August 10, 2008
four
Today marks the 4th anniversary of our first post. Since then we’ve had 1,454 posts, 10,560+ comments, and ever-increasing community participation. A big thanks to all of you that send in stories, share in the comments, or just hang back and take it all in.
My initial idea of CHPN is still reflected on the About Us page:
chpn is not a newspaper or magazine. We are a neighborhood news blog, a grass-roots publication with no staff reporters or editors. We are dependent on readers and contributors for all of our content.
chpn is a volunteer effort. If you are interested in helping in any capacity, please contact us. We need reporters, photographers, and community contact liaisons. We would especially like to find someone to report on events at the local schools, and would be delighted to hear from representatives of the local civic organizations. This is a chance to share your insights, knowledge, and opinions.
From this foundation, I am heartened to see that the community participating in the site continues to grow and more genuinely reflect the whole of the area. As new issues come up that touch on our schools, redevelopment, crime, the election, or any of the other areas that can elicit so much passion, it benefits us all to be able to see what kinds of ideas are floating around in the community and to identify our common ground.
Remember that if you know of something cool or worth sharing to please drop me line. If something is going on in your block or your community and you don’t see any mention of it here, it is not because you are being ignored or left out but that I just don’t know about it.
Somehow we’ve made all of this look fun, too (or at least entertaining). In the past year, the basic idea of chpn has been transferred to a number of other parts of Richmond as Near West End News, Oregon Hill, River District News, Greater Fulton News, Monroe Ward, and Chesterfield Daily have all gone live. From this, the only logical next step was the community blog aggregator RVA News. Rumor has at least one more community blog in the works…
My sincerest thanks and praise for an endeavor well done on the part of everyone involved. Your commentary, the give-and-take, the camaraderie, the participation by everyone has been so refreshing to see. The dialogues help present a picture of what grass roots Richmond is all about; and provide a better understanding of what Richmond is than that perceived from the headlines and news articles in the newspapers and local TV. Thank you, Church Hill.
Happy Birthday! Thanks for keeping it going!
On the down side it gives a voice to the malcontents of our fine neighborhood. And, their the loudest of all.
John, thanks for starting all of this and for inspiring us to keep getting better at it.
what is your definition of a malcontent? is it someone whose opinion differs from your own? this blog exists to foster dialogue among the diverse population of church hill. that means everybody not just the narrow swath of educated yuppie scum intent on turning this diverse neighborhood into an ersatz colonial williamsburg . that means students,artists,hoodrats,oldtimers,alternative lifestylers,and yes investors .so remember if everybody doesnt participate its a dialogue between those who already agree and that is just a monologue. to paraphrase jefferson i may not agree with what you say but i will defend your right to say it. plus i like to dialogue it encourages clarity of thought.so di lighten up on us malcontents we gots feelins too. buddycorbett
Buddy - I love you. You’re my new favorite poster.
1) buddy you rule.
2) woohoo for CHPN! ruffling feathers for four whole years!!!
Double woohoo for CHPN and ruffled feathers, thanks elphaba for starting that!
And John Murden - can’t thank you enough for all you do! YOU deserve the thanks! And awards….Plus, you got all those other neighborhoods to start blogs!
‘yuppie scum’? this is dialogue? I rest my case.
Di… I am just surprised he didn’t go on a rant about “me”!
Eric
di i actually thought you would have been more upset about lauras post typifying you as a slumlord but i guess you were too busy wrapping yourself up in the mantle of victimhood. and eric youre just a lost cause busy manufacturing fantasies about a black conspiracy to stop historical renovation in your little potemkin fantasy world. so to the two of you turdblossoms i send a hearty rasberry. best wishes for the fourth year of a blog that reflects all of our viewpoints. buddycorbett
Congrats on 4 years of geat coverage of events of local interest,
TvNB
buddycorbett You typify the type I was refering to in post 3. The cronically unhappy.
di, you’re not really one to talk since you made it clear in your first post that you do not want to hear the opinions of the neighborhood malcontents. if you hold our opinions worthless then we will treat your ‘worthless’ opinion the same way.
the last time i checked it was the world’s malcontents that ever got anything done. to quote george orwell: ‘freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. ‘ i’m willing to listen to what you have to say, but when you blatantly state that you consider anyone opposing you a ‘malcontent’ then what the heck am i supposed to do?
