STAUNTON – If you walk down Market Street in Staunton at the end of the day, you can see the sun begin to set across the street from the American Shakespeare Center and its neighbor the Stonewall Jackson Hotel & Conference Center. The summer heat begins to cool and the sidewalk is shaded. When you reach the end of the road, you find yourself standing in a place where you can take in a beautiful view overlooking the city.
There’s a long set of stairs that will lead you into the heart of downtown. Standing at the top of these stairs in the quiet early evening, you can look up and see it: the neon sign that has become Staunton’s iconic symbol in the city's skyline. If you look on any tourism site or pick up a postcard, it’s always there. Large letters over the city that glow bright red at night reading, Stonewall Jackson Hotel.
But in the late afternoon, the shady sidewalk feels more like the beach in August. The noon summer sun isn’t directly above you sunburning your scalp. By four o'clock, it has dipped to the spot where it looks you right in the eyes. It’s a good time to wear a broad brim hat and sunglasses and the highest SPF you can find.
This is the time that a group of private citizens gather across the street from the hotel. They do so for a reason. It's check-in time for guests at the hotel.
"It’s been pretty darn hot lately," says Aaron Barmer, who felt inspired to do something to reduce racism in the Valley when he listened to a young woman speak at a vigil in Gypsy Hill Park. This young woman now sits on the stone wall, looking down at the ground. Jazmine Brooks shows up every day to stand with them.
Three weeks ago, Barmer, Brooks and another young woman, Arrow Kilbourn, met outside the hotel for the first time with handmade signs in protest of the hotel’s name. They were joined by other residents in protest of Confederate symbols in Staunton.
The protesters have been met with all kinds of weather. Rain, humidity, wind and that scorching summer sun. Landscapers also arrive during this time and use lawn care equipment. It is so loud, you can’t hear yourself think or talk to someone without raising your voice. You breathe a sigh of relief when they are finished and load their equipment back onto the flatbed trailer and drive away.
During a period of unprecedented disruption, the small team of journalists at The News Leader continues to cover the issues most important to you. Please support us, and keep our vital mission of news reporting going with a subscription.
The number of protesters has grown and many people show up at least a couple times a week. Some daily. Some are parents who bring along their teenagers who are only just starting to wonder why a Confederate general's name seems to be everywhere in Virginia, and in particular, their hometown. Parents bring them so they can ask questions and learn firsthand the meaning of democracy and your right to protest.
"I'm inspired by those who are able to make it out daily to hold the people in charge accountable and make sure they make good on their promise of change," says Courtney Holland, who came out to protest with her daughter.
"It was also a valuable learning experience for my daughter," says Holland. "We talked about why we went there, why it was important and who Stonewall Jackson was. We discussed the peoples' reactions to us, why some people were supportive versus those who responded negatively and the majority who pretended not to see us at all."
Breaking: Gov. Northam frees Rojai Fentress after 24 years
Protesting is more than holding up a sign
The three core members do much more than stand outside the hotel for two hours holding up a sign. When they go home, that’s when they get to work. Writing letters to the Historic Staunton Foundation, the Historic Preservation Commission, hotel management, and in earnest, trying to reach their City Council members who represent them.
The protesters grew up with schools, roads and businesses honoring the Confederacy. As they got older, they learned that many Confederate monuments, symbols and names were established under the Jim Crow Laws that segregated and discriminated against Black southerners between 1877 and the mid-1960s. These symbols were designed to perpetuate white supremacy and keep the Black community in their place. Symbols that represent human trafficking and systemic rape. Like a phantom limb, the chains of slavery remain.
Other people in town who value history have spoken up for leaving the name of the hotel alone, given the iconic nature of the sign. This also diminishes the likelihood that Staunton will become an area of diversity until racism is reduced in the city, they say. They want everyone in the city and anyone who visits Staunton to feel embraced, and this is an impossibility when symbols exist that honor a cause to keep human beings as commodities.
More: Stonewall Jackson Hotel: 'The use of statues and naming of properties that was done to intimidate must come to an end.'
On June 12th, Damon Strickland, the hotel’s general manager, informed them that the name would be changed and he would keep them informed. On June 16th, the hotel owners released a public statement.
Since then, no one representing the hotel has responded to their requests for an update.
"We are disappointed that Damon Strickland has not followed through with his commitment to keeping us informed," says Kilbourn. "Strickland also mentioned the Historic Staunton Foundation as a complicating factor for the removal of the neon sign."
The conversation, they said, has now been muzzled. The Historic Preservation Commission, at first open to engaging with them, suddenly grew quiet. City Council continues to remain silent.
When the group sent their first email to Staunton City Council, the only person to respond was outgoing council member Ophie Kier who shared his views as a private citizen.
Then, council member Terry Holmes reached out to them, mentioning that historic preservation could be a potential obstacle in removing the sign, says Kilbourn.
The initial encouragement felt when Crestline Hotels & Resorts released a public statement pledging to change the name began to diminish when the group kept hearing area historic preservation groups are going to be a problem.
Nationally, this doesn't seem to be an issue, according to the statement made by the National Trust for Historic Preservation supporting the removal of Confederate symbols.
Former Staunton Mayor Carolyn Dull responded to Kilbourn’s email sent to the Historic Preservation Commission to which Holmes is council liaison. Dull had not responded to the first email the group sent to Staunton City Council.
