My latest piece is up at 3 Quarks Daily, It took 13 years, but Jersey City finally has a poured-concrete SK8park – A story of local grass roots politics. It’s a story I know well, as I played an important part of it, though just how important, that I do not know. I say that, not simply because, as a participant, I am biased, but because, independently of the fact that I was a participant, I really don’t know.
Near the end I give a simple explanation of my role: “I took notes, kept a record, got people interested, and they did the rest.” That’s true, but there’s something a bit mysterious about what came before the “and” in that sentence and what came after. A lot of people gave a significant chunk of their time over the years to get that park built. In particular, I have no conception of the political dealing that went on to get the park funded. My role was over by the time it was up to the politicians to pay for the park.
Before that point, just what did I do? I believed in and articulated an idea, that’s what I did. I kept that idea alive. The big mystery hanging over it all: Just how do ideas become reality?
