Two Letters Published in New Times 
on January 27, 2005

The Grove's Living Legacy

One more reason to mess with Home Depot: In her piece "Winter White" (January 6), The Bitch observed that Andy Parrish was whining that, should a Home Depot be built at McDonald Avenue and U.S. 1, we would lose our only supermarket in Coconut Grove. If Andy is whining, it's because as a life-long resident and community activist, he is concerned about a good number of our neighbors who do not own cars.

Many of these locals, who've lived here all their lives, are direct descendants of the Bahamian community that helped to found and literally built what is now Coconut Grove. They are largely elderly and must depend on others for transportation. They have always walked to the local market. Would The Bitch ask them to take a long bus ride for their groceries? (Many cannot afford cab service.) Or would it be preferable to The Bitch that they move away from the community their grandparents and great-grandparents labored to create?

I agree that Andy and many more of us are "preservationists." We are interested in helping to preserve, among other things, what is left of the Bahamian community, which is fast disappearing as a result of gentrification.

Please note that our committee, The Grove First, has the support of every local homeowner association (including the Village West Homeowners and Tenants Association) and civic group, including the One Grove Alliance, the Quality of Life Committee, the Civic Club, the Grove Merchants Association, the Grand Avenue Merchants, the Coconut Grove Collaborative, the Coconut Grove Women's Club, the Coconut Grove Village Council, and the Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce -- to name just a few. They all support the effort to keep Home Depot and other big-box retailers out of our village.

Nina West, member

The Grove First

Coconut Grove

You Want Rules?

Try this one -- never ever trust lobbyists: I feel compelled to respond to Seth Gordon's letter "New Rules for a New Year" (December 30). I hope New Times doesn't take the crass advice of a second-string lobbyist when it comes to calling people "activists." Most activists I know are rational, intelligent, nice people who care enough about their activity to follow through, donate endless hours to their cause, and want the very best for their community. Unlike lobbyists, they can't be bought. In fact activists' work often gums up the lobbyists' goals.

Nancy Lee

Miami

miaminewtimes.com | originally published: January 27, 2005