Letter to the Editor by Donald Weyer of Batavia:
Instead of City Church and Batavia City government squabbling over the church's food distribution at the former St. Anthony's Catholic facility at Liberty and Ellicott Streets on Batavia's south side, why don't the two adversaries meet, and in partnership, get down to the root causes for the necessity of food distribution in this city in the first place: unemployment, inflation, inequality and the 1 percent, racism, sexism, ageism, education shortcomings, capitalism, conservatism, etc.? You know, all the "usual suspects"!
Since that prospect is probably neither feasible nor productive, here are some questions, thoughts, and musings, from my pen:
- Remember when there was an issue, interestingly also taking place on the south side of Batavia, within the past 2-4 years, concerning street parties, private-yard get-togethers, whatever you want to call them? Isn't this current issue quite similar to that former one? Is this all about NIMBY ("Not In My Backyard")? Just saying.
- Speaking of NIMBY, come on, Rachael Tabelski, Batavia city manager, you suggest that the food distribution be moved "outside the city"? Wouldn't that be the supreme NIMBY, not even suggesting an alternative site WITHIN the city? What do they say? Even an animal doesn't soil its own nest or stall. So, we send the soiling elsewhere? Hmmmm. Just saying!
- Referring back to #1 above, wasn't there a "racial" undertone involved with that? Just saying!
- Referring to the current imbroglio, is there a "religious" undertone to it? City Church, at best, is non-denominational; at worst, it leans Protestant. Wasn't south side Batavia historically Catholic; In fact, the site of the distribution, St. Anthony's, is a former Catholic Church. And you know the traditional relationship between Protestantism and Catholicism? Again, just saying!
- Referring back to both #1 and #4 above, what is it with the "south side" here in Batavia? I suspect there is a long-entrenched populace who are "insiders" in the "south side". But now, there has been a significant influx of a new populace into the "south side", "outsiders". Inevitable conflict between "insiders" and "outsiders"? Probably! Isn't it the responsibility of Batavia city leaders to defuse the conflict and not inflame it? Ditto, just saying!
- Is there a social/economic/political/religious "class" aspect to this latest iteration of a donnybrook within the confines of the city of Batavia? Maybe, and finally, just saying!
I'm sorry, I have no hard and fast answers or solutions to the questions I pose. But I believe that the questions should be posed! All I can suggest is that we all try to get along together! As E.M. Forster wrote in "Howards End," "Only Connect"!
