Monument at Bartel Prichard hit by driver last night - info?

Well, I hope no one was hurt. But, please god, let that monument be destroyed. Such an unimaginative eyesore. That whole circle needs a complete re-do.

yeah and ban subarus from over there....

Thanks ParkerLewis, couldn't have said it better..

And, FWIW, I have no problem with a memorial on the site. But the one that's there is pretty generic and could stand to be replaced by something that doesn't look like an oversized headstone.

@ProspectParkerLewis: You hit the nail on the head. The lack of respect many of these transplants have for working class Brooklynites can get sickening. It's unfortunate that there are so many dismissive and self-centered people in the world.

The difference in perspective may well have something to do with class and/or duration of residency in the area... you apparently view the square through an aesthetic lens... they apparently could care less about the aesthetics, and much more about the history and purpose of the monument, however ugly it may or may not be.

I think it is indeed obvious that you had no intention to criticize or to slight working class Brooklynites; however, your lack of appreciation of the history of the monument (which I admittedly share) is taken as an insult to those who went before, and their friends and relatives who may still be here.

Add that to preexisting resentment of gentrification, and you have raw anger.

I'm sorry it came down on your head... you meant no insult to anyone.

@8thnprez: Everyone wants to look at something beautiful, but your insultingly snarky comments about, "But, please god, let that monument be destroyed. Such an unimaginative eyesore." and "I'm happy to have priced you out of the borough." paint you as a self-centered, gentrifying elitist with no sensibilities for many of the native Brooklynites and veterans in the neighborhood. I'm sure you're real proud of yourself - I'm so happy to be your neighbor.

Bear in mind that that my snarky "happy to have priced you out of the neighborhood" comment came on the heels of being called, oh, perhaps a "suburban incubated social reject" and a "run of the mill two dimensional yuppie transplant". In that context, I think my response (which was intended to be *humorous* ) was pretty damned justified (and restrained).

As far as the "unimaginative eyesore" comment, I stand by that. The thing was ugly. I'm totally supportive of commemorating veterans but I happen to have an opinion when it comes to design. Just look at the controversy surrounding the (hideous) design of the WWII memorial in DC and you'll see that reasonable people can have opinions on the physical memorials while remaining supportive of veterans and grateful for their sacrifices.

booklaw wrote: The difference in perspective may well have something to do with class and/or duration of residency in the area... you apparently view the square through an aesthetic lens... they apparently could care less about the aesthetics, and much more about the history and purpose of the monument, however ugly it may or may not be.

I think it is indeed obvious that you had no intention to criticize or to slight working class Brooklynites; however, your lack of appreciation of the history of the monument (which I admittedly share) is taken as an insult to those who went before, and their friends and relatives who may still be here.

Add that to preexisting resentment of gentrification, and you have raw anger.

I'm sorry it came down on your head... you meant no insult to anyone.

Oh sure, of course there was 'no intention to insult anyone.' It's well established that no one has any responsibility to consider the sentiments of anyone else but themselves in this neighborhood anymore before opening their mouth. However, if I were to post unsolicited rants about what I find to be the true "eyesores" of Park Slope--e.g. 40-year-old goofball dads with beards riding long skateboards like adolescents, pasty Midwestern girls obliviously riding rusty old Schwinns through traffic, etc.--of course that would be construed as "insulting" by all of you. Love the double standard, though.

One of the greatest things about this neighborhood is that there are so many types of people living side by side: nostalgic old-timers, young couples, "hipsters," and people just trying to get by day to day. There's no reason to start name-calling and proclaiming who has the "real" right to this neighborhood. Let's all just share it, get what we need from it to survive and enjoy life, and try to get along. Whether the monument was attractive or not is irrelevant.

Why do all these discussions seem to devolve into a fight between one group or another, particularly so-called old timers vs. so-called newbies? What happened to the concept of community? I joined this site because 1. You get good neighborhood info here 2. I thought I could connect with my fellow Brooklnites/Park Slopians. I didn’t think it would turn into crossfire or Craig’s List rants & raves.

This is a great neighborhood. Otherwise, why do we all live here? I moved here from Brighton Beach and to me this was frickin’ paradise. The first time I’d ever been to Park Slope was in 1999 when I was walking down 7th ave to meet someone. I didn’t even know what the name of this neighborhood was but I didn’t walk more than a few blocks before I said to myself “I want to live here.”

I have neighbors who have lived here anywhere from 1 year to more than 50 and we get along fine. In my years here I’ve never heard anyone insult another person based on how long they’ve lived in Park Slope – other than on this board. If anything, in my experience the new comers love to hear about the history and the old timers love to tell about it. I welcome new people to the neighborhood. No one moves here to piss all over the place and ruin the neighborhood.

I bet most people who live here have a similar experience to why I moved here. They were drawn to the fact that it’s a real neighborhood where most the neighbors know each other. We know the people who work in the bodegas and we even know their bodega cats. It has nice big old shade trees everywhere, the best park in New York City, the museum, BBG, Library. Countless great places to eat, wide range of bars, good schools, etc.

I work and live in this neighborhood and never get tired of it. People have moved here from all over and continue to do so because it’s a great place to live. We all share a common appreciation for this neighborhood so why do we have to dwell on the minor differences we have?