Scene From the--er--Class Struggle in Brooklyn

This morning after an M.T.A. committee meeting, supporters of Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Yards project took every opportunity to push the class-war angle. A local group called BUILD, created a year ago to support the Ratner project, sent at least one person to the meeting, and The Real Estate asked him whether more supporters would be out in force on Wednesday. He didn't want to raise expectations too high. "Our members are working people," he said. "Some on the opposition have independent sources of income--you know, trust funds and such." BUILD members might not have lots of money, but the group does have a public relations agency working for them now. The MTA real-estate committee didn't discuss the two bids (the other comes from Extell Development Co.) this morning but the full board could nonetheless vote on them at its Wednesday meeting. - Matthew Schuerman