Post by howard lee on May 6, 2024 13:51:02 GMT -5
Since the pandemic, the City has implemented a program called "Open Streets," in the warmer months, in which avenues are closed (not open) to vehicular traffic, but open to pedestrians. It was great during the pandemic when everyone needed to be out in the open air, but more recently, the afternoon-to-late-evening closures on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays have prevented elderly, disabled, and others from frequenting the businesses on these avenues by car or bus. Vanderbilt Avenue in our part of town is one of these Open Streets venues. Local shops and restaurants are losing business on the weekends because people who need to drive and park can't. One such restaurant is Mitchell's Soul Food, owned by Johnsie Mitchell, which has been a neighborhood staple for 40 years.
I walked past a protest there yesterday, and stopped to speak with a neighbor about the problem. You can see me briefly in the street behind the front end of an SUV for a nanosecond, at about 30:57, with my new friend Nat. The speaker in the bandana immediately following is Cheryl Smith, who is the chef owner of Cheryl's Global Soul, a Caribbean-themed restaurant/cafe, who has been a friend since the summer of 2006. (John B, his wife, my wife, and I had lunch at Cheryl's last summer.)
This is becoming a serious problem for small business owners on Vanderbilt, including the local Foodtown supermarket. Our local officials have allocated an additional $31M, citywide, to continue this policy in 2024. The neighborhood is up in arms.
Open Streets looks like this outside of Manhattan.
These two photos were made on Vanderbilt Avenue:
It has the potential to really harm the community and its small businesses. Of course, our local reps are all on board with this program, so
the question of whom to contact is frustrating. The Mayor's office won't do a thing, and someone at the protest told me many of our reps
are on the take, so they would be useless, too.
the question of whom to contact is frustrating. The Mayor's office won't do a thing, and someone at the protest told me many of our reps
are on the take, so they would be useless, too.
