Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutopposition cesar chavez U V i C:) 1.1 August 14,2017 To whom it may concern: We are writing as business owners with nearly two decades of volunteer service to Lansing's Old Town neighborhood,to express our opposition to any proposal to rename Grand River Avenue, and our desire to ensure an open,transparent,and inclusive process around any such proposal going forward. As two former Presidents of the Old Town Commercial Association,we are proud of the consistent demonstration of inclusivity in our neighborhood.We welcome and honor everyone here.We rally around causes and roll up our sleeves together. In 2010 when the Cesar Chavez committee requested Grand River's name be changed,we collaborated with the committee to ensure they received honorary street signs and a renaming of Lot 56.An architect in Old Town designed a stunning wrought iron archway for the entrance to Cesar Chavez plaza as a gift so we could collaboratively raise funds to realize the visibility the plaza deserved. Recently,we have secured matching grant money to turn a portion of the lot into a true plaza—to encourage people to gather.This would be a prime location to continue to tell the Cesar Chavez story,To accomplish these goals;however, we need collaboration and transparency. The Cesar Chavez committee's campaign has been anything but transparent and inclusive. It is fraught with misrepresentations and misunderstandings,with no effort to contact the vast majority of Old Town property owners and no interest in holding a public meeting to hear the concerns of the members of our community,even with invitations to do so. Recently at a forum for City Council candidates, members of this group read a quote from Cesar Chavez, "Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures." I completely agree.My fellow business and property owners want to honor the heritage of everyone in our community, but not at the expense of our small economy. This effort would demand significant expenditures on behalf of everyone in Old Town.As local entrepreneurs,we depend on marketing our locations via print and digital, and a sudden change to our local geography could create serious market confusion and damage our ongoing efforts to market our small businesses. For my business alone,reprinting my marketing collateral is estimated at$5,000,This is simply not in my budget, To date,it is my understanding the Cesar Chavez committee is not offering to cover the costs of the street name change and is asking for taxpayer money to do so. I welcome efforts to honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez,as I supported the efforts seven years ago,and would be happy to support alternative concepts.I am willing to invest my time to raise resources into improve Cesar E, Chavez Plaza,where we hold the majority of our community events,so that it is more explicitly dedicated to education of the community about the legacy of Chavez and the value we place in our community's diversity and heritage. I am firmly opposed not only to this proposal, but the manner in which it has been pursued, It currently lacks transparency and collaboration, I strongly desire a change of direction in this process,so that everyone in Old Town can be included in this important decision that affects all of us. Sincerely yours, Karen Stefl& David A.Such Owners Such Video, Inc. Zuchowski, Monica From: Rhea VanAtta <rhea@oldtown-generalstore.com> Sent: Monday, August 14, 2017 9:59 AM To: Clerk, City Subject: Cesar Chavez/Grand River renaming August 15, 2017 To whom it may concern: We are writing as residents, business owners, landlords, and tenants of Lansing's Old Town neighborhood, to express our opposition to any proposal to rename Grand River, and our desire to ensure an open, transparent, and inclusive process around any such proposal going forward. The existing process has been anything but transparent and inclusive. News of it has spread by word of mouth, and there has been little effort by the members of this group to engage any members of our community. This campaign seems to be fueled by deliberate misrepresentations and misunderstandings, with no effort to contact the vast majority of Old Town property owners and no interest in holding a public meeting to hear the concerns of the members of our community. We love Old Town because of its rich and diverse heritage, and we celebrate this throughout the year with a number of community events and festivals: Michigan Pride, Lansing JazzFest, Old Town BluesFest, Oktoberfest, and so many more. We welcome and honor everyone here. Recently at a forum for City Council candidates, members of this group read a quote from Cesar Chavez: preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures. We could not agree more, and that is exactly our point. We want to honor the heritage of everyone in our community, but not at the expense of others. i This effort would demand significant expenditures on behalf f everyone i Old T g p h o y n 0 own. As local entrepreneurs, we depend on marketing our locations, and a sudden change to our local geography, done