For the past month tenants in the Flat Iron Building have been trying unsuccessfully to meet with Bob Berger, owner, over the installation of Internet cameras in the common areas of the building and outside on the street. Finally he’s come clean. As he said in your article [July 13], his plan is to put the Flat Iron on the Web “around the world, around the clock” via the Internet, all to accommodate his desire to launch his new sitcom. From his interview it’s clear he not only plans on spying on the artists and tenants, but also on profiteering from our lives. Though he claims in a Chicago Tribune article that he “knows what is best for the artists,” there are others who think otherwise. They oppose the plans for the “little brother” atmosphere in the building.
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For many people in the building this was the first time we have come together to discuss common issues and to voice an opinion. God forbid we should have a mind of our own and disagree with “those who know best” for us. As one artist said at the end of a press tour through the Flat Iron, “It’s ironic that in a building where free thinking, alternative lifestyles, and art are supposed to flourish, that at the first sign of dissent people get evicted.” No, there probably won’t be, as your article points out, a part in Bob Berger’s sitcom for Jessie Davis, RCP Pubs’ office manager. But as his plans pro-ceed, there will be many parts for people to play in opposing the cameras.
