30th And Broadway Oakland Bus Stop - AC Transit, Chris Peeples Are Wrong, Race Baiting

30th And Broadway Oakland Bus Stop - AC Transit, Chris Peeples Are Wrong, Race Baiting Chris Peeples, the President of The AC Transit Board of Directors, has adopted a sad and unnecessary strategy of race-baiting in his efforts to force the placement of a bus stop at 30th and Broadway where he wants it, and not where the business owners and patrons would benefit from it. I know this first-hand because when I called my friend of over 20 years and said that the bus stop was better in front of Sprout's Market, he exploded and yelled "You just don't want black people to stop in front of Summit Bank! You're racist and classist." My response was that I couldn't be racist because I'm black. I was making a joke in Larry David fashion. I told Chris that I have been one of those black people getting off the bus at that stop when it was there before the market was built. But I disgress. Look, everyone involved here and including the business owners, want a bus stop at 30th and Broadway - but having it in front of Summit Bank, where I bank, is just plain stupid. The sidewalk is too narrow, drivers turning right onto Broadway would come right up to the bus's rear, and some drivers would try and race by the right-turn driver to get to the bus stop rather than allow the person to turn - thus creating an accident. On top of all of that, the Mercedes Benz dealership right next to the bank has a giant driveway that produces a new traffic conflict with the bus. The best place for the 30th and Broadway Oakland Bus Stop is in front of Sprout's Market. The new store's sidewalk is already wide enough for bus riders, and the stop was there before the store was planned. Moreover, shoppers who need access to the bus coming out of the store, would not have to walk far to get it - they would if the stop was down the street a good 200 feet away and in front of Summit Bank. This is not about race or gentrification - this is just another one of Chris Peeple's tactics to get what he wants. I've know my friend since 1993 and he can act like a dictator at times. But to call people racist and classist just because he doesn't get what he wants is really not the way to go. Stay tuned.

via IFTTT

Newer Post Older Post