quietly and without involvement or input of members of the community, could do serious damage to our ongoing efforts to market our small businesses, We welcome efforts to honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez and educate those who visit our community, and would be happy to explore renaming a street in our neighborhood that is not one of our two main streets. We would also be willing to raise and invest resources into the Cesar E. Chavez Plaza, where we hold the majority of our community events, so that it is more explicitly dedicated to education of the community about the legacy of Chavez and the value we place in our community's diversity and heritage. i We are firmly opposed to not only this proposal, but the secret and rushed way it has been pursued. We strongly desire a change of direction in this process, so that everyone in Old Town can be included in this important decision that affects all of us. Sincerely yours, Rhea Van Atta Owner-Old Town General Store 408 East Grand River Avenue Lansing, MI 48906 [] Virus-free. www.ava..com This email has been scanned by the City of Lansing Symantec Email Security.cloud service. For more information please visit http://www.spnanteceloud.com 2 August 12,2017 Memorial Review Board Lansing, MI Members, I am writing you today to articulate my opposition to renaming Grand River Avenue. It is my AFV understanding that there is a proposal at hand for a "permanent and exclusive" renaming to Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. Redhead Deaign Studio 1135 North Washington Avenue Lansing,Mi 48906 My small business,Redhead Design Studio,is located at 1135 N. Washington Avenue. We have (p)517-853-3681 been in this location around four and a half years. Previously,Redhead was located at 408 East (f)517-853-3684 Grand River.We bought that building in 2004.The windows were boarded up, the paint was virtualredhead.com peeling,the roof leaked.The property next door(which would eventually become Preuss Pets) was vacant. But my husband and I rehabbed the space. He spent hours restoring the original tin ceiling. We replaced the boarded up windows. We replaced the roof. We had two small kids at the time,and while my business was doing ok,it's not a stretch to say that the move to Old Town was a leap of faith and a labor of love. We were broke and we worked hard to bring back that space. (Fast forward a decade and the building is now in better hands with Rhea VanAtta, who was able to brig the courtyard back to life,and Improve on the property even more.) So,in 2010,we were Grand River Avenue residents when the topic of renaming the road came up. I was panicked at the thought of the expense of a name change. It was a real fear for us--- our business was doing well,but only because we planned carefully for expenses.At that time, we budgeted our expenses for changing the address on all of our materials,should we be forced to,at roughly$3,000—$4,500. If you would like to see a breakdown to understand that cost, please let me know.To put it in perspective,$3,000 would pay a part-time employee$10.00/ hour for 300 hours. It would buy more than 17 credit hours at Lansing Community College for my son. it would have paid the mortgage on 408 East Grand River for three months. But that was not the only reason I was upset by the name change.And,though Redhead no longer resides on Grand River Avenue,the remaining reasons are still pertinent for me. Let me tell you a real-life story that illustrates my point. My youngest son is nine. He has taken his time enjoying and learning to read. Last fall,at eight years old and in third grade,he was waiting for me as I closed up the office. He was just getting to the point where he recognized language in our daily environment,and he was trying to sound out the street signs on our corner. He first landed on Washington familiar from school—and said, "That was a president." Then he read Grand River Avenue,and tried to sound out Cesar E.Chavez Avenue. He needed help on that one. Then,he asked why there were two signs for one street. I explained to him who CAsar E. Chavez was—a civil rights activist who thought it was important that everyone was treated equally,an advocate for fair labor practices. He even visited Lansing a few times. And I explained to him what Grand River Avenue was—originally an Indian trail,then eventually a plank road that pioneers used to settle Michigan. It runs across our whole state, from Detroit to Grand Rapids.And in fact,that bridge a block away was the very first bridge constructed over the Grand River. This street was one of the very first settlements that made our city. explained that both stories are important,which is why we have two signs. NVI tell you this to illustrate the crux of my opposition to the "exclusive" renaming of Grand River. Redhead Deaign Studio Why would we exclude the story of Grand River Avenue from this space that has enjoyed a 1135 North Washington Avenue multitude of settlers,cultures,and stories? Lansing,MI 48906 (p)517-853-3681 (f)517-853-3684 Why would we replace one important history with another when we can be inclusive and keep