Several African-American supporters of Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project have demanded the Nets owner cancel his naming rights deal with Barclays Bank after allegations surfaced that the British Bank was founded by slave traders--a charge the company denies--and supported South Africa's apartheid regime in the 1980's. Other community leaders dismiss the history as irrelevant. The dispute has been seized on by some critics of the project whose anchor is the new Nets' arena.
- Black leaders to Bruce: Pay us back! - Ariella Cohen - Brooklyn Paper
- Unshackle B'klyn minds - Errol Louis - New York Daily News
- Barclays’ apartheid past further taints Atlantic Yards project - Tanangachi Mfune - Amsterdam News
- A Britisher's view: The aggrieved take a low shot at Barclays Bank - Shavana Abruzzo - Brooklyn Courier Life
- Ratner’s ‘Blood Money’ fills the mailbag - Brooklyn Paper