David Forbes Profile picture
Aug 9 6 tweets 4 min read
So @CityofAsheville just canceled public meetings about an unpopular land swap they'd planned to do with Duke Energy. Would destroy one of the last dense patches of trees in downtown and one of the last parking lots locals can easily access... #avlgov #avlnews
Wide backlash to project in recent weeks, from locals and some biz owners. Sizable city hall parking lot is right next to the current substation and could easily be used to expand it, but that would mean #avlgov bureaucrats would lose their special job perk parking spots #avlnews
There's also the role that Asheville city government's rubber-stamping of rampant hotel growth has played in straining downtown's infrastructure. When #avlgov says "critical to power reliability" they mean "we must feed the hotels" #avlnews
Unknown if scrapping the public meetings means Asheville city gov is backing off this substation plan or just trying to avoid a public confrontation that would go poorly for them. #avlgov #avlnews
Addendums: Asheville city government is ridiculously cozy with the coal ash barons over at duke energy, and have repeatedly let them basically dictate #avlgov environmental and energy policy.

Asheville's rapidly losing its tree canopy, especially in areas like downtown #avlnews
Here's an image of the site. You can clearly see two parking lots (both owned by Asheville city hall) flanking the current substation. The trees and public parking lot #avlgov and duke energy want to demolish are across the street. #avlnews

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More from @DavidForbes

Aug 10
Airbnb is killing our city.

Every dot represents a whole house/apartment where people actually lived until they were kicked out to bring in more asshole tourists. There are over 2,700 in Asheville. This is a fundamentally evil industry #avlgov #avlnews Image
Numbers from Inside Airbnb: insideairbnb.com/asheville/

Since I first visited the site in late April, 90 whole home/apartment airbnbs added near Asheville. That means 90 households kicked out or denied housing in just a few months.
#avlgov #avlnews
#avlgov willingness to ignore/make exceptions to the airbnb ban is a huge part of the problem. In december they relaxed the rules to be even friendlier to airbnbs. Passed 6-1, with both mayor Manheimer and "progressive" challenger @KimboRoney supporting airbnb landlords #avlnews
Read 4 tweets
Aug 9
Yankee gentry don't get the shit kicked out of them nearly enough.
Sigh.

1) Queer leftists warned for years that a particular brand of coddled bigot, especially prominent in the jacobin "left," were just going to end up outright reactionaries

2) Spoiled aristocrats embracing rabidly far-right views ain't a new fad, including in nyc
Addendum: Despite the marketing, fascism isn't a populist phenomenon. Based in swaths of upper-middle and upper class just like these chucklefucks.

Also if bigotry stays unchecked long enough doesn't matter what "left" views someone starts out with, they end up on the far-right.
Read 4 tweets
Jun 14
Asheville city council meeting's started. Council unanimously votes to allow council member Antanette Mosley to attend remotely.

Meanwhile locals are required to attend in-person to speak. Covid rates here are currently sky high... #avlgov
This is grotesque, mayor Esther Manheimer, who personally sanctioned a crackdown on anti-raxiat demonstrations and targeting of queer and trans mutual aid activists, is currently lauding Stonewall, a riot against the cops... #avlgov
Allison Scott, council candidate and management at the gentry gay org Campaign for Southern Equality, is accepting the pride proclamation after Youth OUTright refused due to @CityofAsheville crackdowns and queer and trans mutual aid #avlgov
Read 23 tweets
Jun 14
Yeah, maybe a hierarchical non-profit complex primarily devoted to internal control and setting up a class of gatekeeping "leaders" isn't a solid vehicle for social change.

Maybe that was never the point of it and now even their rank-and-file are realizing that.
The most vicious internal attacks I've seen on the left, hands down, have been leaders/orgs in a position of influence trying to hold on to power and cover up corruption, bigotry and abuse. But it's always grassroots call-outs that get the lion's share of the blame.
The piece has an assumed deference to leadership, a glossing over of specific grievances (including rampant corruption in at least one case) and an unwillingness to seriously look at exactly how awful the record of the non-profit complex has been, for decades.
Read 6 tweets

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