virtuaI redhead,corn both narratives? Throughout this letter, I have emphasized the word "exclusive" because those are words published by proponents of this change. I would be remiss if I did not mention that my experience of Old Town has been one of inclusion.Where all people—entrepreneurs,artists, Latinos,the gay community,truly anyone who wants to participate—is welcomed and celebrated, I am saddened by the word "exclusive" because it is not what Old Town is about, nor is the sentiment one of collaboration and compromise. The existing solution is an "and" solution. We get to retain the long history of Grand River Avenue itself,AND celebrate a civil rights leader. This is a logical and effective solution in a neighborhood that has many histories to celebrate. Throughout the country,schools,streets,parks and libraries have been named after Chavez. Some states have even designated March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day. It Is clear that an exclusive renaming of Grand River Avenue is not the only way to honor an individual, nor accomplish the goal of Increased awareness, particularly when there are compelling reasons not to change this particular street name. Please support the existing solution,which is one of compromise and inclusion. I urge members to retain the name of Grand River Avenue,and reject the "permanent and exclusive" renaming to Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. Regards, Jennifer Estill October Moon 119 East Grand River August 14, 2017 Ave. Lansing, MI 48906 517-484-4100 octobermoon@me.com Memorial Review Board Lansing City Clerk's Office 124 W. Michigan Ave Ninth Floor,City Hall Lansing MI 48933-1695 city,clerk@ lans i n g m i,goy Dear Memorial Review Board, I am writing you today to communicate my opposition to the renaming of Grand River Avenue. I am the owner of October Moon, located at 119 East Grand River Avenue. I have been at this location for nine years, previously my store was located at 1209 Turner Street for seven years,totaling 15 years of being a small business owner in Old Town. Moving just around the corner, I have an unique insight, knowing what happens to a retail business when an address change happens. It's costly and confusing -even when well planned, a hardship that can put you out of business quickly. When my business doors opened 15 years ago,Old Town did not look like it does today. Reported crime and unreported crime was high. Even though the area was considered"rough"and "risky", It was love at first sight. I saved my pennies for years. Prior to opening my store, I worked as a waitress and bartender. I worked for eight years and worked double shifts often,to save, with hopes to be able to make an investment in Old Town.After much work,sacrifice, and saving, I was able to put all my money and money I didn't have, Into Old Town, a place that people urged me not to invest in. My store was born. For fifteen years this is what I see in Old Town. Minorities. I'm one of them- I'm a woman. I am a single parent, mothering two sons. I have worn both of my sons on the front of me,while working in my store. Most of Old Town small businesses are run by women, homosexuals and/or people of color-diverse in how we look,think and cultural roots.What we do have in common is our desire to make a living, respect and protect our neighborhood, and honor those that paved our way.To make this happen, we have invested our money, time and heart. Old Town is identified by Turner/Grand River. It has been marketed, and branded for over twenty years for identification. Now that the investment, mostly by minority business owners has happened,financially-it is the wrong time to rename a major historical street name. It would cost my business approximately fifteen thousand dollars to change the printed and online materials/sources. However, as I mentioned before, having a prior address change, I am aware that the real cost of address change comes from people not being able to find you,for years.This loss of revenue is the higher cost. I am just one business in Old Town.Over fifty businesses and nonprofits would negatively financially be affected by the change. Even though the change of street name would be a huge cost, mostly to minority business owners. I am also against it due to it stripping the native american heritage from our community and state. I grew up in Fairbanks,Alaska prior to moving to Michigan several decades ago. I saw first hand culture"white washing". In this particular case there are similarities-Replacing one culture,with another. Old Town is a beautiful melting pot of many cultures. Not only cultures of race, but also the celebration of minorities-women and gays. Old Town is inclusive, it welcomes all. Keeping the name,as is, honors all, best. I would also like to note my disappointment in Lansing Chavez Group. Seven years ago when the Lansing Chavez group petitioned to change the name of Grand River,the compromise was honorary street name changes(which city tax dollars paid for)and the name change for the festival plaza.The archway that was promised by the Lansing Chavez Group never appeared, and