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Letter to the editor

Today's Letters: Great concept, bad spot for HipHopSodaShop

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published October 24, 2007

Timing's everything for backers of HipHopSodaShop concept Oct. 14  

As the president of the quiet, virtually crime-free 47-year-old neighborhood association surrounding the proposed HipHopSodaShop going in at 8901 Fourth St. N in St. Petersburg, I have been urged by several residents to make their feelings known. They think it sounds like a good concept for young people, but it is definitely the wrong location.

All of those residents are afraid of increased crime in the area and that they will be bombarded by the "thump, thump" of car stereos as patrons sit in the parking lot before going in or after they leave late at night. The residents, especially those who live right next to the parking lot, have some valid concerns.

When I asked about this at the HHSS, a manager said they will have security in the parking lot but that "we're not here to legislate anybody's way of living." This was not the reassuring response I was hoping for.

He also said that in addition to serving more healthful food, they also envision "busing kids in from schools like Gibbs and Lakewood to compete in video competitions." I don't know about everybody else, but when I was growing up, conflicts between high schools could get pretty violent. It's not a "black and white" issue here; it's a behavioral concern with some young people.

After the article ran, I received an e-mail stating, "How does selling beer and wine, and maybe getting a full liquor license, busing kids in to compete against each other in violent video games, and blasting them with continuous loud, demeaning and hateful music equate to 'an educational tool to show urban youth how to succeed in a positive investment environment' or any 'community empowerment' at all? What are we teaching the youth? To be successful, you have to sell alcohol, fight others for supremacy, and play loud, demeaning and hateful music?"

Obviously the writer is not a fan of hip-hop music, but I have to agree with the resident except that the loud music isn't always demeaning and hateful. I wish HHSS would have contacted the neighborhood association in the first place, but at this point, I don't think it will get much support from the surrounding community.

I agree with the residents who say that HHSS is a good concept, but that trying to locate it inside a quiet, 47-year-old neighborhood is a bad business decision.

David Hoover, St. Petersburg

Community activist is selected for council Oct. 19

Yet another lawyer

The existing members of the City Council handed its citizens a trifecta on Thursday: (1) a Democrat, (2) an activist and (3) what we really need ... another lawyer.

Gosh, with these credentials our City Council should be able to do all sorts of good things for this community.

W. Nichols, St. Petersburg

Use of waterways is for all

Recent letters about manatees, and boats that "clutter our waterfront," are one-sided in their view. The use of the waterways by the public is established in law. It is shameful to hide behind the banner of protecting nature to promote one's own special interest and usage.

One must not blame the number of boats and slips for harming manatees. It is the type of boat and how it is operated. High-speed motorboats are to blame. These have their propellers beneath the boat, fully exposed, and travel at such high speeds that they cannot see or avoid manatees. Examine any marina, and the vast majority of boats in slips are sailboats. These often move without motors, and when they do, they move slowly with a protected propeller and are no threat to manatees.

Throughout Florida there are protected manatee sites and speed limit laws. In Big Bayou, the issues are different. There are few manatees, and in such a small, enclosed place, people shouldn't be zooming around.

One of the biggest issues is derelict boats, and I agree that they are an eyesore and should be removed. They are no threat to manatees. There are far more taxpaying boat owners than waterfront property owners.

I own a boat on Big Bayou and I love manatees, but we cannot allow special interests to dictate usage of the water. I am concerned about manatees, and I am concerned about the right to have my boat on Big Bayou.

Capt. D. Santos, St. Petersburg

Up against the wall Oct. 10, story

Hotcakes at the Garden

I was fortunate enough to grow up dining in the Garden Cafeteria in the 1960s. My grandparents took us grandkids to all the great cafeterias in town, but the Garden was the best.

As a young child, walking through those sunny doors was like entering a jungle wonderland. Never mind the milelong line of patrons winding up and down the ample waiting area and moving along at a snail's pace - there was just so much to captivate one's attention.

The fish pond with the bridge and dropped coins never failed to please. Live plants in profusion contributed to the jungle feel. I enjoyed the clatter of dishes and happy conversation. A huge delight was sliding my tray by all the wonderful food and ending up with nothing on it but a numbered card clipped to a stainless-steel holder.

This meant the waiter (in white jacket and gloves) could find me, in a state of drooling anticipation, and bring me my hotcakes in a little while. I can still smell the steaming aroma as he would stick his gloved finger in the silver dome cover's hole and lift it off the plate. Pancakes never tasted so delicious. I always felt a little twinge of guilt for spilling syrup drops on the white linen tablecloth.

The murals were absolutely fascinating - larger than life, of course. Their charm, intrigue and coziness were well appreciated by an 8-year-old, which is rather not surprising. Monkeys swinging from the branches of banyan trees in free abandon, exotic and colorful birds perched here and there - it was completely satisfying.

Whenever I'm on Second Street, I peer in the front doors and try to recapture a moment of "the good old days," always thrilled to see the murals still intact nearly 40 years later. Nothing today can compare to the ambience, delight to the senses and jovial staff of the Garden Cafeteria. I wish some things never changed.

Kathy Mader, St. Petersburg

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[Last modified October 23, 2007, 23:21:54]