
‘We won’t be forgotten no more’
Southeast Brooklyn residents call for ‘fast ferry’ service from Canarsie Pier
BY DEAN MOSES
Brooklyn community leaders
huddled in the blistering
cold at the entrance to Canarsie
Pier on Dec. 19 to say they
will not be forgotten in their
pursuit of fast ferry service.
Calling South Brooklyn
a transportation desert, the
group is urging Mayor-elect
Eric Adams to ensure residents
have equal access to the
same water transit that can be
found in other parts of the city.
“Mayor-elect Eric Adams,
we’re here to call on you to
bring a fast ferry to Canarsie
Pier,” said Jibreel Jalloh, a
member of Flossy Organization,
an advocacy group fi ghting
to bring resources to Canarsie.
“You had a statement
released about two years ago
to say that you’re gonna support
the idea of bringing a
fast ferry to Canarsie. Now it’s
time to deliver.”
Jalloh glanced at the traffi c
accumulating along the Belt
Parkway adjacent to the pier
and simply asked of the city,
“You opened up a fast ferry
port in so many other parts of
New York. Why are we left out
yet again? Why is it taking so
long?”
According to Jalloh, the
Canarsie Improvement Association
COURIER LIFE, D 20 ECEMBER 24-30, 2021
has garnered over
6,000 signatures from concerned
locals who desire to
see a ship sail into their home
pier, which is part of the Gateway
National Recreation Area.
The petition has been collecting
names since 2017, yet still
speakers say the city has yet
to act. With a new mayor imminent,
the group is turning
to Adams for action.
This proposed ferry service
is also backed by incoming
Council Member Mercedes
Narcisse. She shared
that since Canarsie, her hometown,
deserves the opportunity
to fl ourish with tourists
and visitors, enjoying the diners,
shopping areas and other
small businesses.
“I believe it is time for us as
a community to get all handson
deck to fi ght to bring equity
and transportation is one of
them. We live in a transportation
desert and having a fast
ferry here, we’ll have the community
not only on the transportation,
but economically
it will grow our businesses. It
will grow! Give us an opportunity
to gather to spend time together
as a community. We see
people fi shing here and enjoy
the recreational area. We’re
gonna open other doors to connect.
We know communication
is everything,” Narcisse said.
Residents also joined the
rally from areas throughout
Canarsie, Spring Creek and
East New York calling for
ferry transportation from the
pier to Shirley Chisholm Park
(which is only accessible by
bus) and other boroughs.
“We are forgotten, but we
will be forgotten no more,”
Ottis, a local resident said as
he held onto a sign with the
words: “Fast ferry now.”
Advocates call for ‘fast ferry’ service at Canarsie Pier on Dec. 19. Photo by Dean Moses