Clare Jellick reports tonight:
The Boys and Girls Club has pulled out of letting a group of people use its space for a petition drive in support of a school at Glen Oak Park. […]
“We went to several places, and they said it was kind of controversial. They did not want to allow us to rent a space because of the subject matter,†said Bruce Morgan, who lives just south of the park on Frye Avenue.
I have the solution for our luckless “silent majority.” They can have their petition signing party on one of the properties the school district recently purchased on the corner of Frye and Prospect. I’m sure the school board wouldn’t mind. Plus, it would have these added benefits:
- Reduction of depression and aggression in petition signers
- Environment-based petition signing develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making
- Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that signing petitions in natural surroundings stimulates creativity and activism
- Ability to draw a better picture of a bee next to their names on the petition
The people behind this petition drive need to ask themselves, don’t their petition signers deserve the best environment for signing a petition? Can they really even consider anyplace else? It’s easy to get there — just one moderately busy street to cross. It will increase park attendance, and while they’re there, they can visit the zoo and botanical gardens.
Maybe, just maybe business’ won’t allow them to set up for signing the petition is because they fear the radical loud minorty might come and tear their busniess apart. I don’t think they fear the people who would come and sign the petition. After all, when one doesn’t get their way isn’t that the next step? Disrupting anyone and anything that doesn’t fit your opinion?
Emtronics says, “Maybe…they fear the radical loud minorty might come and tear their busniess apart.”
Sure. Lord knows Mimi McDonald has a penchant for violence. And Marty Palmer turns into the Hulk when you make him angry.
“After all, when one doesn’t get their way isn’t that the next step?”
No, the next step is apparently to assassinate the character of the people with whom you disagree by calling them a “radical, loud minority” and implying they are prone to mob violence.
“Disrupting anyone and anything that doesn’t fit your opinion?”
Really, Jesh, have you been paying any sort of real attention to these people who have been coming to the meetings and voicing their opinions on the matter. At the last school board meeting before the park district vote, they were there picketing. They did not know any protest songs so they were singing christmas carols. I think if they had been in any way at all distruptive it would have made headlines at the Journal Star since their Op/Ed pieces have been full of mud slinging at anyone who voiced opposition to the “School in the Park” plan.
The people who have been leading the ground swell of the oposition the to School in the Park have been leaders of the East Bluff neighborhood associations and they have been just people who live in the East Bluff, You know, the ones the school board was supposed to have gotten on board with their plan before they started moving forward with their plan.
The only bad words and negativity, that has been shown has been from the people who want the “School in the Park”, who just can’t beleve that everybody can not see it their way.
Luv is in the air… Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Can’t you tell?
C.J. Would you please run for the Park Board or find someone who would run from the central district? It will be a one issue campaign, the Glen Oak school site, whoever opposes 150s’ plan will win this election. You have to play hardball with people of that mentality.
Let the people have a place to present their petition for signature. A District 150 property is a good idea – even the Admin Bldg parking lot would work. But, they should have the opportunity to go through the petition exercise. We may well discover that there is/was far less support for the GOS/GOP site than the District/PJSEB wanted us to believe. And wouldn’t that be nice to know – it would certainly move the angry, vocal minority into the majority column.
Prairie Celt:
Why is there a need for a ‘special’ place for the petitions to be signed?
The pro-GOS site petition gatherers went door to door or at circulated the petitions at neighborhood meetings….
And additionally, there are always people who tell you that they are for or against an issue yet they will not sign a petition due to fear, perceptions (of fear, retaliation, retribution, employer/employee conflict of interests, socio-economic interests and so on), apathy and whatever else the excuse may be…
You can already hear my piano sonata …. hold as many messy and inclusive and diverse meetings for all stakeholders prior to bureaucratic issues of major importance being decided in a vacuum and we will all effectively utilize the resources of people, time and talents instead of ‘manning’ the ramparts…..
Karrie they sure can go door-to-door and from what it says in this morning’s PJS, that is what they are planning on doing.
Let them do their petition, the Park Board already made a decision. I’m hoping that what we will find out is that the PJSEB’s silent majority is pretty slender.
Oh boy…with our weather tonight/tomorrow I’m sure the tiny group in the “silent majority” will have to regroup at the 4 seat donut shop to decide how to explain/gripe about how they were once again not allowed to show their “over welming support” for the Glen Oak site.