A month-long publicity campaign aimed at attracting 10,000 gospel singers to break a world record has now changed the venue on short notice.
The campaign started with teasers and a call to meet at Emerson School to learn more. It was then revealed to be both a challenge to the Guinness Book of World Records for gospel singing and signing as well as an event to bring peace to the community. Over the month, a wave of shootings continued, most recently with a fatal attack on a taxi driver.
Now the location for the Oct. 2 event has been changed from Cedar Brook Park to the considerably smaller grounds of City Hall.
Having once lived for a year next to Cedar Brook Park, I was wondering how county park police were going to handle such a large anticipated crowd when news of the new location broke. According to Ron Zuber, deputy director of Union County Parks, a meeting had been scheduled to talk about just such issues when organizers dropped the idea of using the park.
So now it will be up to city police and possibly Public Works to make logistical arrangements on short notice for the event at City Hall.
However worthy the goals of the event, it is unfortunate that the responsibility for managing it is now a city chore. Those of us who attend City Council meetings know that city event organizers are expected to make their plans known well in advance, in addition to paying for police coverage and showing proof of liability insurance. Has all this been waived, and if so, by whose authority?
Call me a nitpicker or spoilsport, but these are questions that need to be asked and answered. How can there be two sets of rules for events, one for the general public and one for a select few who can make the city turn on a dime to come up with support at public expense?
--Bernice
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Bernice anytime you point out something that isn't right as a whole we have the standard "anonymous" crowd that will call you a nitpicker or naysayer. Keep doing what you do. Whose authority also ??? I think we know the answer without even asking...
ReplyDeleteIf this turns into a debacle our elected leadership will blame it on those who follow the negative lead of SATAN instead of on those who act impulsively in the name of POSITIVITY.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the City can afford this and if it's worth having. If it's being held near City Hall, expect a very small crowd. It's obvious that there isn't much room there for a crowd. Will this event become another election event that the mayor doesn't have to pay for, but the taxpayers will. Will there be more $20,000 checks we don't know about? I wonder about these things and am concerned, since it seems that the city's fiscal health doesn't seem important to those in power.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope no one is injured, the toilets do not overflow or someone trips over sidewalks and curbs around city hall, because everyone has a lawyer now adays.
ReplyDeleteYes, toilets. There are strict regulations for the number of portapotties that must be made available for a specific number of people. For 10,000, that number will probably be about 25-30. That will probably take up most of the space at city hall.
ReplyDeleteWhere are these people supposed to park? How can we have enough fire and safety for 10,000 people? I go to parades in New York all the time, and there needs to be a significant presence for crowd control. Is Hellwig, our public safety director, equipped to handle this? 10,000 people? The degree of traffic rerouting necessary for such an event? Who will pay for the extra police, fire, liability insurance, and so forth? Keep in mind also that this event, if the city provides any waivers or is not reimbursed, violates the law--separation of church and state.
I will be staying far away.