Peace and protest, justice and injustice: marking Chapel Hill's sacred space

Submitted by Guest Author on September 19, 2009 - 8:34pm

[I read this entry by Chapel Hill Town Council Member Sally Greene on her blog and asked for permissionto cross-post it here. She graciously agreed. Tomorrow the Town will unveil the stone marker at Peace and Justice Plaza. =Ruby]

A little-known fact: grass used to grow around the flag pole in front of the old post office on Franklin Street. That's why those red brick pavers are there--as filler. It was only in latter times, probably since 1979 when the town purchased the property from the federal government, that the space was paved over.

Luckily for these four young men, it was grass during Holy Week in 1964 when they decided to fasten themselves to this place 24 hours a day, fasting in protest of the Town of Chapel Hill's refusal to pass a public accommodations ordinance.

Pat Cusick, LaVert Taylor, John Dunne, James Foushee (in the photo) and countless other activists will be remembered this Sunday at 3 p.m. as we unveil and formally dedicate the Peace and Justice tribute marker at the site we've named Peace and Justice Plaza.

The Chamber ventures far from home

Submitted by Ruby Sinreich on September 18, 2009 - 4:54pm

If you thought the Chamber of Commerce's biannual Inter-City Visits were junkets of questionable value, you might be interested to note that now they're organizing a trip to China!  The most amazing part to me is that they charged participants $1,130 for a whirlwind 2-day trip to Michigan, but the cost for their 8-day China trip is only $2,099 (plus travel to JFK airport).  Someone must be underwriting this trip. Who is it and why?

Transit campaign set to kick off soon

Submitted by gercohen on September 16, 2009 - 7:04pm

With the passage of House Bill 148 by the 2009 General Assembly, authorizing a referendum on a sales tax increase in Wake, Durham, and Orange Counties (fiscal details here) to fund a regional rail system and a rapid increase in bus service, supporters turn next to a potential referendum campaign in 2010 or 2011. See the proposed regional map here.  (click header or "read more" to see remainder of post)

Missing in Action?

Submitted by Terri Buckner on September 16, 2009 - 1:16pm
The most recent posts on OrangePolitics are about HOV lanes, Joe Herzenberg, and the Herald-Sun redesign. What's missing is the lawsuit Carrboro won against Marilyn Kille, reports on recent voter forums, discussion of Monday night's Chapel Hill Town Council meeting and the unresolved issue of appointing Bill Strom's replacement. There's not even any mention of the highly contentious chicken slaughter. Ruby's pre-occupied with a new baby and a career. There was a recent post asking if OP is a public resource or Ruby's private playground. The answer may be in how people use the site rather than Ruby's intention.

Labor Day is Over!

Submitted by Fred Black on September 7, 2009 - 11:06pm

So now what can we expect these 38 days until early voting begins and the 57 days until Election Day? There will be the assortment of candidate forums, media stories, letters of support from the faithful, a plethora of campaign events and fund raisers, and probably very little to inspire a significant number of us to bother to vote in these important decision opportunities.

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