Monday evening's candlelight vigil brought a group of around 50 concerned citizens to the steps of the City County Building.
Team Gahan's compromised cadres were absent, although their increasingly ill-tempered spluttering formed a veritable ghost soundtrack to the evening.
Let's begin with perhaps the single best summary of Jeff Gahan's public housing takeover (in bold).
Candlelight vigil held for residents of New Albany public housing fearful of demolition, by Sara Sidery (WDRB)
... The group "We Are New Albany" is against the city's plan to overhaul the New Albany Housing Authority, which involves the demolition of units.
"If we don't stand together as a community, our community is doing to fail, and we can't let that happen," one resident said.
Residents in attendance said they live in fear about where to go next.
"They're spraying perfume in our face, but really it ain't nothing but a dog turd," Alissa Baumgardner said.
The mic was dropped, but we move forward with Elizabeth Beilman's excellent newspaper account.
Critics of New Albany Housing Authority demolition plan to deliver petition to mayor, Elizabeth Beilman (News and Tribune)
We Are New Albany holds candlelight vigil Monday
NEW ALBANY — A group of New Albany Housing Authority residents and others who oppose a plan to demolish more than 500 units stood supported by a state representative and local candidates Monday night ...
... Represented at the vigil were the Democrat Socialists of America Louisville chapter, Democratic 9th Congressional District candidate Dan Canon, Democratic State House of Representatives District 72 candidate Chris FitzGerald and Democratic candidate for Louisville mayor Ryan Fenwick.
"This isn't a red issue or a blue issue, it's a human issue," State Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany, said at the vigil. "Everyone deserves access to safe, decent, affordable housing, and everyone deserves assurance that that is going to be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that."
Canon observed, but did not speak. FitzGerald spoke, though he followed the safe Dickeyist script, carefully avoided any direct reference to Deaf Gahan's public housing putsch, sticking instead to his own experiences of housing insecurity as a child, and neutral homilies about empowerment.
Clere was direct and empathetic -- THIS NARRATIVE IS INTERRUPTED BY AN ANGUISHED SCREAM FROM DEAF GAHAN, lifting his head from a puddle of spilled Kool-Aid in the groggy realization of ooh, that smell -- the Febreze bottle is empty, and there aren't enough TIF scraps left to buy more.
"I would say to all those regional players [at the vigil], where have they been? Where has Ed Clere been?" Gahan said. "Because this isn't new. The city of New Albany has put a lot of effort and a lot of resources into providing affordable housing to people in need since the 30's, and that will continue."
Let's help our enfeebled and agoraphobic Dear Leader: Having defeated a series of weak, throwaway Democratic candidates, Clere has been in Indianapolis, serving as state representative, a position Deaf Gahan won't ever experience in his life ... especially after this weird, ongoing, small pond student council sociopath's jihad against New Albany most vulnerable residents.
And yet Deaf Gahan remains ensconced within his Disney-fried fantasy bunker, writing mash notes to heroes like John F. Kennedy and Nicolae Ceausescu, both of whom, if reincarnated, would flick the Deafster aside like an annoying insect, asking: who's that fanboy poseur over there?
"I think if any of those folks that showed up tonight took a look at what we're doing and how we're doing it, I think they would be pleased as well," Gahan said. He believes the city is "doing [its] part" to help low-income residents.
With a friend like Deaf Gahan, who needs enemies?
Asked for his perspective, interim demolition director David Duggins responded by text.
Meanwhile, Clere dispassionately dispensed facts.
Clere said in a phone interview before the vigil that he told the group he would sign the petition.
"I'm concerned about what's been going on and most of all, I'm concerned about the residents who are my constituents," he said. "I'm trying to express my support for them."
Clere said he isn't sure if a one-for-one replacement of demolished housing units is the right approach. But he is "not convinced" the current plan won't leave anyone homeless.
"[Vouchers] sound great, but many people, not just residents, but other members of the community as well are concerned about whether displaced housing authority residents would be able to find housing," he said. "It's a question of availability and affordability. There has to be both. And that's an open question at this point."
Finally, brief coverage at WAVE 3:
Concerned residents fight plan to demolish New Albany public housing, by Jobina Fortson (WAVE 3)
NEW ALBANY, IN (WAVE) - Concerned residents gathered for a candlelight vigil Monday night in New Albany, at the site where hundreds of families are worried they'll soon be without a home.
The group We Are New Albany collected more than 1,000 signatures for a petition they plan to deliver to Mayor Jeff Gahan Tuesday.
Can wagons be circled any more tightly? Deaf Gahan's public housing putsch is his own personal Vietnam, which means the helicopters should arrive in November, 2019.
No comments:
Post a Comment