The writing on the wall
A look at the origins, costs and clashing views on city government’s $300,000 program to remove graffiti and tagging throughout Asheville Above: Before and after shots of graffiti painted over on a building in the River Arts District. Photo by Zen Sutherland. 123 Graffiti Free…
How to move forward when you’re forced to move out
I was kicked out of my studio in the Tannery, along with many other artists. There’s a better way for Asheville to treat its creatives. Above: The Tannery before its improvement by local artists, and after. Photo by Zen Sutherland. On July 12th I awoke…
Armored cars and grenade launchers
The Asheville Blade and local media are seeking more information on the amount of military equipment in the hands of local law enforcement Above: An armored car owned by the Asheville Police Department, photographed in 2008. Photo © Jason Sandford, used with permission. The unrest in…
The case for Medicaid expansion
Medicaid expansion will benefit tens of thousands of people, especially throughout WNC. The refusal to expand it threatens hospitals and families. Above: a doctor holds a sign supporting Medicaid expansion at a Moral Monday protest. Photo by Leslie Boyd. Imagine living in a place where…
Why I left Asheville
For over a decade my family tried to make our lives in Asheville. But by this year, we simply couldn’t make it here anymore. Above: Downtown Asheville at night. Photo by Bill Rhodes. A few weeks ago, we ran a column by Noor Al-Sibai, a…
Rallying point
A year later Moral Monday returns to Asheville, tries to expand local organization and hopes for momentum at the polls. Above: the crowd at the Aug. 4 Moral Monday rally, viewed from behind the podium while Rev. William Barber speaks. Photo by David Oppenheimer –…
The worst-laid plans
The truth about the decades-long fallout from racist government programs offers some harsh reminders — and important lessons for Asheville today. Above: The 1937 HOLC map for Asheville. The areas in red, most of them African-American, were designated “unsafe” for investment. Over the past week,…
Pack it in
Amid controversy Asheville City Council overhauls Pack Place leases, lauds police plan Above: Asheville Council member Jan Davis, countering critics of the new Pack Place leases and asserting that it’s the best way to go forward. Photo by Max Cooper. Pack Place, located in the middle…
Red lines
Racist government programs shaped Asheville’s ‘urban renewal,’ demolishing homes and pushing out thousands. The results still haunt the city today. Above: Priscilla Ndiaye, with her map of the homes demolished in the Southside neighborhood during urban renewal. She’s standing on the site of the house…
Gentry only: Asheville’s credit check barrier
The rising use of credit checks, just to allow one to rent housing in Asheville, excludes much of its working class and increasingly pushes them out of the city they make possible There was an important point raised in the Asheville Citizen-Times‘ June 30 forum on family homelessness,…
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