The City Paper has an article on a fellow who want to open up an establishment at 9th and P. Across the street from the Shiloh Baptist Church. Shiloh, understandably as a Baptist church is blocking it.
Now I’m keeping this short because I have family members who trek all the way from MD to go to Shiloh….
But really!
“The very idea that rampant restaurant, lounge, bar, nightclubs are what are [sic] youth need to see is a total insult to this historic African American Community,” wrote Johnny Howard, chair of Shiloh’s Board of Deacons in an Aug. 9 letter regarding Vegetate.
Oh yeah the vacant and shoddy looking church owned properties that have been shoddy for as long as I can remember, are uplifting to the neighborhood youths. I shudder to think what would be if Shiloh owned the Carter G. Woodson house, also along 9th. Also, according to the article, something will be happening to the properties in the next 6 months. Hey anyone want to take a bet that in 7 months it will be the same old same old?
Now I don’t think the problem is simply that Shiloh is a church. There are other church bodies that keep their properties up and make them lucrative investment, no I think the problem relates to the fact that many of tparishionersers don’t live in Shaw. What is it to them if a row of buildings stand idle when you only have to see it once a week? I mean [sarcasm] who are we to tell them what to do with their property?[/sarcasm].
Comment policy- email me for this one.