OPEN SPACE: Leave profit motive out of equation

Why does all our open public space need to be micromanaged? In one edition of the paper, you juxtapose two articles about plans to change public space use: Lakewood’s for a stage at Fort Steilacoom Park (TNT, 9-27), and Tacoma Community College’s to demolish a community garden (Matt Driscoll column).

What the two stories have in common is that bureaucracies seem to always be afraid of people just using public space in an unprofitable and unplanned way. How ironic, given that many of the community gardeners escaped Soviet totalitarianism.

These moves seem reminiscent of the enclosure movement of circa 1800 England, when commoners were evicted from the commons, supposedly in the name of efficiency but actually to enrich those already in power.

Shame on TCC and Lakewood for not leaving our open spaces alone.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 1:15 PM with the headline "OPEN SPACE: Leave profit motive out of equation."