Friends of Fort Greene Park

Last updated: 6 October 2025

I built another website, this time a complete redesign to clearly convey this 8-year long activist campaign to save trees in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park. Shifted from old, messy Google Site to a custom-built, guided-vibecoded React.js site with responsive petition signatures.

The point of the movement is this:

NYC Parks claims to have community support for the plan, but nearly every single person we talk to in the park about this proposal reacts negatively. We agree with most of the plan, it’s just the few points we’ve detailed that we strongly oppose. The users of the park want to keep the trees and do not want the concrete plaza—which will create a heat island effect, increase noise & visual pollution from the streets, and destroy the original design including the Bye mounds.

Check out the information on the website and let us know what you think! Visit the Action Center page to sign the petition and for info to contact your elected officials.

Ranting a personal story for posterity:

The day after I relocated around Brooklyn adjacent to this park, I went on a Saturday morning jog to explore it. I ran around the perimeter, and on the far side a woman with a camera caught my eye. And my body froze, feeling like my intuition said to go say hi. I have a lot of interesting stories that started like this, so I went. I approached and said “I want to see what you see” in a light-hearted cheeky way. But what she said stirred me: she was taking photos of the trees that are marked to be destroyed by NYC Parks. “What?!” And told me they’ve been fighting legally for EIGHT YEARS, and the final court case was in progress (three weeks later, they lost). I offered any way to help. I saw an opportunity to massively improve the online messaging, and desire to find a way to rally the people to collectively plea to save the trees and preserve the peace & original design of the park.

And then, as a bonus (or indirect compensation?!), through her, I met other cat owners and have been staying for free in NYC catsitting since June 😆

Anyway. I’m in the middle of refreshing the socials, designing fliers to hand out to local businesses, and organizing a rally. NYC Parks is technically clear to chop down the trees now… some are willing to sit in the trees in protest. Hopefully that doesn’t have to happen. We just want a few parts of their overall great plan changed.

If you’re in NYC/Brooklyn, would love your support!