Reasons given for Fort Hancock’s demise
(Open letter to the federal government regarding the National Park Service policy for Fort Hancock at Sandy Hook)

We, the people, are not buying this exploitation of Sandy Hook. Leave our national parkland in the public’s control.

The National Park Service says it can’t afford to maintain our parklands. The public’s reaction is — we cannot afford to have a National Park Service that doesn’t do what the people think is best.

The public will not tolerate the loss of control of Sandy Hook. How it happened:

• Make Fort Hancock a national park.

• Fail for 30 years to maintain the park, especially the buildings, citing inadequate funding, the net result being demolition by neglect.

• Then proclaim the buildings are in danger of imminent collapse

• Initiate a plan to turn over the people’s buildings and property to a developer/speculator for private profit for 60 years, thereby getting rid of the problem, which the National Park Service itself created.

• Give this land grab for speculators a catchy title — "Partnerships with Industry."

• Promote the land grab, and generate coordinated federal government and industry praise of project.

• The government declares victory over another problem, and campaign funds flow from the industries and organizations, which benefit from this for profit, commercialization sell out of the people’s property.

Another problem solved federal government-style.

Peter P. O’Such Jr.

Fair Haven