(Colonial Manor edition): GREEN MOUSE presents NAWBANY WEEK IN REVIEW for 28 February 2020.

Good morning, and HAPPY GRAVITY HEAD.

There's really only one important New Agony story from the past week. Rumors from previous weeks were confirmed, and it was revealed that the Colonial Manor shopping center on Charlestown Road was sold to new owners, and also that a plan had been minted by these new owners for its revival ... without any involvement whatever from City Hall.

Hmm, how could it be? Doesn't the mayor write all our business plans?

Of course, this didn't stop Gahan's goons from claiming credit, or the Redevelopment Star Chamber from tithing a cool million for infrastructure improvements. They're nakedly shameless, and largely unable to tell truth unvarnished by sheer spin.

But in reality, as opposed the Gahan dreamworld, this is a far better outcome than the one proffered as an election year gambit by the mayor-for-life and his sycophants in 2019. Let's let councilman Al Knable explain. His take is more diplomatic than it needs to be, but otherwise lands right on the money.

Al Knable NA City Council at Large

February 25

I’m happy to see a truly private-public partnership afoot to move this important area of New Albany forward.

I applaud the efforts of the citizens in the surrounding neighborhood, the Economic Redevelopment team-including the Mayor- and the Hoagland Group for bringing us to this auspicious point.

The city’s pledge of $1,000,000 for infrastructure improvement is wholly appropriate and has my full support.

The arrangement announced today is clearly superior to the 2019 proposal, rejected by a majority of the City Council, which would have required a purchase price of approximately $2,600,000 (significantly above assessed value) in taxpayer money and cast our city’s government in the awkward role of commercial property manager.

A savings of $1,600,000 and major private investment in our community validates the Council’s 2019 decision and the patience of all involved.

I join everyone in welcoming today’s encouraging news and the promise of better days ahead for Colonial Manor.

City Hall's spellbindingly self-serving propaganda can be found here: City Partners with Investor to Revitalize Charlestown Road Corridor.

John Boyle's coverage at the News&Bune features testimony from 5th district councilman Josh Turner.

Colonial Manor to receive significant facelift with multimillion-dollar investment

NEW ALBANY — A point of emphasis for New Albany City Council member Josh Turner has been his push to “revive District 5.”

It’s his hope that the district he serves can soon witness a transformation, at which point that motto will become “come thrive in District 5” ...

... Turner said he’s happy to see this type of project come to the area, noting the grassroots effort from residents it took to get this outcome. Some early plans from the city’s previous attempts to purchase the property included residential developments, which Turner did not see as a good fit.

“If the current administration had its way there would have been housing here, and I’m really glad a private investor stepped up and is bringing some much needed amenities and services to the area,” he said. “This is a big win for the district.”

Last April the city council rejected the redevelopment commission’s plan to purchase the property for $2.6 million.

Though the city is not the main driver of the project, it is still partnering with the developer in the form of a $1 million investment.

In other developments, it appears that Team Gahan's appalling public housing policies have resulted in taxpayers absorbing a big bill for the mayor's avarice.

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Has Bob Lane settled his lawsuit against NAHA for wrongful termination?

An analysis of the local chain newspaper's "opinion" page reveals something that should surprise no living human.

ON THE AVENUES: There is a complete absence of diversity among regular News and Tribune columnists.

Prohibitionism must be guarded against.

BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: Paternalism, classism and prohibitionism in Family Dollar's neighborhood.

And, with Harvey Weinstein down for the count ...

New Albany too? How will #MeToo play out here at the grassroots?

In closing, a reminder: Why wait for Lent to give up organized religion?

New Albany too? How will #MeToo play out here at the grassroots?

“Sexual assault is the most under-reported crime in the United States. It’s a crime that people usually tell nobody about.”

Just the other day I was at the downtown Coffee Crossing reading my book and making work notes. At an adjoining table, a man and woman I didn't know were talking about the #MeToo movement.

It wasn't my choice to eavesdrop, but it's hard not to hear people when they're speaking in normal conversational tones.

Their chat centered on Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, although they also were referencing a sexual harassment scandal involving Baptists in Texas, with which I'm completely unfamiliar.

This started me thinking. How has the #MeToo movement played out here in New Albany? We might extend this to the entire Southern Indiana sector of metro Louisville. There have been few high profile #MeToo stories in the city of Louisville, including the LMPD rape case in 2018 and a handful of others in the food, drink and hospitality business, although the latter seem not to have been manifested in formal legal proceedings as with Weinstein.

We've been here before, blogwise.

We're not exempt, so NAC's New Albany "Person of the Year" for 2017 is #MeToo -- the NA silence breakers.

There'll be some who will question this decision, given the absence of an attention-grabbing headline in New Albany thus far. Maybe so, but we all know it's here, too -- don't we? In a place like this, we tend to be a bit behind all conceivable curves, and so even if our civic discussion about sexual harassment and assault is belated, it's still the right one to have.

