Taking Back Our Street!

Recent years have not been good on Hendersonville's Historic Seventh Avenue East.  Once upon a time, it was safe to walk, sit, bicycle, roller skate, live, work and worship on Seventh Avenue East.  It was safe, once upon a time, for kids to visit the best candy store in town....or for families to buy their groceries at the Depot Salvage.  But as the song says, "....that was once upon a time....and once upon a time never comes again." What was once Mr. and Mrs. Pace's candy store is empty and boarded up....the old Depot Salvage store has had violent GANG graffiti painted on its wall !

Where children used to play, where families lived and shopped and worshipped....and where local businesses worked hard to provide good products and services and to make a decent living...has been LOST to dope dealers, prostitutes, to a flood of illegal aliens, and to predators of every kind.

But lately, some very GOOD friends and neighbors have been leading the effort to TAKE BACK our Historic Seventh Avenue East !  Look at what Bob Quattlebaum has done with the Old Francis and Wright building !  Look at some of the BEST businesses in town...from M & M Freezer Locker, to City Tire Service, to Louis Williams, or the Crystal Barber Shop...some go back OVER three-quarters of a century !

We've all seen our Historic Seventh Avenue East neglected, almost abandoned, left to decay at the hands of thugs and illegals....and be pretty much "written off"...as the "BAD end of town"..... But these Seventh Avenue East businesses and merchants, property owners, citizens, and taxpayers...have FINALLY gotten the attention...of city officials, police, and others...and hopefully, we're beginning to TAKE BACK our street !

A contributor to the Times-News FORUM has seen the progress made in just the last few weeks.  And is suggesting that sometime this Spring, when temperatures warm back up, a "night walk" be held on our Historic Seventh Avenue East......that we all turn out and WALK Seventh Avenue East, at night, in the dark together, to PROVE....that OUR street is OURS again....and that this time, we intend to KEEP it !

As a long-time "neighbor" on Seventh Avenue, WHKP thinks that's a GREAT idea !  And if such a "night walk" happens, we'll be there to walk (or ride if we can't walk !) every step of the way!  What a GREAT way to show the community, AND the thugs who thought THEY "owned" our Seventh Avenue East, that decent people have taken THEIR street !....indeed their whole neighborhood.....BACK !

A lot of people, led by the businessmen we mentioned...and including Police Chief Herbert Blake, city council, public works, and others...deserve the credit for BEGINNING to take our street back.  But there's a lot MORE to do....and a long way to go before OUR street, our "neighborhood", our "end of town", belongs to decent, taxpaying, people and businesses and is OURS again.  A LOT of progress has been made in a short time...but it's only the beginning.  The thugs and the drugs and the illegal aliens, some with criminal histories brought WITH them from far and distant countries, have probably just moved OVER a couple of blocks.  There's still a lot to do.

But THANK  YOU.....all who began the effort and who've led the progress to where we are today.  and we're hoping this "night walk" that's been suggested really happens.  What a great way to celebrate Spring this year....TAKING BACK our street, and our whole end of town !  And proudly, safely, walking on it...and enjoying it AGAIN !