Just yesterday I was part of conversation about the importance of contributing whatever gift you have been given to your community. Thank you, John, for sharing yours with the greater community and for making Church Hill an even better place to live.
BuddyCorbett…
All you have to do is some history research and you can see what I say has some truth to it. Back in 1981 there was a newspaper article about our block/neighborhood and how “whites” were trying to take over to gentrify and how the current black homeowners were opposed. It isn’t an interpretation but actually spelled out in the article and brough up again in 1986. Now jump forward to the mid ’80s when people started to buy up abandoned and boarded up houses to restore which in turn forced many of the older black homeowners out of the neighborhoods due to higher property taxes and cost of resale values. By 1985 there were no less than 6 empty or vacant houses on our block. Jump even further to 2008 and you can see that every home on our block except one has been remodeled and/or restored as well as occupied/owned. Houses valued at $20k 10-years ago are now $300k or more. There are a few old timers still holding onto the past and refuse to sell to the white establishment that took over their neighborhood. I have seen that happen recently so not talking out of my hat.
Eric
John:
Thanks for letting me contribute, for better or worse!
Eric, I tend to refer to what you talk about as “white washing”. It’s my word for gentrification. So I hear ya and know exactly of what you speak.
John,
What an accomplishment! Congratulations and and thank you for this forum! It’s so refreshing to have a place for such a diverse neighborhood to voice their concerns, opinions, thoughts, and viewpoints. While I may not agree with everyone else’s opinions and perspectives, I do appreciate their ability to voice them on this venue. What a great thing you have going here! Keep up the great work and here’s to another 4 years and thousands more posts!
sorry we disagree. i suppose you think american indians should have been grateful for those nice warm blankets that just happened to be full of smallpox. should an oldtimer not be allowed to sell their property to who they wish for a price they desire? just because a property is not being renovated at a pace you desire does not make the lollygagging owner a racist. and by the by a lot of houses got renovated in church hill from 1985 to 2008 not just your slice of heaven as you constantly preen about. i fail to see you logic when you admit that many oldtimers were forced out of thir own neighborhoods and dont see why the few holdouts as you typify them would be a little careful selling off an often irreplaceable asset.obviously if its your one shot at getting a nest egg you might want to get the most you can get.or does capitalism only apply to you?at the end of the day MYOB and quit using your racist tail to wag your specious dog.buddycorbett p.s. to di i am a malcontent but not an unhappy one. i can however detect the odor of bullshit and feel it should be attributed to its source. nothing personal
kudos, john…as ever.
buddycorbett …. no I won’t take it personally. As a black women I take pride in myself and in what I do for a living. Rental property owner. My properties are lovely and my tenants tend renew their leases year after year. I’m also thrilled when homes around me are bought and fixed up. Sorry if I don’t fit your stereotype.
Di:
Just curious, what does being a black women have to do with your argument?
hillkid,
Maybe “yuppie scum” only refers to preppy white people. That’s the name buddy gave all the non malcontents in post #5.
gray:
Well, O.K. But, I don’t think that buddy was referring to “Di” when he said that. Even so, is “yuppie scum” exclusive to white people? I guess it depends on who is doing the interpreting.
Good grief! This whole line of comment is ridiculous on both sides! Usually, when someone mentions that they are black on this site, there is an immediate silence by commenters. The white guilt in this neighborhood is palatable and manipulated by the black population when convenient.
palpable, that is.
congrats john
“…is “yuppie scum” exclusive to white people?”
I don’t think so.
And I agree, this thread is ridiculous and at times, hysterical. Is CHPN a pub?
Congrats John on the best blog in Richmond.
Technically he said “educated yuppie scum ” don’t lump me in with the high-school drop out yuppie scum…I hate that crew.
BuddyCorbett… I hear what you are saying about people not selling unless they can get what they want but when developers or contractors approach people and offer them “more” than what the property is worth or being asked for and flatly turned down because they will sell to “only” a certain person, that narrows things down a bit.
