East Street is Bedminster

The Greater Bedminster Alliance is a group of white, middle class, snobs who, backed by our LibDem council, seems intent on destroying East Street. Why do I believe that? Well, as an example, when the GBA came around the East Street area asking if we, the Chaves, would like to join, what they presented to us was an organisation that was completely set up and running. The ideas were decided; the commitees elected; goals outlined; aims decided; and money allocated. All BEFORE they asked us if we would like to become a part of their brave new world.

They strut around East Street in groups, there's safety in numbers, holding on to their clipboards and clicking away with their cameras like demented tourists. They go to great lengths to make sure the photo's taken never show the thriving shops either side of the closed shops that they use to convince our LibDem council how badly East Street needs saving. Walk down East Street any day of the week and you will see a thriving community of many colours, religions, and nations working together and getting along nicely. It is not the bigoted, racist, drunken, drug taking, work shy area that they seem to believe it to be.

Here are people in their hundreds working with each other, helping each other, and in general making a life for, and with, each other.

Compare it with North Street. Better yet, compare North Street with the Gobi Desert. At first sight they seem to have a lot in common. WRONG!

The Gobi Desert is not boring; the Gobi Desert is not devoid of life; the Gobi Desert does not judge you by your accent alone; compared to North Street and Southville the Gobi Desert is the heart of the nightclub world.

We like East Street the way it is. It's bad points are almost completely the fault of our police force not caring about us chaves. There are people in East Street whose feet wouldn't touch if they carried on like it in North Street. Don't judge us all by these animals. Leave East Street alone. It's not a dying area unless the GBA and our council make it one. Since Christmas four new shops have opened up, and the old furniture shop next to poundstrecher has already been taken over and is opening soon.

Does that sound like dead?