Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Alderman French Looking Toward the Future of North City
This video footage from Friday's meeting of the St. Louis Board of Alderman shows Alderman Antonio French (D-21st) stating why he would vote against both board bills 218 and 219 which enable the McEagle NorthSide project. French's words on the problem posed to the rest of north city by the Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credit are right on.
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6 comments:
Antonio French for Mayor
Antonio, keep fighting the good fight.
Congratulations, Mr. French. You have shown yourself to be one of the only pols in St. Louis who has the guts to stand behind his (or her) own rhetoric. I believe JFK was speaking of such individuals when he wrote "Profiles in Courage". Let's see to it that the gaping maw of corruption in City Hall doesn't chew him up and spit him out. BTW, how did my alderman, Mr. Cohn, vote on these bills? I would like to think that my vote for him was not in vain.
White aldermen from South St. Louis could be consider racist obstructionists for voting no on the project. Cohn said he would ensure the project proceeds in a humane manner for those surrounding the project. He hinted at gentrification as being a concern during the HUDZ committee hearings.
BTW, was I the only one who thought he heard a few audible gasps when Mr. French finally came out and said, at the conlusion of his remarks, that he would vote no?
How can you have gentrification if existing residents are allowed to remain, there is no eminent domain of owner occupied property, and the area is mostly vacant anyway?
Isn't gentrification really a problem in places like Harlem, when highly populated low income communities are gradually replaced with higher income, higher rent paying tenants and building owners?
Gentrification of McNorthside is hardly the issue here. McKee is filling the McVoid.
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