Yeah man! Fight the machine!

Originally posted by

Chuck Norton

Fry Street as it exists now is a monument to corporate greed and incompetence and predatory capitalism. Houston "developers" thought they could make big bucks by buying and bulldozing Fry Street and then building a corporate-friendly "Fry Street Village." They were ignorant of the history and cultural significance of the street and they arrogantly disregarded community concerns about their scheme. The city of Denton failed to speak in defense of Fry Street (although citizens spoke out by the thousands) and so a unique place got leveled. It would be best now if the city bought the land through eminent domain and made it a small park and/or venue for cultural events.

Originally posted by

Chuck Norton

Fry Street as it exists now is a monument to corporate greed and incompetence and predatory capitalism. Houston "developers" thought they could make big bucks by buying and bulldozing Fry Street and then building a corporate-friendly "Fry Street Village." They were ignorant of the history and cultural significance of the street and they arrogantly disregarded community concerns about their scheme. The city of Denton failed to speak in defense of Fry Street (although citizens spoke out by the thousands) and so a unique place got leveled. It would be best now if the city bought the land through eminent domain and made it a small park and/or venue for cultural events.

Couldn't agree more. How shameful to come in and destroy what once created the unique identity of Denton for the sake of a few bucks. I really hope those developers lose their shirts in Fry Street for what they have done. I'm not sure what should replace it but a small park would be nice...

Originally posted by

Derrick

No, thank you. As a Denton resident, I don't want my tax dollars going to a park that students would just trash.

A unique place was not "leveled" by a corporation... it was burned down by a socialist asshole.

So what makes this assohole a "socialist"? The fact that he was an asshole? Get over your ignorance.

I disagree that students would trash the park. The campus and surrounding apartment complexes stay clean on their own, I don't see property owners or university staff picking up after us. People use trash cans, you know. The entire community would benefit from a park, including parents and students who want somewhere to hang out besides bars. Parks also require upkeep which would create a few jobs.

Oh, and for the record, the universities provide Denton with significant tax revenue. A park for students would be built mostly with money that came from our tuition, not your "tax dollars" (most of your tax dollars go to the federal government, cities receive most of their money from businesses and grants from the state government).

"Socialists", seriously?

Are you serious? How in the HELL do you figure a park out of all things would attract drug dealers and users. I dont know what rock you crawled out from under but that is the most ignorant statement i have seen posted. and just fyi if there were no college students here this rinky dink ass town would cease to exist. who do you think supports 80% of the business here? it damn sure isnt the locals. THINK ABOUT IT

Originally posted by

Suz

Fry Street, and Hickory Street, for that matter, have been 'dumps' for many decades. Whatever the City decides to do with the area, if it does, will be done with MY tax money. Let's not forget that the current owners of the property will have a strong say, as well. Therefore, I want something that will serve the citizens of Denton, such as a few tidy, quiet businesses not in the food and beverage industry. A park is a no-brainer. A park would attract vagrants, drug dealers and drug users, and persons not in the best of mental health. So let's not go there. You have only to walk through Civic Center Park to see examples of what taxpayers do not want. College students, for the most part, are visiting, and will be gone when they graduate in four years, and sooner if they flunk out. They don't pay property taxes, so they don't get a vote.

Originally posted by

Suz

Fry Street, and Hickory Street, for that matter, have been 'dumps' for many decades. Whatever the City decides to do with the area, if it does, will be done with MY tax money. Let's not forget that the current owners of the property will have a strong say, as well. Therefore, I want something that will serve the citizens of Denton, such as a few tidy, quiet businesses not in the food and beverage industry. A park is a no-brainer. A park would attract vagrants, drug dealers and drug users, and persons not in the best of mental health. So let's not go there. You have only to walk through Civic Center Park to see examples of what taxpayers do not want. College students, for the most part, are visiting, and will be gone when they graduate in four years, and sooner if they flunk out. They don't pay property taxes, so they don't get a vote.

Civic Center Park is a lovely place. I live right across the street from it and walk through it often to get to the Square and the library. Yes, there are a few homeless people now and then, but they don't bother anyone that I've seen. Mostly at the park I see families, couples, and students from TWU enjoying the space and each other. Maybe you should spend some serious time in a community before you bash it as vagrant's playground.

As for Fry St., a park would be nice, or maybe a coffee shop...something that would be useful for students and others who live in the area. Another pizza joint would be great, or maybe someone should resurrect that cereal bar that used to be there...

