In the wake of City Councilmembers de Blasio and Yassky and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz’s purge of nine CB 6 members who voiced their opposition to the Atlantic Yards project, the Green Party of Brooklyn denounced the politically motivated purge and has called for more democracy in community board appointments.

"These folks have been serving their community by opposing the disastrous Atlantic Yards project," said Green Party of Brooklyn Chair Colby Hamilton. "Now we see how community-supported opposition is handled - it’s a political massacre."

"De Blasio, Yassky and Markowitz are Brooklyn’s version of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales," said Gloria Mattera, 2005 Green Party candidate for borough president. "Corruption inside the two-party system runs from the highest level on down."

"CB 6 is my community board," said James Lane, member of the Park Slope Greens. "I was proud of the thoughtful and transparent process the board used to review and finally vote against the Atlantic Yards project. The decision to expel these public servants is just another sign that the proponents of the Atlantic Yards debacle are willing to stoop to anything to shove this project down the community’s throat."

"Councilmember DeBlasio seems to have his facts mixed up," Ms. Mattera pointed out in reference to Mr. DeBlasio’s comment that those CB 6 members who opposed the Atlantic Yards project and have now been pushed out were "against affordable housing." "His political posturing around a development project that is, in fact, going to severely under serve those in need of affordable housing is, at best, a misrepresentation; at worst, he is lying to the people in and around his district."

"This is all a matter of democracy," Ms. Mattera concluded. "Local residents need to be able to decide who should be on Community Boards. The Green Party of Brooklyn has long favored replacing appointees with elected community representation. Political appointments undermine grassroots democracy - it is time for our voice to be heard."