Although their establishment is set to be seized by eminent domain to make way for the Atlantic Yards development, supporters of Freddy’s Bar aren’t going down without a fight. In fact, Steve De Seve, a bar patron and founder of protest group “Fightin’ Freddy’s,” and bar manager Don O’Finn have emerged as some of the most vocal opponents of the Bruce Ratner project, recently staging a video protest outside the bar at 485 Dean Street in Downtown Brooklyn, and then appearing on Fox News to make their case. The pair said they plan to stage a sit-in at the bar, during which time they and others will handcuff themselves to the building, should city officials try to forcibly remove them. “What the neighborhood has done here is absolutely astounding,” O’Finn said of the support his bar has received. [more]

Atlantic Yards project opponent Freddy’s Bar, located at 485 Dean Street on the corner of Sixth Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, has taken to the airwaves with a video (see above) of its protest.

The bar is one of many homes and businesses that would be displaced if the
development is allowed to go through — and the owners of the establishment
aren’t taking this lightly. At a ceremony in front of the bar, manager Donald O’Finn said that Freddy’s plans
to fight back against Atlantic Yards. “We urge all bars to join us in saying
‘no’ to the banks and their eminent domain property seizings,” O’Finn said.
O’Finn’s compatriots then used a beer can-guillotine to behead a faceless body with the words “eminent domain theft.” O’Finn said that Freddy’s plans to collect donations to help its cause.
[more]