I don't know why anyone would dump on Denton, it's a lovely place and has a decent sense of community. I think whatever happens to Fry St. those who are developing it should keep that in mind.

Joseph, given the circumstances, what do you think will happen, and what do you think would be best for Fry Street? If you know enough about the situation that you realize who is being ignorant about it, I'd like to hear what you have to say.

Originally posted by

Joseph

The beauty of these articles appearing once per semester is it is like watching a slow motion train wreck repeated over and over and over and over. People who are ill-informed and misguided offering ideas that have zero basis in reality and cursing at each other because anyone who wants to put anything besides a pizza joint and another head shop on Fry Street is a "conservative monoculture squares" or a "capitalist blowhard". It's so cute. It is a pity that no one in the city of Denton, from the former Fry Rats to the city council, have any clue how to even possibly do something with the area. Thanks to the collective lack of grasp of reality, now Denton will have a chained-in dirt field (which the grass is now growing in quite nicely) for many years to come. It's kind of like a little wildlife refuge in the middle of the area. Isn't it lovely, folks? Good work!

Originally posted by

Ryan

...I suppose the Tomato was a non-profit organization? I suppose the kids who worked there serving up shitty pizza were volunteers? Grow up!

Actually, it wasn't far from being a non-profit org.

The owners worked second jobs to keep that place open. Why? Because they loved the college students and the high school kids.

Think a Fudruckers manager would do that to keep his community spirit alive (his community being a vast parking lot)? If so, then you're the one that needs to grow up. I'm as conservative as they get, but love and community spirit kept Fry a fun place to hang out.

I guess all I have to look forward to one day as an old alumnus reliving his Denton memories will be sitting on a metal bus bench with a Century 21 ad on it and a puke-orange flood light overhead attracting mosquitoes -- surrounded by the warm glow of the CVS logo, of course.

Originally posted by

Ryan

LOL @ "corporate greed"

I suppose the Tomato was a non-profit organization? I suppose the kids who worked there serving up shitty pizza were volunteers?

Grow up!

First off I had the privledge to be a student between 93 and 97 and I can honestly say that I spent a lot of time on Fry street. The places there were more than just businesses. They were places to show off local musical talent from our amazing music school. They helped to create friendships and provided close quick meals for students between classes. A few of my Geology lab lectures were held at the Tomato over a pitcher of beer and a slice. And for the record the Tomato was not shitty pizza. Second, Fry street was and will always be, for those of us who were fortunate enough to experience it, a place that unites us all in memories of our college days. Whatever goes there now, I hope it will provide the kind of place for future students to enjoy and have similar experiences.

Originally posted by

Judy

I'm a 1994 graduate of UNT and I am not too happy with what happened to the fry area. I just got wind of the situation by a friend from New York who used to go to UNT. So its true that the socialists and hippies in Denton have managed to stop this company who owns that land now from putting in their big ubiquitous boxes. WOW. This is very impressive. You got to hand it to these people in Denton. Its not very often that citizens rise up and stop the machine.

It would be incorrect to say that socialist and hippies stopped anything from happening at Fry St. They, like much of the Denton community, would prefer to have left the area alone and failed in that mission. It's a shame.

As a young person (26 years), I am embarrassed by the rhetoric and hateful attitude being spewed on this webpage. Mostly I assume they are from other young people, but these seem to lack any grasp of life outside of the college bubble. "Socialist," "Corporate blowhards," etc. What is the point of talking in such a way except to inspire polarization of attitudes?

The fact is, whether you liked Fry Street as it was or not (I did not particularly care to go there), what has happened is a shame. A part of the Denton community has been destroyed and now it has turned out it was for nothing. Everytime I see the fenced in vacant lot I get upset. I mean seriously, a CVS would be better than nothing. There was definately a lot of greed (we are in Texas, USA) involved, but also a failure of the city to act. Burning down the doomed building was the act that made the people wanting to protect Fry St look like fools.

So basically, who did right in this situation? No one. That's real life. Now we just need someone to do something, anything, with that area.

Originally posted by

Melissa

It sounds like the new episode of Parks and Recreation on NBC.

I'm not a great critic but that show upsets me by how bad it is.

Originally posted by

crack

ah, you're right broseph. clearly you have it all figured out.

and broseph is a joke. take the stick out of your ass when you get a chance you might get dysentery.

Your witty and comprehensive rebuttal is too much for me to respond to. Well played.