Northside

Mary Norwood Jones, along with three others, will soon be remembered with a dedication at Chapel Hill’s Peace and Justice Plaza for her civil rights work in Chapel Hill.  I knew her as the person who took care of Northside.  When I first moved to Northside in 2002, I would often see Mrs. Jones out picking up cans, paper and other debris that littered the street our homes shared.  I find myself following her example picking up trash as I walk through the neighborhood with my daughter.  Mrs. Jones also had a beautiful yard with huge hydrangea bushes and a tidy lawn.  It was again following her example that had me up on Saturday mornings pushing my lawn mower when I would rather be sleeping in and experimenting with what plants my brown thumb could keep alive in my front flower beds.  While my yard still has far to go, I keep at it, thinking about the approving words she would give me if she found me kneeling in the dirt trying to beat back crabgrass to make room for some newly planted perennials.  Along with planting tips, Mrs. Jones talked about the importance taking care of the young people and keeping the neighborhood looking nice.

This morning, the west end of downtown Chapel Hill was immobilized when someone called in a bomb threat against the rising Greenbridge development. I understand that some people have issues with tall buildings in Chapel Hill, although I don't especially.  But I do share the concerns that many have about the gentrification of Northside. However, the fact is that Greenbridge didn't create either of those problems, and stopping it isn't going to help solve them either.