A press release issued by the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA) accuses Jelly of having unmet financial obligations that have become a burden to OSA. As such, OSA is pulling their support of Jelly and the August 29 Pool Party featuring Delorean is now cancelled.
“We are deeply disappointed that the August 29th show has been canceled due to the continuing unmet financial obligations of the event's promoter, Jelly,” said Adam Perlmutter, Board member of OSA. “Over the years, we provided generous financial subsidies and other forms of support for Jelly's concerts in order to keep the Sunday shows free to the public. But, as a community-based non-profit, OSA can no longer cover both the costs of putting on these events — equipment, labor, and payments to the State for use of their park — and Jelly's substantial debt. Our primary concern is improving open space in North Brooklyn, and we will not endanger our mission by putting the finances and reputation of our organization at risk by allowing Jelly to slide on its financial obligations.”
The OSA has been involved with Jelly Pool Parties since 2008 when they served as a go-between for Jelly and the City of New York when the local concert-organizers held the event at McCarren Park.
According to an article from the Village Voice, Jelly's Sarah Hooper says that her organization has planned a full rebuttal because the release contains “numerous falsehoods that [Jelly] can document.”
On record, Impose can vouch for Jelly's limitless patience in the face of the finicky bureaucratic wrangling and frustrating obstructionism the successful non-profit has stood for “over the years,” not to mention the oddness of labeling the hundreds of thousands of dollars Jelly sent OSA's ways as “subsidies”.
As reported in the past, Jelly needed the assistance of Senator Chuck Schumer to sway OSA and the State to let the free shows continue this year — something he viewed as vital to the community (and we agree). OSA, who claims to be a community-minded organization, has shown an eagerness to use the waterfront space for paid shows through LiveNation / Ticket Master. Within the exorbitant fees they charge for tickets ($40-$60) and “handling” (an additional $10) there is also an OSA fee ($5). Our guess is OSA has been blinded by dollar signs and has grown weary of keeping the space free when it is clearly such a profitable location.
We're eager to hear Sarah Hooper's rebuttal, and we urge the thousands of you who have attended and enjoyed any of Jelly's free summer shows to become openly vocal to OSA and denounce this greedy behavior. Remember, before OSA, before Jelly, this was a free and open park, and any forced profiteering is clearly not in the best interest of the community.
