Planting a Seed
This letter is to thank Susan Edwards for her story about the beautiful secret garden that I recently had the chance to discover.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of helping chaperone a group of seventh graders from Nathan B. Young Middle School to the Tampa Museum of Art. Our group took their tour of the museum first, and while the second group of kids was in the museum, we were led into a forest of crepe myrtle to a truly magical place.
For the next 90 minutes I watched a bunch of hormonal teenagers abandon all the angst that comes with being 13 in the world as it is today — and romp through the grass, play ball and just sit and talk with friends.
It would be shameful to destroy this little piece of heaven and I refuse to believe there is no way to incorporate the park into the future museum's design.
I e-mailed your article to two of the teachers who arranged the trip, suggesting a little lesson in civic participation might help the cause. Why not have the students pen a short note to the next Tampa mayor asking he or she to do something to "preserve this jewel," as Susan Edwards so eloquently put it.
—Lisa Marzilli, Riverview
Ybor, Pro and Con
I just wanted to thank you for a great piece. I think there's been a good deal of speculation about the Ybor situation going on for some time now, and among several age groups.
I'm 28 and, like many my age, I used to tear it up down in Ybor on the weekends. Although I was initially sworn into that scene by the frivolous drinking and partying Ybor had to offer, I too began to take notice of the culture that the place was built upon and seems to be struggling to adhere to.
Whatever the town's fate, I'm grateful to have been able to read about some of the real issues and history of Ybor in your well-written article. Thanks again! Peace!
—Toby Anglin, Tampa
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I'm a longtime reader of Weekly Planet and I've always felt that we have something in common. We both work hard to try to provide a positive service for our community. I've done my part by entertaining weekly crowds at the Empire nightclub. I was shocked and hurt by a comment in Eric Snider's article.
I've worked at Empire and its predecessors at that address for over 12 years, and I too miss the "good ole days" of the Three Birds bookstore and Blue Chair music. Times change though and things weren't always as good as we remember. Back then, gangs of skinheads threatened minorities on Seventh Avenue. Muggings and brawls happened nightly, and there were only two cops on bicycles to deal with them. During that period I gave up on having a stereo in my car because it was broken into so frequently. I feel much safer at work today.
Eric Snider painted an opposite opinion of my job. He implied that Empire is a hostile place. Nothing could be further from the truth. If he took time to question the police he'd find that we're a model establishment in their eyes. The fire marshal is pleased with us as well. We have much fewer problems than similar sized clubs in the area. We are very strict against underage drinking, drug use, over-indulgence and violent behavior. That's a major reason why our patrons keep crowding in, while other businesses are slow, as Eric mentioned.
From a reader's perspective, Snider's paragraph on Empire sticks out awkwardly from the rest of the article, almost like a vendetta. Fortunately, it speaks more about his insecurities in visiting a so-called "rap club" than it does the behavior of our employees.
—John Ferguson, Tampa
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I am a good example of why Ybor seems to have fallen on tough times. My wife and I are fortysomethings who used to enjoy going to Ybor on Saturday nights twice a month. We would arrive early to walk Seventh, then proceed to The Castle. After about six months we stopped going for the following reasons (in no particular order):
1. Before we even get out of our car, we have spent $10 for decent parking.
2. If you arrive around 7 or 8 and you are not hungry, then there is nothing to do!
3. Police that spend more time looking at women (or men) than doing their jobs. Rude officers treat everyone with disdain.
4. Big Brother's cameras. 'Nough said.
5. Too many gangster wannabes. You will never get Ybor fixed until such time as you ban anyone under 21 from going into the bars, period!
At the risk of sounding slightly arrogant I must say that until the situation changes in Ybor we will no longer be seen there. Too many easier and safer places to go.
—Charles Jackson, Tampa
Tough Love
Although it is "very reasonable" to consider William Jacko's points in his recent letter that we should look with equal abhorrence at acts of injustice suffered by both the Palestinians and the Israelis, a point of distinction must be made.
The U.S. has sent several billions of dollars each year to Israel, making it the largest recipient of U.S. "foreign aid'' for probably the last 30 years. The rationale I recall reading in the 1970s was that this "would buy stability in the Middle East" and was therefore damn cheap at twice the price.
Possibly that strategy worked for a decade or two. However, who would now say we are getting our money's worth regarding "stability in the Middle East"? The Israelis are now completely out of control, operating on par with the worst of their fellow Semitic neighbors.
I don't know if one is right, or one is wrong, or both are equally culpable with their ongoing murder of each other. But I must declare that not in my name will Bush or other regimes continue to send billions of our tax dollars to prop up Israel while these out-of-control zealots kill Americans such as 23-year-old Rachel Corrie. Ms Corrie, like others of more conscience than the rest of us, chose to resist the Israeli bulldozers who were in their usual process of knocking down homes of Palestinians this month. How much more money do we in the U.S. need to send to Israel to kill our children?
To end this conflict I propose very simply that we put Israel and the Palestinians on notice that we are cutting off all their funding in equal installments over the next six weeks. I will be amazed if the sound of our cash registers closing will not bring both to a new understanding of one another in the modern world.
—Mike Judd, Tampa
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2003.
