Pop up plazas with buskers seems like a pretty good idea for Downtown Greensboro. Too bad the buskers not only have to pay the City of Greensboro for the right to play music downtown but they must also pay for a criminal background check to prove they have never been criminals before they can be licensed to busk.
By the same token, several of Greensboro's best known downtown developers raised the capital they needed to start their development businesses by distributing cocaine and other illegal drugs. Another white developer I know got his start robbing black night clubs in the late '60s and early '70s while the Greensboro Police Department turned a blind eye. You see, in those days it was common for GPD to turn a blind eye when the crimes were committed against blacks and gays as long as the perpetrator was white and as long as the perpetrator never committed crimes against straight white people.
So it's okay to be a downtown developer with criminal record but not a musician? Talk about double standards.
"I think that DGI has done a very good job with marketing downtown and keeping it clean. It just seems to me that we’re continuing to flourish. I think that’s a lot, considering that we as a community don’t have a lot to put into development.”’
Susan Schwartz"
Again, as I've said before, I would love to see one single shred of evidence that proves that DGI has "done a very good job with marketing downtown." Seriously, anything. This keeps getting repeated but no one ever offers any proof.
"Robert has crusaded against DGI, taking his concerns to city council and also filing public-information requests to try and learn more about the organization’s finances and roles. He isn’t the only one who has contacted council to criticize the nonprofit; downtown property owner Jim Morrone e-mailed council in October 2012 when DGI requested its unspent funds be rolled over into the following year.
“From where I sit, it looks like mismanagement of money and priorities are taking place in DGI,” Morrone wrote.
“I am opposed to re-authorizing this money. Furthermore, I question that the money will actually be used for those two items. It seems like an afterthought, just to keep the money in their hands.”
Again, had they actually done their job... Do I even need to say it.
“We need people with all kinds of ideas,” Schwartz said, adding that DGI is just part of the equation."
I'd like to thank Ms Schwartz for making my point for me. You see, as long as DGI has zero representation from the suburbs DGI will have no real idea of what it will take to get the suburbs interested in Downtown. Besides, the suburbs pay half of DGI's funding, it's our right to have a say.
“Representatives from the City of Greensboro and Downtown Greensboro Incorporated (DGI) have reached an agreement on continuing their partnership in promoting and improving the downtown area. As part of the agreement, a working group will be established to better define the partnership between the City and DGI.
The group will be a subset of representatives from the two groups. The team will spend the next three months reviewing how the partnership has worked in the past and will recommend changes and improvements for the future.”
Translation: Only one thing is about to change. Dang.
Like I said, poor execution.
By the same token, several of Greensboro's best known downtown developers raised the capital they needed to start their development businesses by distributing cocaine and other illegal drugs. Another white developer I know got his start robbing black night clubs in the late '60s and early '70s while the Greensboro Police Department turned a blind eye. You see, in those days it was common for GPD to turn a blind eye when the crimes were committed against blacks and gays as long as the perpetrator was white and as long as the perpetrator never committed crimes against straight white people.
So it's okay to be a downtown developer with criminal record but not a musician? Talk about double standards.
"I think that DGI has done a very good job with marketing downtown and keeping it clean. It just seems to me that we’re continuing to flourish. I think that’s a lot, considering that we as a community don’t have a lot to put into development.”’
Susan Schwartz"
Again, as I've said before, I would love to see one single shred of evidence that proves that DGI has "done a very good job with marketing downtown." Seriously, anything. This keeps getting repeated but no one ever offers any proof.
"Robert has crusaded against DGI, taking his concerns to city council and also filing public-information requests to try and learn more about the organization’s finances and roles. He isn’t the only one who has contacted council to criticize the nonprofit; downtown property owner Jim Morrone e-mailed council in October 2012 when DGI requested its unspent funds be rolled over into the following year.
“From where I sit, it looks like mismanagement of money and priorities are taking place in DGI,” Morrone wrote.
“I am opposed to re-authorizing this money. Furthermore, I question that the money will actually be used for those two items. It seems like an afterthought, just to keep the money in their hands.”
Again, had they actually done their job... Do I even need to say it.
“We need people with all kinds of ideas,” Schwartz said, adding that DGI is just part of the equation."
I'd like to thank Ms Schwartz for making my point for me. You see, as long as DGI has zero representation from the suburbs DGI will have no real idea of what it will take to get the suburbs interested in Downtown. Besides, the suburbs pay half of DGI's funding, it's our right to have a say.
“Representatives from the City of Greensboro and Downtown Greensboro Incorporated (DGI) have reached an agreement on continuing their partnership in promoting and improving the downtown area. As part of the agreement, a working group will be established to better define the partnership between the City and DGI.
The group will be a subset of representatives from the two groups. The team will spend the next three months reviewing how the partnership has worked in the past and will recommend changes and improvements for the future.”
Translation: Only one thing is about to change. Dang.
Like I said, poor execution.