Eric
i didnt draw a line that divided the neighborhood into malcontents and yuppie scum. i distinctly mentioned at least three or four subcultures that inhabit the hill. i did say that i dont like concertedefforts to to turn this vibrant village into a disney version of a historical neighborhood. as far as race goes there are jerkoffs of every kind so why limit yourself? denying that people lost their homes and became collateral damage in the economic wars to revitalize church hill isnt white guilt but a simple reality check. white black yellow or red playing the race angle just shows a lack of an ability to argue based on facts.you can loathe people based on their arguments without dragging race into it. is there a special sign that lets me know who i am blogging with?no? icalled erics earlier posting specicious for a reason. he quotes the racist times dipatch as source for his contention and then buttresses his argument with anecdotal “evidence” haha. so rail away my fellow bloggers its all grist for the mill on the hill.oh and di i didnt know you were a black woman. congratulations and what thehell does that have to do with me?buddycorbett ps before you light me up i know i misspelled specious.
buddy:
You have repeatedly stated that you don’t want Church Hill/Union Hill to turn into Disneyland. Others have said this too. Seems to me like an irrational fear. Church Hill a theme park?
Yes, I’m being a little facetious. Still, how does wanting to preserve our historic neighborhood make it Disneyland? Are you referring to the renovation work, or the in-fill? Is the BHC in-fill Disneyland, or the Ryan Home type in-fill like a theme park?
I get amused by the use of Disneyland as a negative (although, I get why you use it). Disneyland is the gold standard (and inventor) of it’s industry, and what most of it’s competitor’s strive to be.
Even companies outside the theme park industry come to their “University” to learn product quality, management, employee relations and marketing.
Seems like calling something Disneyland is more of a compliment than an insult.
I assure you that Church Hill will never look like Disneyland.
Why is Eric posting under Steven?
Maybe “Eric” and “Steven” are the same person.
or maybe Steven and Eric use the same computer. My husband, Ramzi, and I use the same computer and on several occasions I accidently posted under his name. Are Eric and Steven’s blogging voices different?
Sometimes I think that edg and beth and maybe even tiny are the same person because if I’m not mistaken they are all white and there are 6 children between all of them so that combined with my 2 kids and one other white kid would outnumber the whites attending Bellevue. And all three -edg, beth, tiny have a similar work schedule that does not allow them time for PTA meetings.
Maybe I’m wrong.
don’t be so intentionally dense. why on EARTH would you want any neighborhood to model itself after disneyland? disneyland is an ALTERNATE REALITY. why would you want to live in an ALTERNATE REALITY? gag.
elphaba:
Are you directing that comment at me? If so, you’ve totally missed my point.
You are so Wicked!
hillkid, i got your point, i just thought it was a lame one.
i think comparing a neighborhood with disneyland is basically calling them a cookie cutter. if you think thats positive, then thats ok for you.
also, the disney ‘corporation’ had nothing to do with the original reference.
Elphaba, darling, you DID NOT get my point at all. That’s precisely my point that comparing our neighborhood to Disneyland is ridiculous. And yes, the folks that talk about “disney” are referring to the cookie cutter model. I’m arguing against it, and asking what specifically they find cookie cutter or “disney” about preserving our neighborhood. Is it the renovation? Is it the BHC in-fill? Is it the Ryan Homes type in-fill? WHAT?
And again, I assert that Disney is a very good business model, but NOT one to judge our neighborhood by.
GOT IT? I think someone else is intentionally dense.
elphaba:
In addition, since I seem to need a hammer to hit you over the head here, I know that “they” are talking about the theme park aspect of Disney and NOT the Disney business model. However, I think that it is worth noting that if you are going to choose an entity in a negative way, using one that is the best at what they do is bad. Use King’s Dominion instead.
The “cookie cutter” argument is silly in that “they” are arguing that we don’t want that. Our neighborhood IS cookie cutter historically. Most homes are the same height, fenestration, distance from the street, similar materials…over and over again.
O.K., lets take this further, and look at this from a different angle. Disneyland is very well planned out. Yes, it is an alternate reality, and we are not an alternate reality in CH/UH, but there are similarities.