Excerpt from Dull's email:
"I think they may have to be reviewed by the Historic District Commission. Other than that, I'm not sure. I know it will be a long process and expensive for the company with rebranding, marketing and all the materials using the name that will have to be changed. ... If I find any other requirements, I will let you know."
"Her response came across as unprofessional and definitely not in line with the recent statement made by council stating their commitment to racial justice in our community and soliciting ideas from the community," says Kilbourn.
Statements from hotel owners and Staunton City Council: Stonewall Jackson Hotel owners pledge to change Confederate name
Dull didn’t offer suggestions on how council could assist in the process or detail what the process would look like, she adds.
"Overall the mayor’s response was disappointing and had me questioning why I voted for her."
One member of the Historic Preservation Commission did initially reply and detail what the process would be if the hotel requests a permit to change the sign, she says, but was later cautioned about communicating directly with the group.
The response was in line with the city’s recent statements on racial justice.
"We appreciated the transparency and integrity of this response," says Kilbourn. "We wish they had not been hushed and that other city officials would communicate openly in response to citizen inquiries."
Then the group learned that the hotel's owner had not applied for a permit as of June 20th.
The hotel can issue a permit to alter the sign as the historic code is written, but they may not be able to remove it completely, Kilbourn learned. But, she says, this is one person's opinion and not a consensus of the interpretation of code.
The protesters were then informed that city staff is preparing a response.
"Ten days later we have not seen any staff response," she says. "We do plan to keep the pressure on our elected and appointed officials, as well as the hotel management, until we see results," says Kilbourn.
Historic preservation
Frank Strassler, director of the Historic Staunton Foundation, did respond to their inquiry with a lengthy email.
Details Kilbourn found useful:
- "HSF has not yet received an application to review for exterior design changes concerning the hotel signage."
- "If I do get the opportunity to review the changes, as with all reviews, I will place the sign in historic and architectural context as well as outline the applicable guidelines. My research so far tells us that the sign, probably not installed until the 1960s, was not part of the architectural intent of the hotel."
- "There are other zoning code issues to be addressed by city staff separate from historic preservation."
Strassler did not specify what the other zoning code issues are, but Kilbourn is planning to inquire. He also included links to historic guidelines, including guidelines for signs.
When she read through the guidelines, she discovered the sign is out of compliance.
"The size, its obstruction of some of the architectural features on the roof and the materials it is composed of being the problems," she notes. "I’m pretty sure if another business wanted to put up a comparable sign in the same historic district, it would be denied."
Strassler also included information which did not specifically address their inquiries. This information included a 2002 study about how historic preservation can help prevent gentrification and benefit low income residents, she says.
"We are not sure why Mr. Strassler included this information."
During their three weeks, the group also walked with their signs through the outdoor dining area on Beverley Street on Saturday, June 27th.
"We were met by a variety of responses," she says. "A group of seemingly drunk adults yelled at us to get jobs as they entered their vehicles. A woman at Shenandoah Pizza flipped the bird and told us to ‘learn history.’ But overall, we were met with cheers and calls of support from joyful people enjoying the night out."
Barmer said, one day while standing outside the hotel, a man slowed his car and told them they were worse than Nazis.
"Was he ever sore," says Barmer. "What a ridiculous thing to say."
Most people pass them, and if they do have an opinion, it is something simple like a thumbs up or a couple taps on their horn, he says.
"If they are pedestrians or cyclists, almost everybody at least says hello to us," says Barmer. "Some guests checking into the hotel have talked with us and mentioned they support our demand. One gentleman told us he was going to find a different hotel instead of supporting a business named after General Jackson."
More: Area reacts to proposed name change of Stonewall Jackson Hotel
Comments on the hotel’s social media page indicate travelers would finally consider staying there if the name is changed.
"Seems like they can do more business than before once they change their name," says Barmer.
While the summer weather can be tough at times, Barmer says it is mostly a fast two hours each day, and they are learning a lot about the nature of what will need improvement in Staunton.
"At this point, I am having difficulty believing they intend to keep their word," he says.
But until they do, these protesters plan to keep standing.
More: How the Stonewall Jackson Hotel came to be — History
The News Leader reached out to Frank Strassler, director of the Historic Staunton Foundation, on June 30 and July 3.
The News Leader reached out to Terry Holmes, Staunton City Council member and liaison for the Historic Preservation Commission, on July 3.
The News Leader reached out to Damon Strickland, Stonewall Jackson Hotel's general manager, on July 3.
We will continue the conversation with more stories as individuals from the historic preservation organizations, hotel and City Council respond.
More: White Americans must be truthful about their history: Letter
More: As Richmond's Confederate statues go, so might the South's
Story ideas? I want to hear them. Please email me at mcalello@newsleader.com. Follow me on Twitter @moniquecalello.
"hotel" - Google News
July 04, 2020 at 07:36PM
https://ift.tt/2AtIUqv
Stonewall Jackson Hotel: While the sign still stands, protesters stand, too. - The News Leader
"hotel" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3aTFdGH
https://ift.tt/2xwvOre
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Stonewall Jackson Hotel: While the sign still stands, protesters stand, too. - The News Leader"
Post a Comment