Amidst a packed room of students and community members spilling into the aisles" tensions flared as people voiced their outrage over the planned Greenbridge development in Chapel Hill.
Greenbridge Developments is building a mixed-use complex at a plot along Rosemary Street located in the historically black Northside community.
Tuesday's event ""Why Stories Matter"" sponsored by the UNC group United with the Northside Community NOW and held in Bingham Hall, Room 103, featured slam poetry, discussion and a showing of a controversial Greenbridge promotional video.
The video features interviews with black Northside residents recounting family history intermixed with narration about the proposed Greenbridge site.
Many of those featured in the video now say their words were taken out of context and misconstrued to seem as they were in full support of the project.
I didn't realize what I said was going to be used in that manner"" said Dolores Bailey, a Northside resident who was featured in the promotional video. So that bothers me a lot.""
Bailey" who spoke out and identified herself to the audience as one of those misrepresented in the film said she was furious about the Greenbridge project.
UNC junior Kane Smego who performed slam poetry at the event described the project as two towers" ""one 10 stories"" the other seven — like a middle finger to the Northside.""
The event also provided a space for some dialogue between the community and Greenbridge developers. Frank Phoenix" a Greenbridge developer" spoke to the audience at the end of the event.
""I've heard several times people say that Greenbridge is destroying the community"" Phoenix said. I think it's appropriate to recognize that the gentrification that's been going on started long before Greenbridge came into play.""
Residents fear property taxes will skyrocket with the completion of the multimillion dollar building — a main concern of those opposed to the Greenbridge development.
""We seem to be some sort of a lighting rod and all the anger associated with the changes that are going on that are real are somehow being pointed at us" Phoenix said.
We are not the source of this problem. We may be contributing to it to some extent" but we are not the source of the problem.""
Residents are fearful for the future of their collective history and worried their past will be erased with the completion of the complex. Greenbridge has promised a community museum in the building to combat those worries.
Tensions arose at the event's end as Phoenix spoke about the dissolution of communication between the community and Greenbridge.
""Dolores even said that when we started" there was some community dialogue that we thought was useful and helpful — that has changed he said.
I will accept some of that responsibility for that change but I think Dolores you need to share some of the responsibility" too.""
Rob Stephens"" one of the co-founders of UNC NOW quickly stepped in to quell any eminent uprising. But emotions still ran high at the event's conclusion.
""The event was wonderful"" Bailey said. Except for that last stab.""
Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
Northside stories
Junior Kane Smego performs a spoken-word piece about gentrification at an event Tuesday evening to generate discussion about Greenbridge Developments. The event showed a promotional video for the development interspersed with spoken-word performances.
