Future: “Let Thy
Servant Depart
in Peace”

By: Ben Stamper

In the outer edges of Queens there is a little piece of post-apocalypse that’s just a 7-train ride away. Hugging the new Citi Field stadium, the infamous “Iron Triangle” is home to hundreds of migrant auto repair shops, scrap yards and waste management outfits. It is a picture of industrial anarchy that rivals the favelas of Brazil or the ship breakers of India. There is no plumbing save a few septic tanks. No sidewalks, no drainage. A little rain typically brings a lot of flooding. Its “roads” are easily the worst in the city. Most of the structures are constructed of corrugated metal and are hastily built as needed. Trash flows freely over dumpsters into the ubiquitous oil puddles. For 50 years the city of New York has been trying to enact a plan to level the 62 acres of auto grease and rotting tires. For the 1,700 laborers who earn their living in the Iron Triangle, the writing is on the wall. Today, as many shops have relocated or closed their doors as remain open. Willets Point is a highly controversial struggle between the near and distant future of everyday New York. This film is intended as an homage for a way of life on the edge of extinction; a confession that the will to survive is somehow stronger than the math of circumstance, and abundant life nips at the heels of hopeless devastation.

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