neither did the committee. Instead, the current members of the Old Town community have been caring for the plaza, planting, maintaining, and even installing public art and a playground.We were told by the Chavez Group that is was too expensive for them to build the archway, and fundraising was too hard.We offered to assist by partnering in fundraising.We were told they weren't interested in partnering, but we could do it for them. We,the Old Town community,did not even know about the current name change until the end of June/July of this year,when we started hearing of a petition;which many of us have never seen.After inquiry,the few people from our neighborhood that signed,said they were mislead or told it was something else. When that was brought up to Lansing Chavez group they made it clear,they didn't care about the confusion of the information and collection of signatures.We have asked several times to see a copy of the petition and have been denied. This is disheartening and fraud. I feel strongly before any consideration, or any additional compromises are given to the Lansing Chavez Group,the past promises should be met. Currently,the group has made it clear that they will not fulfill that past promise, help pay for any of what they are asking for or care to involve themselves with the community to who this effects.This is wrong. Simply put,it is wrong to wipe away history and negatively impose financial hardship to a community that already struggles. With all this said. I believe that honoring Chavez is an excellent idea.A street name seems to lack the creativity that I think is deserved to such a positive historical figure, such as Chavez; however, if that Is the only choice, I would recommend locating a street that doesn't already have historical value and one that the current community hasn't already heavily invested in. Besides the current promised archway, I would love to see a relevant community connection-such as the farmers market or community garden program. I would also love to see Dolores Huerta be honored as well.Too often,we forget to celebrate our strong women of color. Sincerely yours, Aura Ozburn Zuchowski, Monica From: Mother and Earth Baby Boutique <motherandearthbb@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2017 3:15 PM To: Clerk, City Subject: Grand River Renaming Attachments: Chavez Letter.pdf August 14, 2017 Memorial Review Board Members, I moved my business to Old Town Lansing in September of 2014. We were immediately welcomed by so many, it felt like a mix of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Cheers. To'get more involved in the community, I volunteered for the Old Town Design Committee. l have since become the chair of that committee. I had no idea the amount of volunteerism that had to happen to make Old Town what it is! It is truly amazing the work that gets completed considering many of us own businesses in Old Town or have other full time jobs, not to mention families, sports, and other very busy schedules. However, we all manage to come together and make thing happen. It's a beautiful thing to be a part of. When I was approached about the name change, I signed the petition. At the time, I did not consider the cost or ramifications it would have on my business and even more so the businesses on Grand River in Old Town. After I learned more, I contacted the Lansing for Cesar Chavez group as well as City Council to make it known I would like my name/signature retracted. I was devastated the next morning to find a very disturbing post on my personal Facebook page. A member of the Chavez group commented on a public post I made promoting a breastfeeding support event that we put on every year. Part of it read "Your email was more heard around our community then you think and your event and business will not be supported by myself and many others. This is a shame because women need more presence in our community but thanks to your lack of ability to read and comprehend what your were signing, you have placed yourself under this light. And to that I will leave this here."At first I had no idea what this post was about, then I saw that the same person had tagged me in the public group "Lansing for Cesar E. Chavez". She posted not only the contents of my email but also included all my contact and business information. To my knowledge, aside from the initial signing of the petition and attempted defamation, I have never seen, met, or worked with any of the people in their group. I am surprised to see that there is a group people so passionate about changing a street in Old Town when I don't see them volunteering or working in the area. I would have assumed that this group would have come to one of the public Design Committee meetings or a board meeting to see how we can work together or how their goals might align with what we have in place. This never happened. I don't understand what changing a street name.would accomplish. Cesar Chavez's name is prominently posted in so many great places in Old Town. If education is the purpose, there are certainly better ways to accomplish that. From what I have learned, Chavez