Many of y'all contacted us today, concerned that our bookstore or our fantastic neighbors at Kairos West Community Center were in danger of being shut down by the city. Friends, this is #fakenews.
A fact-averse story run by WLOS ABC 13 seems to be the source of the confusion, and while we plan to issue a more robust statement soon, we wanted to correct the record on a few things:
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The city has not notified Firestorm or Kairos of any zoning violations. We are confident that no such violations exist.
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Folks who lack housing sleep throughout our community, and Firestorm's garden is no exception.
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Public health and safety concerns in our community are being driven by gentrification, the criminalization of homelessness, and an opioid epidemic, not bookstores and community centers.
For the last two weeks our collective has been meeting with others on Haywood Road to talk through neighborhood challenges and generate solutions. While we feel confident about the relationships being formed in the community, we remain wary of big money and the city officials who serve it. We'll keep you posted!
Wanna help us fight the good fight? Please consider becoming a member of our Community Sustainers Program.
"Developer Safety" poster design courtesy of Eberhardt Press.