Yep.

Given that New Albany fully corresponds with the old saw about this being the best place to be when the world ends because it takes a decade for anything important to reach us, well ... what about us?

Surely we're not immune.

I used the enduringly flimsy search engine at the News & Tribune to see what sort of information on the topic the purported newspaper of local record has published, and there have been a couple dozen articles going back to 2017, all of them involving #MeToo nationally, not locally.

The following story is from Kalamazoo, Michigan (population around 75,000 -- roughly double New Albany's), dating from November, 2018. One thing that jumped out at me was the Victim Advocates Unit in Kalamazoo; a quick search reveals that yes, we have something similar: Victim & Witness Services at the Office of the Floyd County Prosecutor.

Readers, your thoughts are appreciated. I'm sure there is lots I've missed pertaining to this topic, so educate me, please.

Does #MeToo take on a different dimension in a smaller town where so may people know each other? Think of the differences in local opinion prompted by the judicial melee in the White Castle parking lot in Indianapolis.

Would big fish in small ponds have even more self-interest in covering up such shenanigans were when they to occur here?

Is #MeToo on local law enforcement's radar?

Here's the link to Kalamazoo.

#MeToo: How a movement changed a community, by Franque Thompson (WWMT 3)

The Me Too movement continues to spark change addressing sexual assault worldwide. The campaign exploded on social media and television, as victims stood up to their abusers. The movement ist still making waves in west Michigan and across the state.

Launched in 2006 by civil rights activist Tarana Burke, the Me Too campaign was designed to empower girls and young women of color who experienced sexual abuse, particularly in underprivileged communities. A year later, in 2017, the idea ignited an international movement for survivors of sexual assault, shared across social media with the hashtag #metoo.

According to the latest Michigan Incident Crime Report, reports of sexual assault increased 4.6 percent in 2017, the year Me Too gained global attention. The crime report also states that girls ages 18 and 19 have the highest numbers of cases reported.

Sherry Brockway, the director of emergency response services at YWCA Kalamazoo, said almost 80 percent of victims know the person who assaulted them.

Republican women over the age of 65 are most hostile to #MeToo.

Odd that we must rely on a razor company to make a statement of principle, but on the other hand, apart from Christmas presents, I'm guessing few Republican women over the age of 65 are buying Gillette razors.

What group of people is most hostile to #MeToo? (The Economist)

Republican women over the age of 65

No group has swung against #MeToo more than older women who voted for Donald Trump. They have gone from barely worrying about false accusations of sexual assault, with only 8% agreeing in November 2017 that these were worse than unreported assaults, to 42% saying so, according to two polls conducted for The Economist by YouGov, a pollster. They are now the most likely group to agree that a man who harassed a woman 20 years ago should keep his job, and that a woman who complains about harassment causes more problems than she solves.

Two things stand out. First, even though Americans on average, and Republicans in particular, have become more negative about #MeToo over the past year, the change among this particular group is spectacular (chart). Second, a generational gap now yawns between Republican women who are over 65 and those under 30, the cohort least hostile to #MeToo within the Republican Party.

The conclusion is unexpectedly brutal.

One explanation of this partisan gap is that it reflects a difference of opinion over what true feminism is. Some conservative women resist what they see as special treatment for women as vaguely patronising. There is another explanation, too. Ms Pierotti Lim of Republican Women for Progress remembers campaigning in Wisconsin and Michigan in 2016 and being astonished by the number of older women who were afraid to even talk to her and who let their (Republican-voting) husbands fill in their ballots.

THE BEER BEAT: "Busting Up the Brotherhood of Beer: Time to confront sexism & harassment in the industry."

Sexism in "craft" beer is a topic that keeps bobbing to the surface, as when beer writer Bryan Roth described the problem as a grassroots industry struggling to find leadership on social issues: THE BEER BEAT: How "Ambitious Brew" prefaced "I Know What Boyz Like" -- and "The Misogynist Within."

Beer writer Lew Bryson also read Michael Agnew's pointed article (below).

I know a lot of great people in the beer biz (whiskey, too). A lot of them are women, which means they sometimes have to put up with a bunch of bullshit from guys. Read the article, and see if you don't recognize some of that crap. I'm tired of my friends having to deal with it. If you hear some guy say something that's over the line, don't just look away. Tell him he's over the line. Make beer a better place. Wheaton's Law: Don't be a dick.

Here comes the learnin'.

I'd suggest diverting your gaze from Untappd, if only for a few seconds, and partaking in something real.

Busting Up the Brotherhood of Beer: Time to confront sexism & harassment in the industry, by Michael Agnew (The Growler Magazine)

... Ask women working in beer and it becomes obvious that the beer industry faces the very same problems of sexism, harassment, and even assault, that the rest of the country is facing. While the ranks of women are growing, the industry is still dominated by men. The majority of breweries are founded by men. The people who make the beer are overwhelmingly male. It is mostly men who distribute and sell it. If bathroom lines at festivals are any indication, it is mostly men who drink it.

