At that point George Carr and Skip Alston both came running back with outstretched palms begging the City take them back. Now why would developers rush headlong into offering to build such a center without having done such a study from the beginning?
The answer: The government had one of these.
I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Of course there's no need to order as it's out of print.
But seriously, the Bessemer Shopping Center sat empty for 14 years because Greensboro's elitist, racist, classist developers and leaders assumed a shopping center and grocery store in a predominately minority neighborhood would never turn a profit when in-fact, none of them ever bothered to take the time to do a market study. Responsible, smart, market savvy developers do their research but not Skip Alston and not George Carr. But then why should they when their business models are both built around taking government handouts and living on entitlements to businesses.
Speaking of George Carr and Beacon Management Corporation, here's George's shining star in the commercial property business, the Westgate Shopping Center. I guess you can call George Carr the slumlord of Greensboro commercial property development. I wonder how long that bright and shiny shopping center Mr Carr promised will stay that way?
And then there's Skip Alston still. Are you aware that the City of Greensboro bought the Bessemer Shopping Center as a corporate bail-out from Katheryn Weaver who owns Weaver Reality and is the CEO of the Weaver Foundation. And that one of Skip Alston's business partners in the privately owned for profit, International Civil Rights Museum, just happens to be Skip Moore, President of the Weaver Foundation? And are you aware that Skip and Skip are also begging the City of Greensboro for money to fund their privately owned International Civil Rights Museum which they claim isn't going broke.
And these people think they deserve our money?
Of course, there is a bigger question that I have yet to ask in Part 1, Part 2 or Part 3. And that is: Why would Greensboro City Manager Denise Turner Roth and the rest of the senior city staff even allow George Carr and Skip Alston to be involved in this process? As was clearly pointed out, both parties failed to meet their obligations and contracts to the City of Greensboro. Their previous contracts were null and void. And yet without even bringing the Renaissance Community Co-op proposal to City Council for a vote, Denise Turner Roth and her staff made the arbitrary and groundless decision to cut the citizens of Northeast Greensboro-- the very citizens the grocery store will serve-- out of the process altogether.
What would make Greensboro City Manager Denise Turner Roth sell out her own kind? And for how much?
Well Denise, I bet you're wishing you'd answered my questions now.
Hard to believe we're talking about the same sweet young woman who contacted me a few years back to arrange a meeting between Congressman Brad Miller and Greensboro bloggers. I guess it's true what they say about being corrupted by power. Let's just hope she never gets the chance to run anything bigger than Greensboro...
Continue reading What The Media And The City Aren't Telling You About The Rennanance Community Co-op Part 5
