While most of the thousands of Broolynites on hand for yesterday’s opening of the Barclays Center were happy to be there, the Observer reports that a much smaller group of 150 or so showed up to do some protesting. Some held a candlelight vigil, others scolded Barclays Center developer Forest City Ratner for breaking his affordable housing promise, and several directed their anger at Jay-Z himself, who not only part-owns the Brooklyn Nets but also headlined last night’s inaugural concert. One demonstrator held up a sign that read, “99 Percent Problems, and this Arena is 1 Percent.” An Occupy Wall Street band of musicians released a mash-up of classic Florence Reece protest song “Which Side Are You On?” and Jay-Z’s own “U Don’t Know.” Meanwhile a local community organizer reminded the singer of his rough-hewn Brooklyn roots: “We need to find a way to make it affordable for kids who grew up in the projects, like you did, J, to see a game.”
