While I respect Dr. Thorp as Chancellor, I was very frustrated listening to his interview regarding the Northside community, a traditional African-American part of Chapel Hill. He seemed to be on the side of the African Americans whose have lived there for generations but made no effort to defend their right to stay there, whereas Jim Heavner was promoting the area as a less-expensive rental market for students. I am horrified the way that area is being made inaccessible to the people who have called Northside home and are being pushed out if it.

Where are they to go? Many work for the university at not very high wages, and can’t afford transportation and time if they have to live further out, whereas the students have more living opportunities provided by the university, apartment complexes and investors with rental properties. How must the African American community be feeling at the destruction of their community?

Greenbriar is a disgrace, a true blot on the landscape, and now they are being invaded by short-term students who don’t give a hoot about their neighbors, and trash the area. We all, including Dr. Thorp and Jim Heavner, should be ashamed of the way these people are being and have been treated (as well as those in the Rogers Road community), just for the sake of some careless students, who have a life ahead of them undreamed of by many of the African-American community.  Life is not all about money, but about people.
 
Jane Salemson

Related Stories
‹
Surgery for Back Pain? Think Twice
Back pain can be an enormous obstacle to your daily life. Our spines are so central to every movement we make that any discomfort or pain can make ordinary activities unbearable. There are numerous causes of back pain, from muscle spasm to disc problems to bone deformities. And there are almost as many kinds of […]
Giving in Orange County
When I reached the age of senior discounts, I wondered whether I should accept them. Because others likely have greater need for this generosity, it has become my practice to take the discount, collect these bits of change or occasional dollars that I would have paid absent the discount, and then contribute my windfall to […]
News Around Town: Awards
CHAPEL HILL/CARRBORO – TheChapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation is seeking nominations for a pair of Teaching Chair Awards. The teachers who ultimately receive these awards have a difficult test to pass. Each require an A-plus in being able to “ignite enthusiasm for learning…create an exceptional learning environment for all students… (and serve as) a role model” […]
UNC professor who writes about the struggle lived it in Chapel Hill
Wouldn’t it be great if Carolina had a professor of African American history who actually lived through the Civil Rights struggles and the desegregation of the public schools? Wouldn’t it be even better if that professor had grown up in the town where the university is located and experienced the tough adjustments that came with […]
Presidential Volunteer Award
Have you heard about the Presidential Volunteer Service Award?  It is an award given by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation to individuals, families, and groups that have provided a certain number of volunteer service hours in a 12-month period.  http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/tg/pvsainfo/dspAboutAwards.cfm The Council created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program “as a way […]
Lessons from Eve Carson
One week from today, 2,000 plus runners and walkers will gather in McCorkle Place to participate in the 4th Annual Eve Carson Memorial 5K.  If you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to sign up to participate in or support the event (see links below).  And it’s also a good time to […]
TerraVITA: a coupon + a few good reasons to attend
Um, look, since we’re pals and everything, you’ll understand why I’m going to feel a little ill if I don’t see your pretty face at TerraVITA this Saturday. I mean, you say you love the food scene here in North Carolina and you love to talk to friends about seasonal eating. You’d love to get […]
God Save us from the Biblical Marriage Ideal
Gay marriage a deviation from the biblical ideal? Really? Read the Bible. The biblical ideal of marriage is one man, lots of wives, concubines, bride prices and arranged marriages. Is this what we are defending? If our society’s ideas of marriage have changed, why are some so intent on returning to the past? The past […]
The Psalm 100 Fiasco
Psalm 100, a Christian a capella group at UNC, kicked out one of its members because because he’s gay and OK with it. I have so many issues with what happened. I firmly believe in gay rights, whether it’s fighting discrimination or the right to marry. I’m not going to talk about that right now, […]
How to Catch A Case of "Spirit"
As I learned in my recent radio interview with him, Rev. Haywood Holderness is not a man with outspoken opinions until you ask him if it is our responsibility to feed each other. Suddenly this gentle giant gets fired up and if you aren’t donating food to your local food bank my advice is to run and do […]
›