The Pritchard Park Committee will hold it’s first meeting on Friday morning (April 27) at 9:30 a.m. in the Asheville Civic Center banquet hall.
The group is charged with coming up with a recommendation for the future of the park, and on Tuesday, City Council allowed the addition of a homeless representative for the otherwise-appointed committee membership. As anyone who spends time downtown knows, the park has become contested land between pedestrians, homeless persons, downtown residents and business owners.
This will be an organizational meeting, where the committee will determine its rules and officers. The Recreation Board and the Downtown Commission have each appointed three members to the group. A member of the Asheville Police Department and the coordinator of the city’s 10-year plan to end homelessness will also sit on the committee.
— Brian Postelle, staff writer
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there is an easy way to fix the homeless situation in Pritchard Park.
I think, that if you have a job and a clean criminal record, you should be able to go to a magistrate’s office and obtain a permit that would allow you to taser one homeless person every six months to a year.
Think about it, it would work.
yes that idea would work. how would you choose who to taser? should they all wear t-shirts, something like “i am homeless because i can not afford my HIV medication”, or maybe “I am homeless because my chemotherapy was too expensive and i had to choose”? or maybe “i am homeless because my monther is a crackhead and my dad is in prison and i have nowhere to go”.
or maybe the best target would be that woman wearing a shirt saying “i am homeless because my husband beat me so much i had to leave and the streets are safer than home” or “i am homeless because my daddy molested me”, now those are taser worthy people.
the trick to at least reducing homelessness is to fist understand the situation of each individual, not all homeless people have chosen to be put into that situation. if there could be more understanding then there would be better solutions. you can not begin to solve a problem if you can not begin to understand it.
i think maybe you can get your taser license after you have spent one-year working in a homeless shelter, shelter for abused women or half-way houses for sexually molested children. then maybe you would be qualified to judge the best option to solve homelessness.
I judge people because I am awesome. You refuse to judge people because you don’t want to hurt feelings.
Try a little contempt for humanity sometime, it goes great after dinner.
Also, you go find the genuine hard luck homeless cases, and put them on one side of the park. I’ll go find the drunken idiots who chose to be homeless. I’ll guarantee that my side will be bigger.
I’ll begin understanding people when you begin capitalizing proper nouns as well as the beginnings of sentences.
Actually, I won’t.
blogging, emailing, forum posts, etc does not require capitalizing as a general rule as it is informal. (also known as net-iquette)
judging people in general is ones way of hiding their own insecurities and ignorance on issues, which does make sense for anyone being published on mountainX. :-) little news and more opinion columns with a less than active editor obviously.
we can agree to disagree that if someone has not lived exactly like you and has had the exact same experience than they are not worthy of understanding because the idea of walking outside your box would be to uncomfortable.
however as a real “journalist” you may wish to take the moment to go down and speak to each of the homeless and ask them why or how they became homeless. however, i also know that there is a huge difference in reporting between a journalist and freelance writer. journalism is about fact finding not spewing personal opinions based on ignorance of one situation in which you have no experience, that type of journalism is what you can only receive from freelance.
I’ll have you know that my ignorance is first rate!
You are right, let’s all go hold hands with the bums. Then when we are done, we can sing that “I’d like to buy the world a coke” song and nail each other’s wives.
Bunch of wife swapping jerks.
Also, how dare you call my journalistic integrity out? I cover bands and other entertainment options. Often with jokes that aren’t as funny as the ones I’ve told in this thread. People for the most part like what I do, so much that I’ve been published in quite a few newspapers.
So before you start making baseless accusations about me making baseless accusations and ignoring the facts about me ignoring the facts, you should walk a mile in my shoes.
You wife swapping hypocrite.
LOL so your anger comes from the fact that your wife got poked by a homeless person and she liked it. i think that is an issue between you and your wife :-) and maybe her doctor.
so when can we expect the story you are working on where you actually talk to these people to offer a real story and not just stereotypes? i will be awaiting eagerly for that in-depth report to shine some light on the issue, almost as much as i will await your response defending your delusional greatness. :-)
Actually, the only way I’d consider covering the homeless problem is if they formed a band that I liked.
