Conjuring the resistance to N.Y.U. 2031

[media-credit name=”Photo by Tequila Minsky ” align=”aligncenter” width=”600″][/media-credit]Professor Mark Crispin Miller, a leader in N.Y.U. FASP (Faculty Against the Sexton Plan), was the closing speaker at a “Save the Village Benefit” Monday night at New York Theater Workshop, 79 E. Fourth St. More than 120 people contributed $200 or more toward the benefit, which raised funds for a community lawsuit against New York University’s 2031 superblocks mega-development plan. A top law firm is representing the group largely pro bono, but FASP has been asked to raise $25,000 for a retainer. The event brought together activists who have been fighting large-scale projects around the city, from the Chelsea Market expansion to the Nets basketball arena and development project in Downtown Brooklyn. “We are the adults in this struggle — the faculty and the community are the realists,” said Miller, who teaches media studies. “Sexton is cracked,” he said of the university’s president. “This plan is so warped that even Robert Moses would hate it. I have confidence we can stop it.” The public hearing on N.Y.U.’s plan will be on Fri., June 29, starting at 9:30 a.m., at City Hall. The City Council is expected to vote on the plan in mid-July.