PHOTO & VIDEO GALLERY: Truth Park Opened, Senator Montgomery Speaks About Reforming The Brooklyn Public Library Board, Canvassing on “Bike the Branches” Day

This page will be updated-

It took a surprising amount of doing even with a state senator making the request, but May 7th Truth Park was opened for public use for the first time in years.  We gathered and Senator Montgomery spoke about legislation she has in the works to reform the board of the Brooklyn Public Library to expunge conflicts of interests, return to and keep the BPL on track with its mission and ensure that, in the future, it properly represents the public and the patrons it is supposed to serve.

If you have any questions why correction is in order, other than simply observing that the current board is hungry for turning libraries into real estate deals, plundering sales that benefit developers, not the public, just consider how astounding is the current composition of the BPL board:

Brooklyn Public Library Trustees- Identified + Biographical and Other Information Supplied

Just Wednesday night there were related discussion about the board of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation,  the question being posed: "How do we get the rascals out?"   As it happens, probably not so much by coincidence, there is startling overlap between the two boards, one pressing to sell park land for development, the other looking to sell libraries for development.

Here is a link to a page about the event on Senator Montgomery's own website:

"Senator Montgomery in Truth Park with Brooklyn's Citizens Defending Libraries" on the senator's site.

Preserving Public Libraries, Velmanette Montgomery, May 09, 2016

Photo above and below from article on the senator's website

We were also busy canvassing.  It was "Bike the Branches" day.  Most people had heard that there are five ongoing investigations concerning de Blasio's "pay to play" administration. They were also quite interested in hearing about how that ties in with money de Blasio was getting from the developer who want to buy the library for a minuscule fraction of its value to the public and how de Blasio is giving it to him even when his bid is an inferior one, $6 million (12%) below one of the two higher bids.

"ALL THAT COME HERE TO SEEK TREASURE WILL NOT TAKE AWAY GOLD BUT THE SEEKER AFTER TRUTH AND INSTRUCTION WILL FIND THAT WHICH WILL ENRICH THE MIND AND HEART"

More information about the SEEK TRUTH, NOT GOLD inscription:

Monday, July 6, 2015, Handout Number 3 For July 6, 2014 Brooklyn Community Board 2 Land Use Committee Meeting- Come To The Library Seeking Truth NOT Treasure