Toxic Brooklyn
April 13th, 2007 by EthanThanks for visiting! Subscribe to the RSS feed, receive posts via email, or find other ways to subscribe in the 'Subscribe' box to the left. Thanks again and see ya soon.
VBS.tv, the hot new internet alt media channel has done it. Finally, an extremely powerful TV series exposing the whole story behind the massive contamination in and around Greenpoint and Williamsburg, predominantly from the Newtown Creek oil disaster.
Series producer Trace Crutchfield has a blog up at vbs.tv.
Most importantly though, ya gotta see this.
The Story of Williamsburg and Greenpoint - Part 1 of 7
The Story of Williamsburg and Greenpoint - Part 2 of 7
The Story of Williamsburg and Greenpoint - Part 3 of 7
The Story of Williamsburg and Greenpoint - Part 4 of 7
The Story of Williamsburg and Greenpoint - Part 5 of 7
Stay tuned for the last two episodes…
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11 Responses to “Toxic Brooklyn”
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April 13th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
that story is unbelievable!
April 13th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Although the community is unanimous in its determination to have the spill completely cleaned up and to reclaim the Newtown creek, some question whether the resurfacing of this nearly 30 year old oil spill story is being used to attack the community after it won its rezoning battle against the wishes of Brooklyn based politicians (and divert attention away from cancer cluster issue in Williamsburg). The media reports have not included the fact that: 1) More than half of the 17 million gallon spill has already been cleaned up. 2) The remediation process has been going on, with the blessing of local elected officials, since 1992 and continues. 3) The spill is almost entirely under the remote western industrial section of Greenpoint near the East Williamsburg industrial park. There are a few residential streets near Kingsland Avenue that are above the spill, but the vast majority of residential properties are not involved with the spill. 4) The Newtown Creek runs along Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Maspeth and Bushwick, but the news articles only mention Greenpoint. 5) The Astral Oil Spill in Williamsburg is not being mentioned. 6) Articles keep talking about what the long term health effects of the spill will be, but ignore the fact that the spill had been around for fifty years already and health data shows no abnormal spike in health related issues.
The Riverkeepers Group renamed the Exxon oil spill “The Greenpoint oil spill”, in what some think was a mean spirited attempt to malign the Greenpoint community. It is curious to name an environmental tragedy after its victim and not the perpetrator. The Exxon Valdez disaster was not called the Prince William Sound’s Alaska Oil spill. The NY Post, in an article on Oct 15th by Angela Montefinise, and Senator Charles Schumer at a press conference on October 16 incorrectly reported that there was a potential cancer cluster in Greenpoint near the oil spill. However, three cases of an extremely rare sarcoma cancer are actually on a single block in Williamsburg (nowhere near the oil spill, not even in the same zip code). One more case is five blocks away and even further away from Greenpoint and the oil spill. In fact, one victim got cancer after residing in the same apartment as an unrelated cancer victim and previous tenant. Sarcomas are a very rare form of cancer, and as reported in the Post article, “You don’t see three in one block,” Dr. Isaac Eliaz, a California expert on metal detoxification, said. “Someone should be paying attention to this.” Dr. Kanti Rai, chief of oncology at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, agreed that it was “worth an investigation.” Unfortunately, the Senator is calling for a health study with regard to the oil spill and is ignoring a potentially very serious heath disaster in the Williamsburg community. Neighborhood Roots has reached out numerous times to Senator Schumer’s Washington office’s communications director Eric Schultz, and Bret Rumbeck who handles environmental issues for the Senator, with no calls being returned.
Curiously, at the same press conference Congressman Anthony Weiner stated that Greenpoint has a 25% higher asthma rate than the rest of the city. The only problem is that the two health studies done by the state and city show the asthma rate in Greenpoint to be between 25% and 50% lower than the rest of the city along with a 10% lower cancer rate. The State DEC is aware of toxic industrial sites in Willliamsburg near Devoe Street that could potentially be the cause of these rare cancers, but no one is calling for that study. “Instead, there seems to be a no holds barred attack on Greenpoint and a blatant disregard for the health concerns of the Willamsburg community”. One must question whether the recent support of massive residential development in Williamsburg and the historic resistance from Brooklyn politicians (including Borough President Howard Golden) to residential development along the recently rezoned Greenpoint East River waterfront (not near the spill) has anything to do with this dissemination of lies and the timing of these lawsuits.
April 16th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Notice how the vbs video mentions: 1) The Greenpoint Incinerator even though there is no Greenpoint incinerator. The smoke stacks the camera zooms in on are the Con Edison Stacks in Astoria. Don’t take my word for it. LOOK! Also, the plastics plant mentioned in the video doesn’t exist. In fact the vacant building the camera focuses on is the Harte & Co building at 49 Dupont Street currently for sale for $43 million and is being represented by Massey-Knakel. Why are there so many lies in the vbs video? Can some one spell scare tactics?
April 22nd, 2007 at 3:03 pm
The oil story is 30 years old and was never hidden. The clean up has been going on since the early 90’s with regular annual public meetings in the community providing updates. Health data shows no abnormal spike in health related issues even after 50 years.
VBS also conveniently leaves out the fact that:
1) More than half of the 17 million gallon spill has already been cleaned up. 
2) The remediation process has been going on, with the blessing of local elected officials, since 1992 and continues. 
3) The spill is almost entirely under the remote western industrial section of Greenpoint near the East Williamsburg industrial park. There are a few residential streets near Kingsland Avenue that are above the spill, but the vast majority of residential properties are not involved with the spill.
