!? Remember those days? Where were these city lovers who love NY so much wnen NY was on its ass and no one from anywhere else could care less if it fell into the harbor forever!? I bet you they wouldn't have the spirit or courage to love it if it was still a tough city. Thank you LA for infecting NY with your PC health concious ways. So sad to see the toughest city in the world become abandoned by its owners and renovated by outsiders. For all those who think NYC was rebirthed? It died a long time ago, what's left now is this apparition of a city, the energy of it's ghosts still illuminating it. It's clean, it's safe, there's alot of places to eat and shop, but where have all the New Yorkers gone? Clue: Look in PA cause most are gone, many left because they couldn't afford the rising rent anymore, thanks to all of you who had to move to Brooklyn cause you couldn't afford Manhattan, and made it your own.
we bought a condo here and we're not rich. i'm a school teacher! brooklyn is more afforable than manhattan to own property and not give your entire paycheck to a landlord. we saved our 10% down! it's hard to read sweeping judgements about who will be moving into these buildings. we want to raise a family and this seems like a nice place to do that.
we bought a condo here and we're not rich. i'm a school teacher! brooklyn is more afforable than manhattan to own property and not give your entire paycheck to a landlord. we saved our 10% down! it's hard to read sweeping judgements about who will be moving into these buildings. we want to raise a family and this seems like a nice place to do that.