Speaking of LIGHTING UP SAN JOSE! thoughts on Breeze of Innovation, by (me!) ~topps
the thing we seem to have in common,
from the motivation to go into great debt to build a new city council,
to the motivation for the breeze of innovation,
to my light up all crosses idea..
the thing we all have in common, is wanting to make San Jose extra-special.
a destination. a place people from all around the world would want to visit, and -
more importantly; be glad they did.
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at first glance, i was all YES! THAT WOULD BE AWESOME! in regard to breeze of innovation.
-before seeing the price tag, -but which will be privately funded and maintained according to their website.
and, i smiled to read all the letters to council members in strong favor of!
and then nodded in agreement when reading the many comments in San Jose Spotlight, which strongly oppose.
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and, i would love to see this breeze of innovation manifest.. it looks stunning, and -will serve as a stage for live bands! -i can see the potential..
but, unless, and until we address this ongoing and growing crisis:
people with drug addictions * people with mental illness * people prematurely released from jails and prisons * people experiencing extreme financial hardship * trespassers, loiterers, drug dealers, transients in general
this growing population of people living on the streets, the graffiti and garbage encroaching upon every residential neighborhood, and business district; the number of stores leaving, having to get iron bars across their doors and windows; the number of businesses abandon and boarded up; the overall ugly and threatening vibe/environment
the area is not currently worthy of something so valuable and beautiful.
If you place a beautiful, well designed, water-fountain in the middle of a park in a 'bad' neighborhood;
this does not result in a 'good neighborhood'
what happens, is that your beautiful, well designed water fountain gets destroyed.
If you were to successfully erect this breeze of innovation, in our current cultural climate,
it would be targeted, tagged, ruined, vandalized, destroyed, and, in no time -flat. (pun intended)
all the potential visitors, from all around the world, you envision coming to enjoy it...
no.
not when they would be forced to step over drug addicts passed out on the sidewalk; guard their children from half-naked people screaming obscenities; fear leaving their cars in parking lot, have to guard their every belonging from potential theft.. step over garbage..
we need to first and foremost,
make the area safe and clean and attractive; maintain that safe, clean and attractive environment for more than a year; have a proven system in place for keeping it that way..
and then... and then,
revisit this stunning idea,
in the meantime, i'm going to plug my own LIGHT UP SAN JOSE idea again, because..
it can be done in every district
it would not cost enormous amounts of money
it would make San Jose extra special, beautiful, unique!
and it could help light the path toward a safer, cleaner, more attractive San Jose, which is not currently ready for something as valuable and breathtaking as Breeze of Innovation,
"Lighting the way to San Jose! cheers! & amen!"
posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 1:52 PM
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