Before and after: photos highlight artists’ plight in RAD
Local photographer Zen Sutherland sends a before/after image to highlight the contributions — and plight — of artists in the River Arts District. The studios here were recently shut down by the city of Asheville, citing a lack of maintenance, code violations and safety concerns.…
A city worth fighting for: one month at the Asheville Blade
Thank you, Asheville, for your amazing support of the Blade. In just one month, you’ve shown that reader-funded journalism has a future in this city Above: the skyline of downtown Asheville, photo by Max Cooper. One month ago today I went live with the Asheville…
Moral Mondays are for everyone
The Moral Monday protests that brought out thousands in Asheville last year return Aug. 4. Leslie Boyd, a local health care advocate and protester, writes about why she participates. Above: North Carolina NAACP leader Rev. William Barber and other Moral Monday speakers at the first…
‘Reshape our culture’: Asheville service workers organize to improve conditions
Concerned about low pay, a lack of benefits and many other problems, a group of local service workers are organizing Above: Image for Asheville Sustainable Restaurant Workforce, used with permission of Jessi Steelman. There are over 20,000 food service workers in the Asheville area, according…
Why I’m leaving Asheville
I moved to Asheville for college thinking I’d found a home. But between an impossible job market, a lack of amenities and a city filled with too many ghosts, it’s time to go. Above: Skyline of Asheville. Photo by Bill Rhodes. “Why are you leaving…
Three years chasing the evidence room audit
One view on the long, twisted road to making the APD evidence room audit public, and how it changed Asheville Above: District Attorney Ron Moore talking to press June 19, beside the 15-volume audit of the APD evidence room. Honestly, I never expected the day…
Saving face: Asheville’s great graffiti scare
The city’s current tack amounts to exploiting artists’ work while ignoring them and pushing societal homogeneity. There’s a better way. Photo by Zen Sutherland. “It’s a waste of time debating the merits of illegal graffiti,” says Gus Cutty, a local muralist and street artist, but that has…
Low wages will break Asheville
Low pay poses a major threat to Asheville and it’s long, long past time to stop pretending otherwise Art by Nathanael Roney, commissioned for the Asheville Blade. If a culture of juggling several jobs just to pay the bills wasn’t enough, if our fair city…
Asheville and the spirit of Stonewall
One of the organizers of Asheville’s Stonewall events writes about why the spirit of a riot 45 years ago is still needed in Asheville today. Above: A pride rally in Asheville, early 2000s. Why is Stonewall important? And why should Asheville commemorate the event as it truly…
‘Diversity’ is the new black
Asheville’s current approach to diversity is like putting a bandage on a dirty wound. A better way will require a more politically and economically powerful black community — and the city truly addressing some hard history. Above: African-American owned businesses in downtown, before the East…
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