A day after I got back from L.A., I took my bike out and went for a ride downtown. I had to visit Commerce Bank which has immodestly installed itself in a very conspicuous way at the corner of Court Street and Montague Street, across from Brooklyn Borough Hall. I've been there on business many times but this was the first time I noticed a bronze plaque on the side of the building.
The present bank notwithstanding, this building, at 215 Montague Street, was the scene of a historic event in the history of Brooklyn and Baseball. For it was at this location that the Brooklyn Dodgers maintained their offices and where, on August 8, 1945, Jackie Robinson signed an agreement with that team that broke the Jim Crow color line. Baseball, finally, belonged to all the people.
A plaque memorializing a historic event for Brooklyn and the country.
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We've discovered a lovely little grocery not more than a mile from our place on the corner of Vanderbilt and DeKalb Avenues in Fort Greene, a recurring destination as that site also contains a great restaurant, Ici and a nice cafe, Tillie's. Plus this little shop, L'Epicerie. The owners, who are French, sell a strange assortment of foodstuffs in their tiny market. Everything from Australian lamb, organic greens, bread from Blue Ribbon bakery and chocolate from Jacques Torres. Because it's a specialty store the prices are tres chic, but we find it hard to resist the excellent baguettes, French olives and cheeses and some wonderful pates.
L'epicerie on Vanderbilt and Dekalb Avenues.
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This coming weekend is the second anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. A terrible disaster for our country and the world, it is an illegal war that was justified with fabrications and lies. Now, 1500 American lives and countless thousands of Iraqi lives later, it continues without an end in sight. Bush is now demanding that the servile and corrupt Congress give him and the Halliburtons another 82 billion dollars so he can continue the outrage. This, while the defecit grows, attacks on working people continue with plans to privatize Social Security, jobs get shipped abroard where profits are greater, health care reaches crisis proportions and the school system disintegrates.
From March 18th to the 20th, millions of Americans will protest the war. In Fayetville, North Carolina, military families and veterans have called for demonstrations against the occupation. Thousands will converge on that location. And in 574 towns and cities around the country, Americans will be standing up to demand and end to the war and that the troops be brought home now - safe and alive.
Incidentally, you can help send off the New York contingent to the Fayetville protest. Just show up at UNION SQUARE on Friday, March 18th at 6:30 pm.
To participate in the broad and growing anti-war movement just click here to visit United For Peace And Justice, which is coordinating the nation-wide days of protest.
Look for events in your location.In Brooklyn, local groups, under the banner of Brooklyn Parents For Peace and Peace Action, are gathering at 10:30 am on Saturday, March 19th at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade at the foot of Montague Street. From there we will march to the armed forces recruiting station on Flatbush Avenue.
Please join in wherever you can and add your voice to the millions demanding peace. In the end, it will be up to the American people, not Congress, to put an end to this shameful war. The whole world is watching.
Be part of the great peace march this weekend.
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