Daily News on co-naming Franklin Ave

Fifth Avenue hosts a miriad of parades but they dont all have commemorative names on the Avenue. Kelso's is the only Panamanian place up until recently when another Panamanian place took over Saje's place on Park. (What is that place?) Not exactly a Panama Place in my opinion.

Who knew that Nostrand Avenue may have been named after Gerret Noorstrandt, of the famous Noorstrandt family, allegedly named after the Island of Norstrand (or North Beach) off the coast of Germany. Move over South Beach, we're coming on strong!!
Source: Brooklyn By Name, written by Leonard Benardo and Jennifer Weiss. 2006 New York University Press.

.....leading me to state:

Neighborhoods that engage in the hardwork described by NostrandPark move ahead. Slapping a new sign underneath "Franklin Avenue" seems like it is going to try to identify the street as being someone's.

By calling the effort "Destination Nostrand" and doing the work described immediately above, NostrandPark has avoided such complications and controversies.

....if such an effort was to happen, I imagine the natural place for it arise would be from within the Crow Hill meeting.

If I were to pursue such an effort, I'd take a page from NostrandPark's playbook and focus more on economic development; I'd table the discussion of co-naming the avenue until the year 2076.

I agree.

....but it is serving as a distraction at the moment.

While no one outside the community will ever care, those inside the community do get all upset over such things.

While I don't care what people call the street (and I will continue to call it "Police Tower Avenue" until that name become outdated), I just want the likes of Evageline Porter and Sarah Taylor to keep doing what they are doing.

....I gotta admit, I kinda like the silly police tower, and that someone took the time to figure out whether the proposed pawnshop was going to be opened in a placed actaully zoned for it.

While not a core member of either effort, I'd like those "organizing people" to be able to work uninterupted by a silly thing like conaming the avenue.

(i.e. I find it hard to believe that anyone is harmed by the avenue not having a coname, but am able to see clear harm in the presence of armed drug dealers. ....I know, I'm a genius.)

As much as I like NostrandPark and her efforts, the more time Franklin Avenue and Crow Hill Assn wastes on this sillyness, the more likely NostrandPark is to attract the next "good business".

It might not be a zero sum game, but I'm competitive.

MHA wrote: Pragmatism people. What impels us to take a side on this issue? What moves folks to say, 'no way', and others to say 'yes way'? Instead of indulging our passions,, let's ask ourselves, is there any accorded benefit to the neighborhood by doing this? I say there is. If there isn't, then let's ixnay the idea and ignore it.

whynot_31 wrote: I think it is ignored, but we will jabber about anything.

MHA wrote: If the Crow Hill Community Association wants to see Brooklyn to be the shiny city on the hill, it will ensure that NEXT year they choreograph events that will benefit the Panamanian community. The merchants will put out chairs in front of their businesses to encourage commerce.

While I don't think it should involve co-naming, a workable long-tem community development plan would be great.

Now that the drug trade has ebbed a little, CHCA and Tony Fischer seem to be the most powerful entity left on the avenue. [NYPD, we already paid our respects to you above, don't be fragile].

Despite this break, Community Development remains difficult and thankless work. While it has had success with residents, CHCA seems to have a difficult time getting merchants to buy into any unified plan.

The Panamanians seem to offer no promise of future development and investment, only a disputed, ego filled, view of the Avenue's past. In addition, they just don't seem to have the pull necessary to get people together behind this. I'm starting to believe that -yes- they are wonderful people, but their leader may need a hobby.

I'm about bringing $ and development to the avenue, instead of looking backward and claiming credit for its present state. You don't stop and pass out awards when something "has come a long way". You pass out awards when the game is done, and Franklin Ave is far from done. Just like it has gone thru at least 5 evolutions in the last 100 years, it will go thru another 5 in the next 100 years.

Which (not so strangley) has caused me to think about Washington Avenue.

While a somewhat active merchant association has periodically formed and collapsed, the present Washington Ave association has difficulty getting people to patronize the street on First Night at the Museum.

Unlike the Panamanian Parade on Franklin, this event happens ONCE A MONTH, not merely once a year. It attracts all sorts of people to the 'hood.

....Despite the museum only being somethng like $8 on a regular night, they start coming out in the afternoon so they can get all the free tickets for the night's show and then hang around all evening.

....Yet, despite some laudable efforts, getting people to eat and spend money in a new area (i.e. along Washington Ave) when they are already nearby seems to be really difficult!

Even though these people have come to the area in part because they are cheap, I believe this has more potential than getting Panamanians to spend money once a year!

Retruning to Franklin, if Panamanians are cheap like the museum people, and this is Franklins only plan ...it is screwed!

I guess I'm all for parades, but hesitate to support a street co-naming because others assign so much weight to such things. Given the history of the nieghborhood, just about every ethnic group seems to have passed through the area at some point.

....it seems kinda silly to just pick one group and give it rights to the street poles forever.

Surely someone who was once famous, and is now dead, spent some time on Franklin Avenue. ...or at least mentioned it in their book.

If we were desperate, we could even claim seem someone that seems to be already taken. For example, all of the Hudson River towns seem to claim Washington Irving....

As I said above, I'll continue to call it Police Tower Avenue until that thing is removed.

....after that, I will need a new name for it, and (like NostrandPark) think the entire community should be involved in my effort.

Calling it

"The Avenue Where There Used to be a Police Tower and Drug Dealers
AND Used to have Big a Hole with Murals Around it,
BUT now has a Brand new Building"

is clearly too unwieldy.

can we use chalk?

In undergrad, groups were able to write whatever message they wanted (with the exception of pottie mouth words) on the Quad as long as they used chalk.

It was brilliant, the groups could write opposing slogans and advertisements all over the place and it took only one rain to wash it all away.

....sometimes opposing groups threw buckets of water on slogans they didn't like.

I could agree with Stacey, because the wind eventually shreds such things.

....but even then we should have limits. I'd be afraid that some groups would think they are so great that we'd end up with that Home Depot inspired Gates installation.



If we gave 22 groups the right to put up banners, we would have to let groups put up their banner on only one block ....which would lead too 22 different colors, and give me a headache.

....or, we could let them have the whole avenue, but for only 4.5% of the year (1/22).

Both options seem work intensive.

I'm the variety that believes one can have too much democracy.

That is a good idea.

BTW, Did you really take the time to count 22 blocks?

I had no idea there would be a quiz, much less a quiz a week later!

Mamacita wrote: ^^ In life we must always be prepared to take notes

I've always been the type that opted for the lecture from the teacher instead. I find it easier.

All that is needed is widespread public support

It's going to come down to his (the Panamanian guy's) ability to build a little movement. ....and fight off any opposition.

Like I said above, I don't care about this issue much, but some think any second name on the street should be after thier cause or none at all.

As battles go, It is pretty boring

I can be zen and post pictures of orange banners at the same time. I like homeowners idea, but you are right, I'm not going to look at the banners or any second sign. I'll just keep my eyes on the sidewalk to try to kick away chicken bones before my dog gets them.

Chicken bones are bad for dogs

Kelso is yummy