I listened to the experiences of four female industry members, all who expressed their love for the industry and the people in it, but whose stories reveal that discrimination and harassment are a reality in craft beer ...

"Sexual assault victims are seeking justice on social media. Experts warn it's not bulletproof."

#MeToo? Not at Louisville Deathfest.

This is an interesting juxtaposition.

They fought the Law | Rose (LEO Weekly)

Much to the chagrin of neck-beard and MRA enthusiasts, the #MeToo movement marks a moment when enough is enough, and women and men are coming forward with their stories of being sexually harassed. Statistically speaking, it was no surprise, then, when allegations arose locally on social media, this time leveled against the owner of a popular bar. The accused has denied the allegations and filed a lawsuit against the women, claiming they defamed him. So it was a light in the darkness when the Craig Henry law firm tweeted out its offer to provide free legal aid. Now, that’s magical. — Syd Bishop

Now, for a more detailed examination of the legal landscape.

Sexual assault victims are seeking justice on social media. Experts warn it's not bulletproof, by Darcy Costello and Bailey Loosemore (Courier Journal)

The cultural movement inspired by #metoo has dominated national discussion in recent weeks — with people worldwide taking to social media to share stories of sexual assault and harassment.

And in Louisville and elsewhere, the effort intended to empower and enlighten is also becoming a tool for justice.

Women and men have taken the hashtag a step farther by naming their alleged abusers online — a move that, in some cases, has resulted in instant ramifications against those accused.

Advocates say the quick response can be gratifying for assault survivors who've felt let down by the court system. But they warn that the posts can also open the accusers to devastating legal risks.

"Too many people post on social media thinking that they're bulletproof," said Colby Bruno of the Victim Rights Law Center in Massachusetts. "I would never, ever, ever counsel someone to go on social media without really thinking it through."

Bruno has spent more than 10 years providing free legal work to survivors, and she said she's recently seen a rise in defamation lawsuits filed against people who've publicly accused others of sexual violence ...

Previously:

Former Haymarket employees strike back with countersuit, directing attention to Matthew Landan's masters degree thesis.

We're not exempt, so NAC's New Albany "Person of the Year" for 2017 is #MeToo -- the NA silence breakers.

We're not exempt, so NAC's New Albany "Person of the Year" for 2017 is #MeToo -- the NA silence breakers.

It’s time again for NA Confidential to select New Albany’s "Person of the Year."

In 2017, we’ll be approaching this task a bit differently than during previous years, although our basic definition remains intact, as gleaned from Time.

Person of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States news magazine Time that features and profiles a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse ... has done the most to influence the events of the year."

This year, Time chose #MeToo, or the silence breakers -- "the thousands of (women and some men) across the world who have come forward with their experiences of sexual harassment and assault."

Accordingly, in 2017 there'll be no run-ups and teasers, and in fact, no contest.

It might fall a few votes short of acclamation, but nonetheless I'm opening and closing the nominations today, and declaring our choice for Person of the Year in New Albany: #MeToo: the NA silence breakers.

There'll be some who will question this decision, given the absence of an attention-grabbing headline in New Albany thus far. Maybe so, but we all know it's here, too -- don't we?

In a place like this, we tend to be a bit behind all conceivable curves, and so even if our civic discussion about sexual harassment and assault is belated, it's still the right one to have.

And I believe it's coming, very soon.

2017 runners-up:

New Albany Housing Authority residents ... Welcome to Jeff Gahan's self-inflicted foot-shot Waterloo, in which hundreds of the city's most vulnerable citizens have been used by a narcissist as puppets on a Dugginsian g-string to assuage a C-minus student's insatiable hubris.

The downtown street grid ... Two-way street reversion took decades too long, and the unceasing cowardice of Team Gahan stripped the project of most ancillary benefits, but there it is, and now we can begin the process of repairing the shortsightedness borne of mayoral incomprehension.

NA's independently-owned food and drink community ... There are as many opinions as there are palates, but it can't be denied that meals have been at the forefront of revitalization, and not just downtown. Here at the blog, posts about local restaurants and bars invariably double or triple the page views of most other topics.

Mike Hall ... With his boss in hiding, he's the Sarah Huckabee Sanders of this juke joint.

Jeff Gahan ... As we enter 2018, his political power has peaked. It's all downhill from here, veneer -- and Team Gahan's getting testy.

Previous winners:

• 2011 ... The Sherman Minton Bridge
• 2012 ... Bill "Slumlord" Allen
• 2013 ... (tie) Houndmouth and "Quality of Life"
• 2014 ... Heroic Non-Incentivized Downtown Developers
• 2015 ... New Albany property tax payers
• 2016 ... Chloe Allen