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Chris wrote the following letter to the University City Review to follow up the ongoing discussion about UCD's Baltimore Avenue Project. He asked that it be forwarded to this listserv -- and I'm more than happy to oblige. Not as a favor to a friend. But because his conclusions about the "project" are much like my own.
Al Krigman
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From Chris to the Review...
Dear Editor: After my article that appeared in the UC Review had already been written and sent out, I talked to Eli Masser when I saw him at the Neighbor to Neighbor Street Festival, the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. I confronted him about the rumors that he had been callling L&I. He admitted to calling L&I and pushing for a general crackdown on businesses on Baltimore Avenue. "I don't expect you to agree with me about this," said Masser,"but new businesses can't compete with neighboring businesses are totally illegal." We debated for about half an hour. During this time, he made many slanderous remarks about Baltimore Avenue businesses saying that they do not pay their taxes or care about the community. I asked him why he thought new businesses would compete established ones, especially when they are offering different products and services. I defended merchants he spoke against as businesses I depend on for my needs. And I challenged him to find out from business owners what would really help them improve their businesses besides urging them to go into debt for facade changes. I have never met Charles Towsley. Mr. Towsley's relationship with his neighbors and the media coverage of the said relationship is entirely between himself, his neighbors, and the press. I do not wish to get into a personal fight with anyone. I want people who fund so-called neighborhood improvement initiatives to do the hard work of going out and having real conversations with everyone in the community about what would help them thrive and stay in the community. Instead, while one set of businesses is receiving aid, another set of businessses are being treated like accused criminals. The use of L&I in this matter is like trying to smash flies with a sledgehammer. The step of building a foundation of relationships with all groups in the community is the first and most important part of any community initiative. It comes instead of hiring architects to make computer generated drawings of what the hardware store would look like in the form of today's trendy design schemes. Sincerely, Chris White |
--- Begin Message ---Hi, Could somebody please forward this to the university city listserv? Thanks, Chris-------- Original Message -------- Subject: For the record about UCD, etc. From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wed, October 1, 2003 1:07 pm To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Dear Editor: After my article that appeared in the UC Review had already been written and sent out, I talked to Eli Masser when I saw him at the Neighbor to Neighbor Street Festival, the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. I confronted him about the rumors that he had been callling L&I. He admitted to calling L&I and pushing for a general crackdown on businesses on Baltimore Avenue. "I don't expect you to agree with me about this," said Masser,"but new businesses can't compete with neighboring businesses are totally illegal." We debated for about half an hour. During this time, he made many slanderous remarks about Baltimore Avenue businesses saying that they do not pay their taxes or care about the community. I asked him why he thought new businesses would compete established ones, especially when they are offering different products and services. I defended merchants he spoke against as businesses I depend on for my needs. And I challenged him to find out from business owners what would really help them improve their businesses besides urging them to go into debt for facade changes. I have never met Charles Towsley. Mr. Towsley's relationship with his neighbors and the media coverage of the said relationship is entirely between himself, his neighbors, and the press. I do not wish to get into a personal fight with anyone. I want people who fund so-called neighborhood improvement initiatives to do the hard work of going out and having real conversations with everyone in the community about what would help them thrive and stay in the community. Instead, while one set of businesses is receiving aid, another set of businessses are being treated like accused criminals. The use of L&I in this matter is like trying to smash flies with a sledgehammer. The step of building a foundation of relationships with all groups in the community is the first and most important part of any community initiative. It comes instead of hiring architects to make computer generated drawings of what the hardware store would look like in the form of today's trendy design schemes. Sincerely, Chris White
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