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April 20, 2008
The poisoned community
My local neighborhood association (of which I am not an official member, but whose emails I receive) is quite concerned about a new "teen club" being planned for Brainerd Road. Area residents have reason for alarm, too: remember Club KAOS just down the road on Lee Hwy? The former Yee's Crab House was converted to a teen night spot, and multiple reports of violence, including at least one shooting, meant a rather swift demise for the venue.
No one wants scenes like that, or like those that have occurred at certain downtown clubs, mere hundreds of feet from one's door, which is where "TOXIC" — the proposed name of the new club — would be located.
But the neighborhood's justified concerns are invariably and inextricably joined to some troubling sentiments, and these pairings make the situation a little more complicated for me, as much as I might initially be tempted to join the protest.
The first* point on which I take a different perspective is a plea to former City Council member Marti Rutherford, to use her experience in both real estate and local government** to try and somehow block the business from being able to open. This doesn't sit well with me. If I had a dollar for every business I didn't want near me, I'd be able to buy at least some of them out and send their owners off to retirement.
But government should not be the tool used to impede the free exercise of trade, except in clear cases of danger to the public (which can be argued here, but it should be done in a public setting, with a chance for the business owner to fully state his or her case). Should there be resistance from the community at large against a potentially "toxic," if perfectly legal, enterprise? Of course; but codifying the resistance in an inverse zoning loophole is, to me, not the right means of bringing that pressure to bear.
It's a complex situation, because Brainerd, after all, is a complex community. I don't want an increase in violence (nor in aggressive, as opposed to passive, police presence), and the chance of "TOXIC" being anything like "KAOS" does give me pause. But if I were in the neighborhood association, I might suggest having a delegation contact the proposed club's owner, and see if we could first assess the existence of any threat, and work out some mutually agreeable premises under which the club would operate. And I would be sure to include members of the broader community (meaning representatives of the north side of Brainerd as well) in these discussions.
Then, only if the business owner were to shun residents' advances, or was unable to provide sufficient assurances about community safety, would I start seeking other means of dealing with the situation. Thus government action would be the last resort, instead of the first impulse. A kind reader (of a draft version of this post) pointed out that there has to be something in it for the club owner to want to respond to residents' concerns; so I am actively thinking about carrots that could be offered instead of the government stick, and request your input into that thought process.
Openness, understanding, dialogue, compromise: these comprise the antivenin to most, if not all, poisonous elements in our society.
*The second underlying issue is a very sensitive topic: the ethnicity of the neighborhood association versus that of the presumed attendees of the club; and I wish to avoid having any written remarks misconstrued in any direction. Just know that this adds to the complex and delicate nature of the discussion at hand.
**You will doubtless recall Ms. Rutherford's use of double-sided business cards, with her City Council information on one side, and her realty business on the other.
Community | By joe lance | 10:29 AM
Comments
I am a social worker and a bleeding heart at core. Unfortunately I've had a bad experience with former neighbors and it left me feeling helpless in my home. Sounds very dramatic I know, but as a result I have become quick to jump at possible fixes to potentially big problems so as not to have that feeling again. But, I agree that negativity and going in for the kill before asking questions and knowing all the information is premature and I appreciate your input. Thank you for the opportunity to have this kind of dialogue.
Posted by: M. Reich at April 20, 2008 09:34 PM
There are several points in Joe's "The Poisoned Community" artcle that I would like to address, as many of his comments are based off of my communication to the Hilltop website. To be good sports, let's call them rebuttles!
Point #1 -Assistance from Marti Rutherford. Marti is an honorary member of our association, and her input and wisdom have been used from time to time. Asking for advise and assistance from someone with knowledge doesn't mean that person is being used in place of the appropriate district representative. Marti was not asked to use "strong arm tactics" to prevent this club from opening; she was simply asked for informtion. Verbatim, here is my request of Marti: "Marti...... you're an expert...please let us know if you are aware of any ordinances, statutes, etc. that may help us out."
In my opinion, Mrs. Rutherford is simply a "political lightning rod" and had someone other than Marti been asked for this advise, I doubt it would have even caused a ripple.
That being said, YES, the email addressed to HNA was specifically requesting statutes, ordinances, etc. that would prevent this club from opening as time seemed of the essence. With the May opening looming, I felt it best to gather info quickly. We seemed to be behind the ball so to speak.
I have been in contact with Carol Berz's office as well, and my calls were returned promptly and courteously. Carol is doing a fine job, and I look forward to working with her on this issue. And since the club will actually be in Duke Franklin's district, I'm sure some of us will be in contact with him as well. That being said, Carol Berz is my district representative, and she is the person to whom I will contact with regards to any city involvement.
Point #2 - impeding free trade.
As Brainerd residents, I feel we have every right to be extremely concerned about the types of businesses opening in our area. It seems once these types of businesses are established, it takes nothing short of a murder to shut them down. So while some may worry about their "free trade," who will be worried about our right to "protect our investment" and live in peace and quite?
As seems to be the case across America these days, all else can be forsaken as long as there is no impedement from earning profits. Shouldn't our quality of life matter too? Especially in the refuge of our own homes?
Since we are discussing free trade, it seems we have a double standard going here in Brainerd. There was an outcry from some Brainerd residents regarding Cash Advance businesses last fall, yet some of the same individuals so opposed to the check cashing businesses are not so oppossed to the club. Personally, I would much rather have a check cashing business next to my house than a club.
Point #3 - ethnicity. This comment itself seems to solicit a response. Your comment "the ethnicity of the neighborhood association versus that of the presumed attendees of the club" is not justified in my opinion. I would foresee the same issues regardless of the race of the individuals attending the club. White, black, brown, pink, purple, even green martians....I don't see the relevance.
NOW THE CONSESSIONS:
All this being said, I do feel I jumped the gun with regards to not allowing time for all sides to come to the table. The club was scheduled to open in less than one month, and there was extreme concern on my part. In reality, I do believe it is only fair to hear both sides of every issue. I jumped in too quickly.
I do want to thank Joe as well as other individuals for pointing out the fact that I may have acted a little to hastily. However, I do stand by the opinion that we don't need this type of club in Brainerd.
Brainerd needs to get back up on its feet again with new upscale businesses and developments. I simpy see this as a huge set back. The article entitled "The Poisoned Community" is fitting, for it is exactly what we are trying to avoid. We've been on the brink of poison and now as we are coming clean, there's a new TOXIC dose on the horizon.
Kevin Knight
Posted by: Kevin Knight at April 21, 2008 11:18 PM