Also, why are you getting personal with me?
personal with you? i am sorry i thought you entered into the world of childish unfounded name
calling and stereotyping. (ie “You wife swapping hypocrite.”)
i understand you are more seeking the “shock value” of writing, which is great I like people who are willing to be controversial as long as they have some working knowledge of the topic. however the issue is that if “wife swapper” is the extent of your wit then you have failed yourself and your readers miserably.
this is no longer a good debate on a serious situation, thanks for turning this website (and topic) into a juvenile blog of name calling. i think that might be more appropriate on your website, but i think people wanting to make real educated comments here should not have to worry about your absurd name calling and less than witty comments.
as a business owner and paid advertiser with mountainx you have helped me decide not to advertise with this publication again.
i think that a “writer” or representative of any company should show some restraint in the professional arena without childish name calling of the readership and advertisers.
Actually, I called you a wife swapping hypocrite in jest. You are the one that got personal with me by bringing my wife into the discussion.
Also, if you are stupid enough to think that I am saying these things seriously, than you may want to consult a physician.
I find it funny that I can make innocent little jokes and plebeians like yourself start calling for my head. Do me a favor and go back to your humorless world of sacred cows and bad capitalization.
I’ll be here making fart jokes.
plebeian means of low class, or the nice way of saying “trailer park trash”, just another example as to why i will not spend another dime in advertising with this publication. and i will encourage others to follow.
i do not think people looking for real conversation and idea sharing on issues should be harassed and subject to childish name calling by a writer for this publication.
so i am done with this topic. you can now check back into reality, and when your there please be specific as to where people are calling for your head. i think i missed that.
First things first: I am not a writer for the Mountain Xpress. I am a freelancer. I am as affiliated with them as you are. In fact, if you are an advertiser, you are more so affiliated with them than I am.
Second of all, I do participate in “real conversation” on this board all the time. You reacted poorly to a lame joke. I responded with a an even lamer joke, and you insult my wife.
I’m not going to get into a “you said this, you said that” discussion with you. You are entitled to an opinion as much as I am.
I’m sorry if this is diminishing your opinion on the Xpress, the last thing I want to do in this free and open exchange of ideas and opinion, is to use my ideas and opinions to try to shut other people’s ideas and opinions down. Can you say the same for yourself?
As for people calling for my head, it has happened in other threads, and it usually starts off the same way, I make a joke, and people (much like yourself) take it seriously.
360Asheville: “plebeian means of low class, or the nice way of saying “trailer park trash”, just another example as to why i will not spend another dime in advertising with this publication. and i will encourage others to follow.”
With respect, you are completely and totally wrong. Plebeian doesn’t mean “white trash” any more than “blue collar” does. It’s a Roman term meaning non-aristocratic.
And to both of you: Stop trolling. Personal insults of any kind will put you both on the fast track to being banned.
steve, thanks for the english (actually roman) lesson today :-) it is a member of low class, well among other meanings. so maybe jason was just calling me non-aristocratic although that does not really mesh with the entire statement.
but i digres…
i would be thrilled if you can delete my account, i have tried and there is no option in the control panel.
i thought this could be a good place to discuss issues but obviously you can not without being dragged into childish name callings, english and grammer corrections and the use of capital letters.
i thought there would be more substance to the readers, but that could very well have been a mistake just as the use of plebeian.
I would love it if we could get back on topic?! Pritchard is an awesome mixture of people representing all the different faces of Asheville. Homeless people have the right to sit there just like anyone else. Enforce against vandalism and crime definitely, but parks are meant to be enjoyed by sitting around and that is all most people do there.
Earth is home.We Earthlings are nomadic beings. live and let live.Love all
Bugg, stop making people hate.
Also it would be kind to look at these blogs and not see them threadjacked by one of your obvious attempts to get attention, regardless of the discussion set forth.
I would love to see one remain on topic, and not turn into another Hate Buggs’ comments and your defending them, or otherwise dragging it on.
The thing I don’t like about Pritchard Park is the bare dirt. I assume the designers of the park intended for there to be grass there, like a normal park. That would make it cleaner and nicer. Could we kick everybody out for a few days and lay down some sod?