16 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 16, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM Safety concerns prompt LaBeouf exhibit closure BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua A controversial video exhibit installed at the Museum of the Moving Image on the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration has been removed aft er at least one arrest and dozens of threats that required a 24-hour police presence at the museum. “He Will Not Divide Us,” an installation Photo via Twitter/Offi cialJaden The Museum of the Moving Image has decided to shut down an installation installed on the day of President Trump’s inauguration. Real estate site Brownstoner is now part of Schneps BY CATE CORCORAN AND ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @QNS Schneps Communications, which publishes QNS and Th e Queens Courier, Courier Sun, Ridgewood Times and Times Newsweekly, announced on Feb. 9 that it acquired the Brooklyn-based Brownstoner, a website dedicated to real estate and business news. The acquisition marks Schneps Communications’ latest expansion into Brooklyn. Last year, it acquired Brokelyn, a lifestyle and entertainment blog geared toward Brooklyn residents living on a budget. Schneps Communications also publishes the Home Reporter and Brooklyn Spectator, which it acquired in 2011, and Brooklyn Reporter. “Together we now off er the biggest reach of any media company in Brooklyn,” said Joshua Schneps, owner, co-publisher and chief executive offi cer of the family fi rm, one of the largest publishers in Brooklyn and Queens, and Brownstoner’s new publisher. Th e acquisition of Brownstoner will also bring some benefi ts to QNS users. In the weeks to come, QNS and other digital platforms owned by Schneps Communications will begin utilizing Brownstoner’s technology, such as with the introduction of real estate and business services directories. Th ese directories, which will be located on the home page, enable users to fi nd and search for properties that are on the market across Queens, or fi nd a home improvement professional. Th e acquisition includes Brownstoner editorial and advertising. Th e digital media agency aspect of Brownstoner off ers clients digital marketing expertise, content creation and targeted reach online and through social media channels. “We have been working with Josh and the Schneps team for several years,” said Kael Goodman, founder and chief executive offi cer of digital marketing agency BlankSlate, which acquired Brownstoner in 2015. “We helped Schneps with the acquisition of Brokelyn and now we are thrilled to be able to put Brownstoner in Schneps’ hands too.” BlankSlate will provide web development and license its real estate and local marketing solutions to Schneps for Brownstoner and its other publications. Cate Corcoran will continue to lead Brownstoner’s content team and Brad Einhorn will continue to lead sales. Schneps Communications is the largest privately owned publisher of community newspapers, magazines, local websites and events serving Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Long Island. Its 35 events include the Best of Brooklyn Food and Beer Festival and Star Network business events such as Brooklyn Power Women in Business and the Brooklyn Real Estate Conference. Launched in 2004 during a new wave of real estate investment and construction in Brooklyn, Brownstoner chronicles change in Brooklyn through the lens of real estate and renovation. Brownstoner also hosts real estate listings, a community forum for connecting with neighbors, and a directory of home improvement professionals. Screenshot of Brownstoner’s home page created by LeBeouf’s art collective, featured a camera that streamed worldwide. Participants were encouraged to say the words “he will not divide us” into the camera. Th e museum had planned to keep the camera there for four years, until the next presidential inauguration. Almost immediately, problems ensued at the site, which is located at 36-01 35th Ave. LaBeouf was arrested less than a week later aft er allegedly tugging on a 25-year-old protester’s scarf during an argument and scratching the individual’s neck. He was booked on misdemeanor charges and released shortly thereaft er. According to Buzzfeed, Trump supporters and neo-Nazis were using sites like 4Chan and Reddit to plan and organize harassment campaigns against installation participants. Some of their actions went viral on the neo-Nazi YouTube community. Th e museum released a statement on Feb. 10 saying that the “the installation had become a fl ashpoint for violence and was disrupted from its original intent.” “While the installation began constructively, it deteriorated markedly aft er one of the artists was arrested on the site of the installation and ultimately necessitated this action,” the statement read. “Over the course of the installation, there have been dozens of threats of violence and numerous arrests, such that police felt compelled to be stationed outside the installation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” In a statement on the project’s website, the artist collective said they would not abandon the project. “On February 10, 2017, the Museum of the Moving Image abandoned the project,” said the collective, known as LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner. “Th e artists, however, have not.” Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer hosted a rally at the installation to condemn hate speech and several hundred Queens residents showed up to repeat the phrase into the camera. But according to Van Bramer, the public safety threats and calls from constituents who felt unsafe living near the exhibit were too much. “Dissent and dissenting voices are always welcome at cultural institutions,” he said. “But while I am a great supporter of culture in New York City, and believe strongly in the Museum of the Moving Image’s decision to take on challenging works, including this one, it is clear that this installation became a public nuisance and a public safety hazard. Th at could not continue.” Florence Koulouris, district manager of Community Board 1, said she received calls from residents living in the area who were sometimes scared to leave their house because of crowds congregating not only at the museum but on their stoops. “Our offi ce received telephone complaints from resident who live in the neighborhood due to the fact that people were congregating at the site and also going to their private properties whether it be on their front stoop or in the alleyways,” Koulouris said. “In addition to that it was a burden on the community due to the fact of the necessity of the police at the location consistently.”
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