the URA and the Park

So, I have been distantly following the goings-on of the Urban Residents Association, the Downtown Partnership, and the saga of the Church Street Park. The Church Street Park is (well, was) full of homeless people, see. And this is bad for business, and blech who likes to look at poor people, right? So, the URA and the Downtown Partnership have been pretty vocal that we “do something” about “the problem”. I’ve done my share of ranting about this in the past, so I won’t recap all that. But, basically, the city was eventually cajoled into basically razing (sorry, remodeling) the park. Trees were razed, comfortable benches were ripped out, all in the interest of discouraging homeless people from hanging out there. So what’s left is this rather ugly abomination. A lot of the people that hung out there are now hanging out underneath the Shelby Street bridge next to my apartment complex. (They didn’t just disappear! Shocker!) However, even here, now, they’ve posted signs that now the park (benches) under the bridge closes at 11PM. That should take care of our homeless problem – unless of course they continue existing and just go somewhere else. But I digress. Sorry, I’m trying to keep my sarcasm off. So, anyways. Today I get this e-mail from the URA:

We haven’t scheduled any official programming yet for Church Street Park…………

But we can still come out and play in the Park right away!

Come join us tomorrow, Saturday November 10 between 11:00AM and 3:00PM.

We have some games, bring your own if you want.

Dogs and kids welcome, Everyone is welcome!

I’ll see you in the Park!

How cute, they’re reclaiming the park, now that it’s been rid of the filthy vermin. “Everyone is welcome!” Somehow, I don’t think that’s exactly true. So, of course, you know what I’m thinking. My inner provocateur is thinking it’s time for a homeless field trip to the Church Street Park. Sadly meaningless provocation is rarely a good way to effect change. Still, the idea of an NHPP assemblage or something at the park tomorrow is very amusing to me right now.