The rhetoric among local soccer fans has been kicked up a notch given that the Save the Bannister Mall crowd is still pushing their hopeless cause. While TKC only sees two plans that are doomed to failure . . . The disparate treatment that these groups are getting is obvious.
The group blamed the low signature count on a newspaper campaign urging people not to sign the petition, along with an incident Monday night when mall security kicked them off the property. They say supporters of the $1 billion project received different treatment when they rallied outside the boarded-up mall.And just like a soccer ball, it's a round world and not much has changed in Kansas City. Once again, this town is about to go forward with a HUGE TIF and oppositionis being railroaded by corporate interests and derided by fans of losing teams.
"Well, they had a rally last Sunday and had 300 people," William Woodruff commented. "We had a rally yesterday. They locked us out. That's not fair."
Tony, most of the black leaders in the area are for this project. Freedom Inc voted 28-1 in FAVOR of supporting this redevelopment. Tolbert was the one against it. Other of the cities black leaders have stepped up in favor of this project as well, including church leaders.
ReplyDeleteCome on man stop trying to push this as a racial issue like Tolbert is.
Also, what that article doesn't mention is the fact that Tolbert and his gang were kicked off mall property because Tolbert had threatened to break into the mall to go to his business.
ReplyDeleteAl Brooks is behind the soccer complex as he explained in a news interview. Personally I think it is just another case of Kansas city proper footing the bill for anothr JOCO playground. And really T, if these guys wanted to save the mall, they should have luanched that effort while the mall was slowly going down the tubes and loosing tenants and not after it was completly delapidated.
ReplyDeleteForget whether Tolbert is black or white he is a freakin' moron. There is no "fixing" a mall in that condition. It would be an absolute waste. Tolbert cares about Tolbert, if he cared about the black community he would be on board with this project. Who cares if soccer is the center of it, the side effect is it helps the area and that helps the black community.
ReplyDeletePeople knows if the Soccer stadium is built once again property taxes will rise in that area.
ReplyDeletePoor people can't afford a rise in property tax.
Boo hoo to Tolbert, Woodruff and the like - they weren't allowed to break into private property or trespass. Supporters of the plan probably had the blessings of the Mall owner.
ReplyDeleteIt's not as if I could simply setup a tent in your front yard or break into your house (assuming you have a front yard/house, if not - pretend) just because I felt like it. No difference here.
Likewise on the newspaper campaign - if he wanted to buy full-page adspace to promote his petition, so be it. Should someone else buy adspace or simply run their own ad on their own paper (in which case they lose the money they could've had by selling ads in that area) - that's their prerogative.
Spin it any way you want to, but it boils down to you can't break the law (break into people's property or trespass on their land if they don't want you there)... and capitalism.
The disparate treatment that these groups are getting is obvious.
ReplyDeleteHa! The man turns in 2 signatures and yet he can get unlimited media run based on the race card.
The extension is absurd. What's the point of a deadline?