Opinion of "community activists"

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm not referring to community organizers like Obama was that actually help out people. Rather people who belong to other activist groups that seem to have no purpose but to be ultra-NIMBYs and throw massive whiny fits about first world problems and too often are linked to the rather horrible neighborhood watch groups.

Here we have quite a few who whine about the K-Mart on Lake Street and basically think every single ill in the neighborhood is the fault of the K-Mart. I take it that the Wikipedia page on Whittier was probably written by one of these people. If you want Nicollet Street open fine, but blocking it with a big box store is not going to jack up the crime rate. Of course on the flip side you have people saying things like "If the street was opened it might attract the riff-raff from south of Lake Street." Yes that's an actual quote I read on a local forum on a site dedicated to this type of activism. The racism displayed by these groups is not so thinly disguised, I'm reminded of the group in Park Slope, Brooklyn who protested the opening of a music venue that played rap/hip-hop music (which of course I hate, but my solution: Don't go to the venue.)

Other things these people think are the most pressing issues in the world today: A check cashing place opening in one neighborhood (because OMG poor people might come by then!), the opening of liquor stores that sell cheap liquor (and in one hilariously classist case some people talked about how the brewpubs that sell expensive beer are OK because they don't attract the same "types" as liquor stores, same thing said by a thankfully now former mayoral candidate as to why he wanted to change the zoning laws to allow microbreweries near schools but not liquor stores, basically only stores that sell expensive drinks are OK where we live.) and constant whining about certain businesses that hurt no one, like one video store that probably rents about 80% pornography but isn't classified as an adult business because they still carry some mainstream movies (more interested in how such a place remains open, but hey they do.) or hissy fits about a brothel that is actually just a bunch of white middle aged women running it themselves, really doesn't affect anyone is even ignored by the nearby police station. And of course these are the only people that seem to care at all about people using weed in urban areas, I've read a few posts about "OMG PEOPLE WHO SMELL LIKE MARIJUANA WALK THROUGH MY NEIGHBORHOOD!" yeah welcome to Minneapolis.

I think train described it best as self-selecting for busybodies and petty tyrants. It's hard to see anyone else who gets so obsessed over such issues, instead of dealing with poverty and making lives better for people like actual community organizers like Obama do.

[Person Man]

The nicer the neighborhood, the worse they are...almost to the point that the local police and code enforcement are on the Home Owner's Association's payroll.   My dad once lived in a neighborhood that was a mix of  midwestern retirees and the modestly wealthy (condos 150K-2M, houses 500K-4M). When he tried to remodel his house, the City must have filed three "Order to Stop Work" injunctions and it must have took 2 years to do 6 months' worth of work.  A $60,000 project probably eventually was several times that in Legal and Engineering fees..and it was a total circus. The house was in the Tampa Tribune at least twice and there was a neighborhood referendum on it.

[traininthedistance]

The nicer the neighborhood, the worse they are

Ding ding ding.

[RedSLC]

The nicer the neighborhood, the worse they are.

Agreed. The nicer the neighborhood, the bigger the bubble. These people will dislike just about anything that doesn't fit their vision of the neighborhood.

I've actually been to a neighborhood like this. Believe me, the above description absolutely fits them.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The nicer the neighborhood, the worse they are

Ding ding ding.

Depends on what you mean by "nicer" of course, I'd argue this applies on a truly superficial level only, I wouldn't consider these neighborhoods "nice". But it's true you don't see people in slums throwing fits about this crap.

[barfbag]

It depends on what their causes are. I suspect Democrats and Republicans differ greatly on what they consider good community activism.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It depends on what their causes are. I suspect Democrats and Republicans differ greatly on what they consider good community activism.

Most seem to be more of the Bloomberg-style nanny statist esque types, so it's not really a partisan split issue. Plenty of Democrats and Republicans might like them, and many from both sides as well will hate them.

[patrick1]

It depends on what their causes are. I suspect Democrats and Republicans differ greatly on what they consider good community activism.

Most seem to be more of the Bloomberg-style nanny statist esque types, so it's not really a partisan split issue. Plenty of Democrats and Republicans might like them, and many from both sides as well will hate them.

BRTD, not that I necessarily agree with the type you describe, but you may feel different if you plopped down a few hundred k  instead of buying records. You get enough people who don't give a flip and you wind up with Detroit.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It depends on what their causes are. I suspect Democrats and Republicans differ greatly on what they consider good community activism.

Most seem to be more of the Bloomberg-style nanny statist esque types, so it's not really a partisan split issue. Plenty of Democrats and Republicans might like them, and many from both sides as well will hate them.

BRTD, not that I necessarily agree with the type you describe, but you may feel different if you plopped down a few hundred k  instead of buying records. You get enough people who don't give a flip and you wind up with Detroit.

Detroit is a result of the complete collapse of its economic base, not these minor trivialities that are super-big issues to these people. Actually do you see people in Detroit throwing fits about this stuff?