Life Under The Magnolia
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Clare Hanrahan, a.k.a. mariahsage, continues to chronicle the Magnolia vigil at her blog, Asheville on the Ground. I love reading her daily tales of who’s come down there to support the vigilant. A couple of fun excerpts:
“We have allies in many unexpected places and many are outside the usual circle of folks in the “activist community.” A man wearing a “juror” tag around his neck had heard about the Magnolia Watch and wanted to sign the petition.
“I don’t like the idea that it [the sale of parkland] was done on the quiet,” he said.
—–
“A young and much tattooed woman came over. After a while she identified herself as a member of the Downtown Commission. That body voted in favor of the Parkside development, so I was somewhat surprised when she told us, “Saying thank you doesn’t seem like enough.”
She was obviously conflicted about her role on the commission. She excused her vote in favor of the condominiums by saying, “When you become a member, you agree to play by the rules.”
If you haven’t been down to the park land to sign the petition, you ought to go and sit for a while in the shade of that old tree. The conversation is always sparkling, and the cause needs you.
In the frenzied days of July, I must have missed this excellent piece at Jennifer Saylor’s blog:
Why I Oppose Parkside
Excerpt:
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This just hit the wires:
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Hey Gordon, thanks for the link!
I’ve spent a few afternoons under the magnolia during the Coleman reign, and it really is a good time. There’s an ever-changing cast of characters there from people on the fringes of society to dog-walking yuppies to old-timers with a wealth of downtown history to share. I learned a lot about Asheville just from hanging out and listening.
I really recommend a visit to the magnolia, not so much to protest as to check out an eclectic scene. It’s not a hippie campfire. It’s a mix of many kinds of Asheville elements, beliefs and people.
As we sat under the magnolia one day I told Clare that Scrutiny Hooligans was the brain of the anti-Parkside movement and she and her writings were its heart. It made her smile. It’s true.
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RE: Comment #2 — WHAT?????? Will you please post that to Blog Asheville?
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The text of Coleman’s letter about the timeframe for the tree removal is now up on the Mountain Xpress site:
http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/magnolia_on_notice_parkside_protesters_plan_response
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Jon, thanks for the prompt and thorough coverage; it’s really appreciated.
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Went ahead and posted this news to Blog Asheville just now:
http://blogasheville.blogspot.com/2008/08/breaking-parkside-news-city-hall.html
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What are they going to do, chain themselves to it?
Unless they file suit, which I can’t imagine they have the grounds for, whatever their “response” is will be meaningless.
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Framing this issue as though it is Lady Moonpie and et al (or whatever it is that she goes by–and I know they mean well) Vs Coleman obfuscates the real issue(s): bad government.
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Misfeasance by the County government is a real issue and so is Mr. Coleman’s contempt for the broad opposition, Shad. So far these groups + 7,000 petition signers oppose this project:
The Asheville Downtown Association
The Asheville Tree Commission
Asheville’s Democracy For America
People Advocating Real Conservancy
Mountain Voices Alliance
Buncombe County Democratic Party
The Editorial Board of the Asheville Citizen-Times
Buncombe County Green Party
Asheville City Council
Buncombe County Commissioners in a recent resolution
Western North Carolina Alliance
The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County
Pack Square Conservancy
and… Coven Oldenwilde.
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