Beautifully written by Lawrence White- discussion on the redevelopment of the Gates Coopertive, Sausalito. Houseboats. What was lost was precious and invaluable. Waldo Point was not only a neighborhood, it was a way of life. A message to America that the poor did not have to live pooror be second or third class citizens. That we all belong in the American dream - that it is attainable without selling out your moral compass. That we could support ourselves, and take care of our own community. That the homeless could be welcome and that money was not the most important thing in life. That you could know your neighbors well and be confident they would respond in an emergency. That it did not take a fortune to live life to the fullest but even if you were ultra wealthy you would be welcome at the fire pit just like the next guy. That the flow of the tides represented the freedom by which we lived. That the gulls and pelicans and other bay life were citizens here too and had every right to live and prosper in this ideal environment. That the local kids could be community-schooled and grow up to become complete people and not cardboard cut-out members of the international cult of $$$ . That when an outside force attacked us we stood as one against them and did not back down. That we lived on the water not on the phony streets under the water. That we lived on boats, real boats, that were on organic docks or anchored out in the free waters of the bay. That we belonged here and that we were doing something real and necessary for our society as well as fun and exciting for ourselves. All of this and more was a wonderful lesson for our country and the rest of the world. In its essence Waldo Point was a social and cultural experiment that worked and was coming together more and more every day. That is what scared them and induced them to attack us. Not the compost toilet or the Sutro Shower or the Brown House or the Dredge. It was that in its own way Waldo Point worked and proved that financial interests were not the driving force for mankind. That it was of the spirit and of the heart and of the soul. Not of the almighty dollar. Surrendering all of that for some cash or some free work on your boat is simply the worst deal since Native Americans sold Manhattan for beads. The fact that the hideous environmental destruction and totally illegal development scam goes on unabated without a struggle or challenge is a hard pill to swallow for those of us who risked our lives - gladly - to defend this way of life or were driven away because of it. I hope you can understand that.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 19:55:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015