The Star reports: A two-block section of historic Gladstone Boulevard in Kansas City's old northeast will be designated "Ruthanne Harper Boulevard" in recognition of the late civic leader.
The plan was scaled back from earlier designs because of the "backlash" by neighborhood leaders of Scarritt Renaissance (with nothing better to do) who wanted their opinion heard despite the fact that neighborhood is mostly full of Latino, African and Arab immigrants who probably don't care.
Still, I've heard that Harper was a great community volunteer and the honor is well-deserved . . . Probably more appropriate than TKC marking the occasion with a link to a sexy Kayden Kross photo gallery.
surely the northeast news has something on this - got a link, t?
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those Northeast residents with "nothing better to do" than to fight the City over plans to rename an historic monument/intersection. The Thomas Hart Benton Circle has been there for a hundred years, and a couple people on the Parks Board try to change the name in the dark of night. They didn't even have a quorum to vote a name change. We got pissed and we won the right to keep it it's historic name. We caught them trying to rush this through. Have you been over to Scarritt Renaissance lately? We have some of the best historic architecture left in this city known for bull- dozing its old buidings. I'm proud of our actions. You made a ridiculous statement and should retract it and recognize the efforts of a volunteer, inner city, neighborhood group. You also sold my minority neighbors out as well. Maybe you should venture off Independence Boulevard before making your stereotypical comments.
ReplyDeletetony is a bone-less boner
ReplyDeleteMichael,
ReplyDeleteYou are right, you should've been included. That said, Ruthanne worked tirelessly for NE and I'm sorry for her that she has had to leave this life in the middle of a fight to honor her. Instead of making it ugly, all of you should have worked to make it as positive an experience as possible to honor her. How sad that her own friends did this to her.
10:39 - you miss the point.
ReplyDeleteWe, "her friends" as you label us, didn't make it ugly.
That little fet a compli was accomplished by the little tyrant John Fierro, jumping up (literally) claiming "I know Ruthanne Harper", then summarily railroading the entire public process, history included, in an attempt to make himself look magnanimous.
Fiero has yet to apologize to ANYONE in this community for his knee-jerk action that in essence defocated on the public process.
"Leave this life in the middle of a fight to honor her"?
This whole thing started AFTER she passed when a bunch of folks went to the Parks Board and proposed this instead of running it by the neighborhoods first! Cheryl Bisbee, CLiff Drive Corridor Chair even came to a Scarritt meeting and apologized for not coming to the neighborhood first.
Lastly, and probably most significantly, the Elizabeth Benton Chapter of the DAR, the organization who originally proposed and designated the Circle honoring the late Missouri Statesman Thomas Hart Benton were not even notified prior to Fierro's knee-jerk action.
WHo's derailing history now?
The "positive experience" you elude to was thrown out the window by the Parks Board and the Cliff Drive Corridor Management Committe when they tried to do an end around on the community.
We, "her friends" aren't against honoring a civic leader as you try to imply. What we are against is the public process being de-railed and history being thrown out the window in order that some ladder-climbers (Fierro, Bisbee, et al) can feel good about themselves.
sincerly from the corner of st. John and Van Brunt........Who gives a sh*t...about the left over white people
ReplyDeleteHey Bushnell, you're in the newspaper biz, right? Shouldn't you know the difference between it's and its?
ReplyDeleteRuthanne Harper was a great lady. Many people in the Northeast who made this honoring of her into an ugly incident and claimed to be her friends did a great disservice to her. Many of her "friends" didn't want her honored at all; they were jealous, pure and simple. Thankfully, a compromise was worked out by the Parks Department and a few cooler heads in the NE, and in the end, Ruthanne was honored.
ReplyDelete