Abbey Court
Over the years you may have read my posts here on OP about equal access to the Internet. It was my volunteering with AmeriCorp and the Town of Chapel Hill that really motivated me. Here is my donation letter I'm sending to friends about my latest effort. Please consider giving this holiday season to buy laptops for kids in Abbey Court (a.k.a. Collins Crossing).
Dear Friends,
Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton and Orange Networking are raising $3,000 to provide laptops for fifteen kids at Abbey Court. Can you help us? We want to close the digital divide for fifteen families who currently have no computer at home. Please give whatever you can by clicking here. If you prefer to donate via check please make it out to ‘Orange Networking’. (Let me know in the comments and I'll send you the address to mail a check to.)
I just received this notice posted to the Solidaridad Abbey Court group on Face book from Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton:
I will be at the OWASA Community Room at 6pm tonight to talk with residents of Abbey Court (now Collins Crossing) about issues that have arisen with the new management company. All Abbey Court residents and stakeholders are welcome!
Date:
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - 6:00pm
Location:
OWASA Community Room, 400 Jones Ferry Road, Carrboro
Tonight, the Chapel Hill Town Council received a report from the developers of what once was the Colony Apartments and will now be called The Park at Chapel Hill (a mixed use development). Colony Apartments was one of the only locations of affordable rentals in Chapel Hill, but with this redevelopment that is no longer likely to be the case. With the redevelopment of Glen Lennox in Chapel Hill and the recent purchase of the majority of the units at Abbey Court (now to be called Collins Crossing), affordable rentals may become extinct in Southern Orange County.
This is an issue that Orange County Justice United has been focused on and Tish Galu, Strategy Team Chair for Justice United, made the following statement at the council meeting:
There will be a march from Carrboro Town Commons (where the Really Really Free Market will be going on) to Abbey Court to protest the management's attempt to evict and fine the Human Rights Center which has done great work to support and organize residents.
Date:
Saturday, December 3, 2011 - 3:30am
Location:
Carrboro Town Commons, West Main Street at Laurel Street
Tonight I went to the Abbey Court HOA meeting about the Human Rights Center. Here's the short version of what happened…
I suppose you've all heard about how the Abbey Court Homeowners' Association (HOA) is giving the Abbey Court Human Rights Center (HRC) the boot. The Human Rights Center is a great community center providing many critical human services within Abbey Court, including mentoring, after school care, tutoring etc. In short, the HOA is arguing that the HRC is in violation of the HOA rules by using their unit for non-residential purposes and kicking them out, under threat of a $300/day fine.
The HOA meeting was tonight at 6pm in Raleigh and was closed to the public, however this afternoon it occurred to me that the non-profit organization I work for owns one of the units at Abbey Court, so I went to the meeting to represent our organization's miniscule rights—and to record the meeting.
Notice of Special Meeting of the Carrboro Board of Alderman
We, the undersigned, hereby call a special meeting of the Carrboro Board of Alderman for 7:30pm on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at Carrboro Town Hall.
The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss and possibly enact a proposed ordinance regulating the towing of automobiles from private lots within town limits.
Signed:
Alderman jacquelyn Gist
Alderman Dan Coleman
The source of this information is the PDF on this page obtained from the new Official Correspondence Google group for the Town of Carrboro.
Date:
Thursday, July 31, 2008 - 3:30pm
![[Abbey Court]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/2682839340_7fec5aea99_m.jpg)
I just learned that there was a rally this morning at Carrboro Town Hall where residents of Abbey Court called for the town to do more to protect them from the increasingly-discriminatory policies of their collective landlord. In short: the owners have begun towing residents' cars if they don't meet a certain aesthetic standard. It really is that ridiculous. And probably quite racist, in my opinion.
Thanks to the Town of Carrboro's new Official Correspondence archive (kudos for openness!) I can offer some background about the situation.
From: Carolyn A. Hutchison [Carrboro Police Chief]
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 3:50 PM
To: Steven Stewart [Carrboro Town Manager]
Subject: FW: Towing today
Importance: High
Steve,
Management at Abbey Court apartments is actively towing vehicles from
their lots today. We do not have any authority on their property;
however, we are dealing with this situation to the extent that we are
able. Officers are concerned that Management is towing vehicles that
belong to their own residents. Many of the residents are trying to make
ends meet and need the vehicles to get to and from work, etc.
Apparently, Management is towing cars that do not "look good." In other
words, if your vehicle has dents, needs paint, or has a cracked
windshield, Management will not issue a permit to park and Management
will tow the vehicle. As you might imagine, Abbey Court residents may
not have the means to drive a pristine vehicle, but many are paying
their rent, and now are unable to get a permit to park in their own home
parking lot. Then, their vehicles are towed from the lot; they're
responsible for the towing fees; and they have no car to get to work,
etc.
OrangePolitics.org's own Ruby Sinreich will be my
guest today on WCOM's West End Report (6pm). Ruby and I will be discussing the talk of the town, primarily getting the audience updated on the Abbey Court situation.
Once
again being inspired by Tom Arnel's Placeholder show's Guest DJ
feature, I have also asked Ruby to bring along her favorite music to
play.
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