As noted here, our man in the NYC Council, Steve Levin, would like to see filming in Brooklyn Heights take a chill pill and be still for a while.
This dispatch from a BHB contributor shows that filming in the neighborhood can be more that just a small inconvenience. NBC’s shoot Monday for the show Smash appears to have gone beyond the pale:
There is always a lot of filming in Brooklyn Heights. I have to be very aware of what the signs say because productions have now started to have varied times when the permits take place.
I saw they are going to film NBC’s Smash around the block where my car was parked and the parking would be locked off as of 10 PM tonight. I knew I was good because I was leaving to take a friend to the airport at 9:30 this morning.
As planned I went to get my car with my dog in tow. I tossed the three cones that were up against my tire to the side so I could get out and then I was going to move to the other side and put them back from where I left.
As I’m opening my car door two men over six feet tall start walking aggressively near me screaming that I didn’t have to toss the cones like that. Um, did they want me to run them over? They were no where near me until I moved those cones and it wasn’t like I went wild and chucked them at another car I tossed them about a foot and made sure no one was coming as they were up against my car like every other car on the street. Mind you this is over 12 hours prior to the permit taking effect and over a day before filming will begin.
The men continued to come towards me. One of them with a Jamaican accent starting screaming racial slurs at me saying that I wasn’t from this country, was a stupid ch***, etc. Then both of the guys stood next to my car on the passenger side (that was the street side), while I quickly put my dog into the car. The Jamaican guy then saw her and started to threaten my petite French bulldog. I got into the car quickly as he continued to block my door and pound with his keys on my windows and they both screamed at me.
I hauled out of there, having to wait until I was a block away to pull over and put my dog securely into her car bag. Then I dropped my friend at the airport and stashed my car in another neighborhood until Smash is done filming because who knows what they would do.
On my way home, I saw a policeman so I spoke to him and explained what happened. He asked me if the man had dreads- he did. Apparently that guy has been harassing other people all day in the neighborhood!
Why is it I felt some relief to know I wasn’t the only one? Why am I a taxpaying citizen subjected to someone who may or may not be legal in my neighborhood who is essentially a visitor? Why did two grown men think it was okay to, in tandem represent their employer this way? I’m sure it wasn’t the first time, if the guy continues to behave that way all day. It’s a bad look for Smash and for NBC. One thing I will tell you this was more alarming to me than the season finale of Smash where the director tells the producer it’s his decision who the lead is and she should shut up- hello, that is so not realistic and who, unless it was a name, would ever pick an unknown the day of a show launch, over Megan Hilty? Come on! Well, now I’m definitely not going to watch the show anymore and may silently scoff at NBC promoting itself as the network of diversity!
I can watch 30 Rock on Hulu!