Like CH/UH, Disneyland buildings and landscaping fit together in the context of it’s environment. Each structure compliments the next. You do not see things that are starkly out of place. There is a real sense of place that you experience there, much like Ch/UH. The argument that building structures that respect CH/UH’s sense of place is a negative thing, is just ridiculous.
hillkid. i understand all of your arguments. i just don’t agree with you. you can ‘hit me over the head with a hammer’ all you want. you fail to understand that it is possible to understand your argument and still think that it is a poor one.
Elphaba - you ridiculously dense stupid bitch. Why is it so hard for you to stop being an idiot and just agree with other people? Do you realize that when you do not agree with the old fashioned folks on Church Hill you are being closed minded. Come on, Elphaba. I’m sure that if you opened your mind, you’d realize that conformity is really what would make this neighborhood great (and a lot like Disney World). I mean Church Hill could be Richmond’s greatest neighborhood to drive through, but not live in. At the end of the day, isn’t that what we all want? Well, that and increased property values.
hillid what aspect of the disney juggernaut do you find so admirable? i was referring to disneys penchant for trivializing the truth in serving its corporate agenda . you know sanitizing history so as to ensure its marketability. when you require people to adhere to a certain mindset to ensure thir employment or resident status then you are sliding down an authoritarian slope. so to summarise:i dont want my boss telling me what to think outside of work and i dont want a aneighborhood association telling me what color to paint my house.so hillkid are you dense or just so full of yourself you think everybody should agree with you cause your cyberpseudonym is so “street?” ass. buddycorbett
John,
I want to thank you for your wonderful blog and for encouraging discussion of Richmond Public Schools on it. Your contributors and your own postings have both helped make me a better SB member and given me great hope for the future of public education in Richmond.
Thanks!
~ WOLF
Buddy Corbutt…. You are one nasty, old curmudgeon. STFU…you old tool!
Buddy:
I didn’t realize my moniker was “street ass.” It’s just a name I chose.
Is it really necessary for you and others that disagree to be so mean-spirited? I find this blog site is getting more crude and mean by the day.
You talk about neighbors and community and the importance of it, but you treat the people on your community blog like crap.
Honestly, you and Ruth are two big cyber bullies/babies. Although, I know that you, Buddy, do that for a living as a bouncer. Seems like YOU are bringing your work mindset home with you. Maybe your boss has “Disney-fied” your brain. How about playing nice for a change.
I guess you’ll be checking off the “no” box when you receive your Union Hill Historic District Survey.
By the way, neighborhood associations do not tell you what color to paint your house, up here, anyway. If the historic district zoning overlay is in place, the Commission of Architectural Review is the custodian. Get your facts straight before you argue a point.
I still have not gotten an answer from what specifically, besides your objection to house color enforcement (which by the way is rarely enforced), is making our neighborhood “Disney.” I think the Disney analogy is a bad one, and I stick by that assertion. St. John’s O&H is over 50 years old now and the area is still disheveled and funky (especially to outside observers), albeit charming and pretty. Again, our community will never look like Disneyland, despite all efforts that you rail against.
And, thanks john_m for this community blog.
Please note that my post (#42) was not meant to be serious. I know Elphaba very well and my post was done in complete humor. I apologize if I offended anyone. (Except Elphaba - if I offended her, she deserves it.)
JES - i totally deserve it.
John, Thank you for creating this and all the other neighborhood blogs that have made you one of Style Magazine’s “Most Powerful People in Richmond”.
You single-handedly caused a media revolution in this town. Editors and reporters in the traditional media read your blogs to find out what’s really going on in Richmond.
From a personal standpoint, I read CHPN more than any other news source. Like they say “all politics is local”, well, I think we can say “all news is local”.
Sorry to be so tardy in thanking you for your service to the community, but I got caught up in reading the posts in the “poisonous environment” thread.
The way you’re handling that discussion and the way folks are responding in rhythm show just how cool this whole CHPN thing is. We’re all creators of content, and this blog/site is an amazing participatory exercise in civic action.
John, I hope you get as much satisfaction out of editing this site as we do in reading and participating in it.