would not support something like this that would hurt the small businesses. It is hard to own/run a small business, I have 6 families that depend on a paycheck from my store. Growing pains are constantly affecting us, cash flow is so tight. I can't imagine losing a sale or a customer because they got confused by the road or directions to get to us. If the name change is approved, let's say 1-2 times a week a potential customer can't find us because they got confused or directions were misleading because of the name change. If that customer were an average customer I lose $50 just from that sale, if that customer was an expectant mom that might have registered with us, I lose $1500 minimum. Obviously, this would have a ripple effect- they tell their friend they couldn't find us or got lost, their friend doesn't bother to try. This could be devastating to our business, the difference in those sales could account for an additional team member or the loss of one. This does not even take into account the costs of reprinting maps, literature, and promotional materials that my friends, fellow business owners, and the Old Town Commercial Association would have to endure. i The Chavez committee should be ashamed of the hurtful words and actions that have come from some of their members; they have tried to disgrace the names of a number of great people that give their heart to and care so much about this community. I am firmly opposed to not only this proposal, but the way that the Chavez group have handled this situation. We are an all inclusive community and would welcome a conversation on how we can move forward to accomplish new goals. Thank you for your time, Lynn Ross Owner,Mother&Earth Baby Boutique Socially Responsible Entrepreneur of the Year (2o17) www.MotherandEarth.com 1517.721.1868 atth bobv�au(ic�uc Please Follow Us! Facebook I Pinterest jInstta ram This email has been scanned by the City of Lansing Symantec Email Security.cloud service. For more information please visit http://www.symanteceloud.com 2 lot ' August 14,2017 a j � - � Memorial Review Board Members, On behalf of the Old Town Commercial Association(OTCA), the sole nonprofit dedicated Lan Turner Street to the revitalization of Lansing's historic Old Town district;please accept our comment Lansing, MI 48go6 regarding the"permanent and exclusive"renaming of the Grand River Avenue to Cesar E. P:53.7.485.4i83 Chavez Avenue.We request that you retain the existing solution,which both retains the F:517:827.5487 significant name of Grand River Avenue,and also honors Cesar E. Chavez.This solution www.iloveoldtown.org was agreed to by both the local Old Town community and the Latino community after collaborative discussions in 2010,and has been an effective compromise for all parties. OTCA Board Members The OTCA Board of Directors is only providing an opinion because we were refused the opportunity to come together as neighbors and a community this to find ways to Jamie Schriner, President collaborate before the recent petition was submitted.We have repeatedly requested the CEDAM opportunity to work together to honor Mr.Chavez and find a compromise that works for Rick Preuss,Vice President all stakeholders,but have been repeatedly denied that opportunity.Because Lansing for Preuss Pets Cesar Chavez refuses to work and meet with the Old Town community as a whole— including business owners,property owners,neighbors,volunteers and all community Ben Dowd,Treasurer stakeholders—we must oppose this permanent and exclusive renaming of Grand River. DART Bank Cesar Chavez said"Preservation of one's own culture does not requite contempt or Ariana Gibbs, Secretary disrespect for other cultures."Old Town and Grand River Avenue have a rich and diverse Karma Construction history that includes Native Americans,Germans,the Latino community,the LGBTQ Sarah Christiansen, At-Large community,artists,the Jewish community and more. Grand Rivet Avenue,or US-16,first Katalyst Gallery started as a part of several Native American trails in the Lower Peninsula and now runs from Detroit to Muskegon,actually crossing the Grand River in Old Town Lansing. Chief Mike Bass, Director Okemos had his gardens along the banks of the Grand River in Old Town.Those gardens Friedland Industries would later become sugar beet fields,which were worked by many migrant workers and Ben Rathbun, Director members of the Latino community,leading to Old Town's strong Hispanic heritage.We Rathbun lnsurance were also home to Lansing's first European settlements,including the first school,hotel and more. Old'T'own,then known as North Lansing,also has a large German and Dutch Summer Schriner, Director Grace Boutique heritage,with many breweries including the original Lansing Brew mgCompany' the Liedetkranz Club (German Chub) and even church services being held in German until Shannon Murphy, Director 2009. Old Town has also welcomed many members of the Jewish community.Friedland M Llve Industries, our oldest business,started with David Ftiedland trading with horse and cart because he wouldn't be hired by anyone in the community due to being Jewish.Since 1886, Jackson