The oil is not oozing up as the video suggests. There are no vapors covering the community as the video suggests. VBS never explains that Dorothy Swick’s problem arose because a neighbor decided to illegally drill for a well in his backyard thirty feet down to reach a contaminated aquifer. Her vapor problem was created by that stupidity, not by any oil bubbling up.
Athough “Toxic Brooklyn” covers some of Williamsburg’s environmental issues in the first two episodes, they also carefully mixed in many clips of people saying how much they love Williamsburg. Even the narrator announces “everyone wants a piece of funkytown”. The video is laced with attractive shots of billyburg shop and boutiques. When it comes to Greenpoint, no such video. Only repeated clips of our notorious Laura Hoffman complaining and lying about the neighborhood. The video never mentions that she is one of only six residents who joined Riverkeepers lawsuit against the oil companies for the oil spill, or that none of the six plaintiffs live above the spill. It is a tragedy to be dealing with an illness in the family, but that does not excuse anyone from spreading hurtful lies about a community. She mentions the Greenpoint Incinerator even though there is no Greenpoint incinerator. The smoke stacks the camera zooms in on are the Con Edison stacks in Astoria. Mrs. Hoffman has been a loud voice protesting the rezoning and waterfront development in Greenpoint. This may explain the purpose of her scare tactics.
Tom Stagg, who is in the video, claims to be living on top of oil even though Newell Street is not where the spill is. What a sloppy fact checking job VBS did with this. You see, Mr. Stagg’s property is adjacent to McGuinness Blvd which went through a major reconstruction including digging all of the old building foundations from the street. No oil was found during the project. Mr. Stagg is not telling the truth. Greenpoint has lower cancer rates than Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights and many other Bklyn neighborhoods. It also has some of the lowest cancer rates in all of nyc/nys. These stats can easily be seen at
http://www.nyhealth.gov/statistics/cancer/registry/pdf/volume1nycneighborhoods.pdf
But of course that was never mentioned in the video. Just 5 straight episodes dedicated to spreading exaggerations and lies about Greenpoint.
Cutesy shots of hipsters frolicking in Williamsburg juxtaposed against two questionable individuals making claims that people in Greenpoint are falling victim to cancer makes it clear what VBS’s agenda is. All these lies started when Greenpoint won its battle against Community Board 1 and local Brooklyn based politicians to have its East River waterfront (nowhere near the spill) rezoned for residential development. Hope VBS got a nice check for their work. What’s the going rate for slander these days?
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:40 pm
[…] April 24th, 2007  I stumbled upon this multi-part web series on the Greenpoint/Williamsburg oil spill and aftermath via Green Brooklyn. It’s some scary entertaining shit. Posted by everydaytrash Filed in trash tv, trash politics, water, oil […]
April 26th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
The so called “Greenpoint Archive” is obviously a real estate speculator. It is clear concern for the neighborhood’s health is not its agenda but rather the neighborhood’s reputation. Which in turn is more than “hey you are hurting my feelings” but more likely “hey you are hurting my bottom line.” Like the bottom of the barrel? Buy what “Greenpoint Archive” is slinging.
April 30th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
For all those looking for proof that VBS lied in their video, you should go over to Tom Stagg’s Newell Street block today. He has three neighboring properties completing deep excavations for new sub basement foundations. The trucks are loaded with dirt. Guess what? It’s all clean. Not a hint of oil or contaminated soil. New gas line trenches are being dug one block down. No oil there either. Mr. Stagg is not telling the truth. The racist Williamsburg bloggers are desparate to push this smear campaign before the vapor data, which shows no signs of oil vapor is publically released. Nice try guys. Sell your toxic brownfield Williamsburg condos while you can. People are discovering the truth about your Greenpoint lies. As for VBS’s founder Spike Jonze, he went from producing jackass to becoming one.
May 8th, 2007 at 12:43 am
WHO IS THE GREENPOINT ARCHIVE RESPONSE WRITER? DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING THIS PERSON OR CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVE WRITES. THIS IS A TRUE STORY, IT IS HAPPENING AND THEY ARE TRYING TO COVER IT UP. STILL!!!! THE HEALTH EFFECTS CANNOT BE DENIED. WAKE UP AMERICA
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:09 pm
This is an amazing story that I’ve been following for quite some time. It’s hard to believe that so many people don’t know.
J
February 26th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
To Greenpoint Archive:
First of all, it was 30 million gallons, and no, half of it has not been cleaned
Secondly, even though Tom lives away from the original spill, he is still telling the truth when he says he is above oil. It has been well documented that because the oil cannot all go straight up, much of it travels laterally, therefore into other places away from the original contamination zone.
Thirdly, it is true that Greenpoint has lower incidences of many cancers than the rest of the city. But it is also true that leukemia rates are more than 50% higher. Do you know why? BECAUSE BENZENE IS A KNOWN CAUSE OF LEUKEMIA, and benzene is in oil vapors.
Fourthly, the name calling simply displays your desperation and immaturity. We are talking about people dying and breathing in toxic vapors here. Have some humanity.
Logan
May 7th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
We moved to Wburgh from Manhattan about 8 months ago. Very true what the video say, some work places here stinks like old oil, but it’s not until watching the videos about all toxids that I now why.
We were seriously considering buying by either N11 by the park or by the new Edge, but not any more. We will move to Brooklyn Height after the summer.
Bye Wburg.