Last night, there was a second meeting about the Stebbins Center being proposed on the site of our community garden & green space here in West Manchester.
I gave an impassioned speech (video to come) but here’s coverage by Manchester Ink Link so long.
I would like to point out something, my *feelings* aren’t really in question, I am rightfully responding to ACTIONS taken. i.e. We don’t FEEL overlooked, we WERE OVERLOOKED.
We all know that when someone apologizes by saying, “I’m sorry you feel x,” that’s not really an apology. Saying, “I’m sorry I did x,” is.
Republican candidate for State House in Ward 10, Tammy Simmons did a great job crystallizing the real issue, which is the City of Manchester and Mayor Joyce Craig failed us all by simply unethically shoving this through.
This land was never “surplus” to start with, and that should have been communicated to the parties involved. Ward 11’s alderman is entirely missing from all of this. Doesn’t show up, doesn’t respond, doesn’t seem to care. That’s likely why they thought they could get away with this… NO ONE was advocating for the people living in the neighborhood to be impacted. Now, we are.
From Ink Link:
“Carla Gericke, a local resident, felt that if the project went forward as it is now, it should not be a ‘community’ center due to the group’s interactions with the community up to this point. ‘No one wants to go to war here, right? But it’s important for people to understand where our frustration is coming from and we do not trust you,’ Gericke said to the organizers. ‘You cannot build a community center when you literally ignore the community that lives here.'”
Ink Link