National nal Life Neal os Director Friedland has hired members of many different communities who have been discriminated N against simply because of their religious background,race or heritage,starting Old'T'own's welcoming foundation.Old Town has also been a home for the LGBTQ community with Lansing's oldest gay bar and having been home to many businesses that have catered to the Our Mission: ^ To maintain a vibrant business community in Lansing's historic Old Town district providing im services and opportunities that foster economic growth and community engagement. LGBTQ community.We have based our most recent revitalization on the arts,with artists from all backgrounds coming into the neighborhood for the last 25 years.We pride ourselves on being a welcoming community for all who arrive. We celebrate our heritage in a variety of ways,although out most favorite way is with festivals and special events. Old Town is home to Old Town Oktoberfest,PRIDE,ArtFeast,Blues and Jazzfest,ScrapFest,Chalk of the Town,Renegade Theatre Festival,Arts Night Out and more.We are currently working to install a permanent,covered performance stage in Chavez Plaza,which would be open to everyone in the community and help to create even more education and art opportunities in the historic district;we believe this would be a great opportunity to work with the Lansing for Cesar Chavez group to revive their Tejano festival. Grand River already has its own history and heritage;we do not believe we should cover it up to honor another history and heritage.When perhaps Old Town's most visible local pioneer,Robert Busby,tragically passed in 2007,the Grand River Bridge was renamed and we created a memorial garden in his honor.We saw this as a great opportunity to create a new,beautiful and fitting tribute to a great man in our community—not to cover up an existing history.We believe this should also be the case with Cesar Chavez and would love the opportunity to partner as neighbors and community members with the Lansing for Cesar Chavez group to make this happen. In 1996, the Old Town Commercial Association was created by community stakeholders and North Lansing was branded as"Old Town"—always at the heart of Turner and Grand River.For more than 20 years,the OTCA,a small nonprofit that has never had more than two paid staff members and has not received funding from the City of Lansing for years,has tried to pull together funding in any way possible to market and brand the neighborhood—often through the generous donations of neighbors,friends and any resources it can find. Grand River and Turner has always been at the heart of that marketing.To suddenly need to make a change of that magnitude would be an expense the OTCA does not have the resources to bear.The many businesses in Old Town are very much like the OTCA with the owner being the primary employee.These business owners are incredible.They not only work to make their businesses successful, they work to make their community successful.The hard costs (business cards,marketing materials,signage,websites,licenses,etc.) for changing the addresses for these businesses range from$500 to$3,500 per business—not including the time to change addresses with vendors and customers or any lost revenue due to customer confusion.This change will impact more than 75 businesses—totaling more than$30,000 on the low end and$260,000 on the high end--not including the cost to the City to change the signage.To date,we know of no resources to help with these changes from the City,the Lansing Chamber of Commerce,Lansing for Cesar Chavez or others and we have been checking).In addition to the individual businesses not leaving the resources to pay for this change,the OTCA does not have the resources to work with the many mapping aPps to update the street name and alleviate confusion for Old Town's patrons. In 2010,members of Lansing for Cesar Chavez first proposed to the Old Town community the idea of renaming Grand River Avenue to Cesar Chavez.Avenue.At that time,many issues were discussed,including those written above.We had the opportunity to come together as a community and neighbors to talk,listen and learn from each other.Promises were made by the OTCA and Lansing for Cesar Chavez group to work together to honor a great man through improving City Lot 56 by creating Chavez Plaza and the honorary renaming of Grand River Avenue,negating the costs and confusion for small businesses.The community is still waiting for the installation of the archway over the entrance to Chavez Plaza.Old Town volunteers continue to maintain the flowerbeds and hold festivals and special events,as well as install public art in the plaza,including starting the process of creating the public performance stage,but have not had any participation from the Lansing for Cesar Chavez group since shortly after the renaming of the street and plaza.We respectfully request that the review board stand by the agreements we made together as a commi.mity in 2010 and give the entire community the opportunity to work together,rather than impose this one specific change on the community—overlooking our existing