This past Sunday, 10-10-10, was declared Car-Free Sunday in the South A Street Arts District by some Junior College students seeking extra credit for themselves. They decided to ask the City of Santa Rosa to close South A Street to all car traffic so they could 'teach us how to have community'. The event was jointly sponsored by Councilwoman Veronica Jacobi.
Problem? They didn't ask the community they were coming in to 'instruct.' Sunday, October 10 was one of the Art Trails Open Studios days for the many hard working artists with studios on South A. They had planned to show and sell art on Sunday, but the street was closed to all vehicles. The Cookhouse Restaurant closed for business all day since no one could get to it without detours and confusion.
The students drove their own cars to Juilliard Park, unloaded all of their gear, and then blockaded the street. They used a generator to run the power for their music stage.
The event was very poorly attended, with just a few people aside from the T-shirt and yellow vest attired bicyclists, who had posters up showing us all how to conserve energy, as if we had no idea without their instructions.
The City of Santa Rosa closed off South A Street from Sonoma Avenue to Bosley, and provided a police officer. Signs on the street informed residents that they would be towed if they left their cars on the street. These residential buildings were constructed in the 1920's and 1930's without parking...guess you could say they are 'green'...and so residents had to scramble to move their cars.
When we objected to this closure of the street, and the arrogance of people who live in Rohnert Park coming to Santa Rosa, to an established Arts Community, to run their generators for an empty park and 'inform the community how to have community', we were called negative. We suppose they got their 'extra credits'.
Problem? They didn't ask the community they were coming in to 'instruct.' Sunday, October 10 was one of the Art Trails Open Studios days for the many hard working artists with studios on South A. They had planned to show and sell art on Sunday, but the street was closed to all vehicles. The Cookhouse Restaurant closed for business all day since no one could get to it without detours and confusion.
The students drove their own cars to Juilliard Park, unloaded all of their gear, and then blockaded the street. They used a generator to run the power for their music stage.
The event was very poorly attended, with just a few people aside from the T-shirt and yellow vest attired bicyclists, who had posters up showing us all how to conserve energy, as if we had no idea without their instructions.
The City of Santa Rosa closed off South A Street from Sonoma Avenue to Bosley, and provided a police officer. Signs on the street informed residents that they would be towed if they left their cars on the street. These residential buildings were constructed in the 1920's and 1930's without parking...guess you could say they are 'green'...and so residents had to scramble to move their cars.
When we objected to this closure of the street, and the arrogance of people who live in Rohnert Park coming to Santa Rosa, to an established Arts Community, to run their generators for an empty park and 'inform the community how to have community', we were called negative. We suppose they got their 'extra credits'.
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