From The Quest Newsletter, Summer 2010:
"UCD and the Clark Park Partnership, a consortium that OVERSEES park
maintenance, events, POLICIES and capital projects..."
Neighbors,
Today, the first fence went up around Clark Park A. Over the past
month, many of you probably noticed the "X's" marking the initial trees
targeted for slaughter. Well, Clark Park isn't a public park any
longer! (This has been planned for a decade and more)
Penn is no longer pretending that its UCD has "community support" for
this taking of what was once one of the greatest urban neighborhood
parks in America! (Actually THINK about the UCD statement above). This
upscaling of Clark Park was rejected by citizens in this community many
years ago. But the citizens have mostly disappeared while Penn/UCD has
been methodically plotting!
The Clark Park Partnership has given a big middle finger to the
principles of public parks. Citizens are banned from their elite secret
meetings, so the idea that Clark Park continues to be a public park is
an absurd fantasy for district consumers.
Basically, the anointed, The Friends of Clark Park and Spruce Hill Civic
Ass. leaders; sold this community for the illusion of personal power.
Our local political leaders and the department of recreation are bought
by corporate interests, betraying their constituents, and that is called
fascism. Clark Park isn't a public park anymore. (Pinochet and
Friedman would be very happy)
If it wasn't so tragic, it would be hilarious; to review how TAXPAYER
money is being diverted to Penn as the greenwashing Water department
GRANTS. While rivers of water roll off of roofs and paved parking lots,
Penn has pretended that niagra falls of water spill from Clark park into
the storm sewers. This greenwashing of district consumers and stealing
from Philadelphia and PA taxpayers would have made a good Monty Python
sketch. The Clark Park Partnership was simply fooling naive district
consumers, while diverting taxpayer money to support Penn's alternative
history of the neighborhood, and upscale marketing schemes.
We should have recognized the lessons of history 10 years ago and fought
back! Say goodbye to public parks and Clark Park. (Sam and I are about
to move to Boston. I wish we could have gone before this day!)
Here is a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, The Cry of the Children.
It seems appropriate for future generations of American and Philadelphia
children.
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/victorian/topic_1/children.htm
Goodbye Clark Park,
Glenn and Sam