history and heritage. Sincerely, The Old Town Commercial Association Board of Directors CC:Lansing City Council August 15,2017 To whom it may concern: We are writing as residents,business owners, landlords, and tenants of Lansing's Old Town neighbor- hood,to express our opposition to any proposal to rename Grand River, and our desire to ensure an open, transparent,and inclusive process around any such proposal going forward. The existing process has been anything but transparent and inclusive.News of it has spread by word of mouth, and there has been little effort by the members of this group to engage any members of our com- munity. This campaign seems to be fueled by deliberate misrepresentations and misunderstandings, with no effort to contact the vast majority of Old Town property owners and no interest in holding a public meeting to hear the concerns of the members of our community. We love Old Town because of its rich and diverse heritage, and we celebrate this throughout the year with a number of community events and festivals: Michigan Pride,Lansing JazzFest, Old Town B1uesFest, Oktoberfest, and so many more. We welcome and honor everyone here. Recently at a forum for City Council candidates,members of this group read a quote from Cesar Chavez: preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures. We could not agree more, and that is exactly our point. We want to honor the heritage of everyone in our community, but not at the expense of others. This effort would demand significant expenditures on behalf of everyone in Old Town. As local entrepre- neurs,we depend on marketing our locations,and a sudden change to our local geography, done quietly and without involvement or input of members of the community, could do serious damage to our ongoing efforts to market our small businesses. We welcome efforts to honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez and educate those who visit our community, and would be happy to explore renaming a street in our neighborhood that is not one of our two main streets. We would also be willing to raise and invest resources into the Cesar E. Chavez Plaza, where we hold the majority of our community events,so that it is more explicitly dedicated to education of the community about the legacy of Chavez and the value we place in our community's diversity and heritage. We are firmly opposed to not only this proposal, but the secret and rushed way it has been pursued. We strongly desire a change of direction in this process, so that everyone in Old Town can be included in this important decision that affects all of us. Sincerely yours, AVEA August 15, 2017 To whom it may concern: We are writing as residents, business owners, landlords, and tenants of Lansing's Old Town neighbor- hood,to express our opposition to any proposal to rename Grand River, and our desire to ensure an open, transparent, and inclusive process around any such proposal going forward. The existing process has been anything but transparent and inclusive.News of it has spread by word of mouth, and there has been little effort by the members of this group to engage any members of our com- munity. This campaign seems to be fueled by deliberate misrepresentations and misunderstandings,with no effort to contact the vast majority of Old Town properly owners and no interest in holding a public meeting to hear the concerns of the members of our community. We love Old Town because of its rich and diverse heritage, and we celebrate this throughout the year with a number of community events and festivals: Michigan Pride,Lansing JazzFest,Old Town BluesFest, Oktoberfest, and so many more. We welcome and honor everyone here. Recently at a forum for City Council candidates,members of this group read a quote from Cesar Chavez: preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures. We could not agree more, and that is exactly our point. We want to honor the heritage of everyone in our community, but not at the expense of others. This effort would demand significant expenditures on behalf of everyone in Old Town. As local entrepre- neurs,we depend on marketing our locations,and a sudden change to our local geography, done quietly and without involvement or input of members of the community, could do serious damage to our ongoing efforts to market our small businesses. We welcome efforts to honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez and educate those who visit our community, and would be happy to explore renaming a street in our neighborhood that is not one of our two main streets. We would also be willing to raise and invest resources into the Cesar E. Chavez Plaza,where we hold the majority of our community events, so that it is more explicitly dedicated to education of the community about the legacy of Chavez and the value we place in our community's diversity and heritage. We are firmly opposed to not only this proposal,but the secret and rushed way it has been pursued. We strongly desire a change of direction in this process, so that everyone in Old Town can be included in this important decision that affects all of us. Sincerely yours,