Goodbye, Sun Chemical Company
(2008-10-03 at 23:36:37 )

The residents of " Rosebank " were forced to put up with a New York Power
Authority generation plant a few years ago; and Rosebank's residents found out
that they could not do a thing about it except to meekly protest.

" Eminent Domain " is the governmental phrase put on the confiscation of any
and all property that your omnipotent government decides it wants to use for
anything it deems fit.

Thusly a " Power Plant " got erected on Bay Street in Rosebank and there was
no recourse, lawsuit, or any other way to fight it.

The other day Dump trucks were almost flying out onto Tompkins Avenue from the
former site of the Sun Chemical Company.

The first thought that came to my mind is that something very bad had been
discovered during the demolition and the " Evidence " is being gotten rid of
as fast as is humanly possible.

Instead of a desperately needed high school campus and recreation and civic
center; I feel the " government " and its " cronies " have other plans for
this large plot of land that will completely ignore the dire needs of the
surrounding Staten Island Rosebank community.

As a Boston youngster I remember the blueprint for an elaborate roadway named
the " Inner Belt ". Lots of government agencies were a part and parcel of this
grand undertaking.

Back and forth the squabbling between the arms government went with absolutely
no serious input by the people living where this great project was to be built.

Eventually all of the government agencies were satisfied with the final plan.

Thousands of homes were taken by " Eminent Domain " and then demolished.

Many, many thousands of people were displaced, demoralized, and heartbroken!!

Their homes, lives, and communities were no more. It was ALL GONE, GONE!!!

HOWEVER - The " Inner Belt " roadway was NEVER EVER BUILT!!

The government caused all of that inhuman misery for absolutely nothing.

The day I took these pictures I talked to a woman whose family has lived
across the street from the plant for years and years and they suffered a very
great deal because of the operation of the Sun Chemical Company.

She was glad that the plant was finally being demolished. A Chemical Plant, of
all things, does truly not belong within a residential neighborhood.

I was honest with her and told her " our government " would probably build a
Prison on the land or some other thing that is never really going to be of any
benefit to the residents of the " Rosebank " community at all!!

I told her that after the November Elections " Our Government " would likely
inform us of just what it intends to force down our Staten Island Throats!!