In Northside, Rail Fight Breeds Suspicion

[ricco67]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2874063

Oct. 31, 2004, 12:51AM

In Northside, rail fight breeds suspicion

Residents wary of plan and of an organizer who says he wants to help

By JENALIA MORENO

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

In the neglected Northside area, homeless people sift through Sand Dollar Thrift Store's trash bin every morning in search of discarded clothing. Unemployed day laborers stop by a battered taco truck to buy a cheap lunch. And blue-collar workers browse at used-car lots lining North Main Street.

This barrio, with its graffiti and street litter, appears so down at its heels that it would seem the Metropolitan Transit Authority's proposal to extend light rail up Main Street through the area could only reinvigorate it.

But restaurateurs, barbers, mechanics and other business owners working just north of downtown saw what happened to their counterparts during the three years Metro was building the rail line through downtown. They fear their businesses can't survive the torn-up streets and poor pedestrian access, not to mention any gentrification that comes with the train.

"I'm tired of being the underdog," Alida Rodriguez, owner of the bright orange Falcon Drive In Groceries on North Main, said during a meeting of Northside residents on the rail line.

About 1,500 business owners already had signed a petition circulated early this year by neighborhood leasing agent Ron Robles opposing the rail when Jose Benitez, a longtime organizer, contacted Robles and adopted the cause as his own, relocating his office to the Northside.

Motives questioned

Some are grateful for his help; others such as Robles are now suspicious of Benitez's motives.

Either way, workers and owners alike have placed their hopes

[dbigtex56]

Whether he's an activist or an opportunist remains to be seen.

Because I am not among those who believe that newer, more 'upscale' housing is always an improvement, I agree with his goals. This is a functional neighborhood, and many of the problems there can be attributed to neglect from the city.

By the way, Ms Jenalia Moreno, what's so wrong about blue-collar workers browsing at used-car lots, or people who eat at taco stands? Isn't this part of the lively streetscape that we'd like to see more of?

I hope Mr. (Senor) Benitez, in addition to taking people's money and acting as an advocate for the neighborhood to METRO, will pressure the city to provide basic services, AND urge the residents themselves to take a more pro-active role in cleaning up their neighborhood. Litter and graffiti are within the control of the residents. Tell 'em to get off their asses and get busy!