You can support @transnews.network here: transnews.network/upgrade Or @avlblade.bsky.social here: patreon.com/AvlBlade Both worker-run news orgs with all trans journalists.

Our latest A Word About Our City segment, in collaboration with Asheville Community News on @ashevillefm.bsky.social, is out. @davidforbes.bsky.social lays out the story of the mayor personally thanking Kristi Noem, and how it fits a long history of #avlgov appeasing fascists #avlnews

Hey y'all Matilda is a dear friend, comrade and fellow @avlblade.bsky.social journalist. She really needs a vehicle, soon, to make it through the winter. Please share and support as you can.

Last month's marketing blitz depicted post-Helene Asheville as happy, fully recovered and ready to welcome rich tourists. Nothing could be further from the truth: Asheville is still a disaster zone. The first part of our new series, The Crisis After the Crisis. ashevilleblade.com?p=5349 #avlnews

Meeting adjourned. To support @avlblade.bsky.social journalism, including this live coverage, subscribe: patreon.com/AvlBlade Or donate: paypal.me/AshevilleBlade As always, our hope's in people, not governments.

Asheville city hall's silence about — and indeed, active collaboration with — the fascist federal government is sickening. Mayor Esther Manheimer recently personally thanked Kristi Noem: www.patreon.com/posts/word-a... #avlgov

"Nothing will change here today, I know. But I warn you: when they finally come, as they will, the only people I will care about are my family, my community and the people beside me." Please decide which side you're on. Asheville city council is dead silent. #avlgov

Liberals y'all, not just will they not take their own side in an argument, they'll take their enemy's. On to the ensuing comments. Speaker pointing out Jediael Amaya-Sanchez abducted by ICE agents near city hall, #avlgov doing nothing. "I don't know what you're doing." I am working with community.

On to open public comment. Nina Tovish: "look forward with great interest to seeing how this structure works." Tovish was a member of the citizen working group that proposed making boards more transparent and #avlgov completely ignored and steamrolled. She won't even criticize them for doing so.

Notably no public housing residents applied for one of the boards, which reflects one of the realities here: why apply for a board where one will have no voice and face retaliation from Asheville city hall for any dissent or criticism? #avlgov

Especially as locals are not doing well in the aftermath of Helene. Plenty are pretty angry. Council's are calling the "Helene recovery" boards "super boards" but they're a facade. The members are not key, as any sincere community members that make it through will get sidelined/ignored by #avlgov

City boards were fairly mild, but occasionally they'd dissent on things like the crackdowns on the homeless or hotels going up everywhere and for Asheville city hall that was unacceptable. So they used Helene as an excuse to shut them down and dismantle them www.patreon.com/posts/city-h... #avlgov

Thanks Matilda. We're on to the appointments for the "Helene recovery" boards. They're a rubber stamp to stifle dissent, part of a power grab by city hall dismantling local boards in the wake of Helene #avlgov

Abundant evidence, yet again, that noise ordinances are tools of gentrification. Tourism industry and #avlgov are rushing to do whatever they can to revive the extractive, neighborhood wrecking tourism industry that has seen a major drop since Helene left a trail of destruction locally.

Asheville city manager Debra Campbell brings in over $270,000 a year from the public coffers and has repeatedly refused to pay firefighters enough to cover the bills #avlgov

This passed by a single vote at the last meeting after historically Black neighborhood groups opposed the measure and that Asheville city hall, yet again, ignored their concerns #avlgov

Councilmember Kim Roney brings up community development block grant survey. Food security was a popular item in those results. Brings up food stamps ending on November 1st. City Manager Debra Campbell dances around naming any specifics in her reply concerning inclusion in projects funding #avlgov

Predictably, the new fire station in the diverse Oakley neighborhood will include a police substation. No one ever says, "Fuck the fire department." They do say "fuck the police" and sometimes burn down their stations. Combining the two in one building is the equivalent of a human shield #avlgov

Capital projects update to start. Capital projects staff sucks up by quoting Debra Campbell at the start of the presentation. Campbell, on the other hand, has staunchly refused to fund rental aid, instead prioritizing funds for big businesses and the tourism industry #avlgov

Hey yall, we Just getting started. Video link is youtube.com/watch?v=jNMmtqG6j6s #avlgov

Asheville city council meeting starts at 5. @matildabliss.bsky.social and @davidforbes.bsky.social will cover live. Main item second reading of push to allow more noise in center of the city, over the objection of community groups from historically Black neighborhoods. #avlgov #avlnews

Last month's marketing blitz depicted post-Helene Asheville as happy, fully recovered and ready to welcome rich tourists. Nothing could be further from the truth: Asheville is still a disaster zone. The first part of our new series, The Crisis After the Crisis. ashevilleblade.com?p=5349 #avlnews

Matilda's a longtime Blade journalist who does amazing work and has faced police persecution for her reporting. Like a lot of working class transfems, she needs a vehicle to make ends meet. Please share and help out as you can.

Hey y'all, please help Matilda — a dear friend, @avlblade.bsky.social colleague and all-around amazing person — get a vehicle after her truck died. She's a working class transfem who needs transportation to make ends meet. Please share this and support as you can.

Matilda's a longtime Blade journalist who does amazing work and has faced police persecution for her reporting. Like a lot of working class transfems, she needs a vehicle to make ends meet. Please share and help out as you can.

It is also notable that no other city council member — including Kim Roney, who's challenging Manheimer for the mayor's seat — has condemned her profuse, public thanks for an open fascist. Not a single word. #avlgov #avlnews

Our latest A Word About Our City segment, in collaboration with Asheville Community News on @ashevillefm.bsky.social, is out. @davidforbes.bsky.social lays out the story of the mayor personally thanking Kristi Noem, and how it fits a long history of #avlgov appeasing fascists #avlnews

Some good news on the Asheville covid front. It's now clear the wave that started in August has peaked. We're reducing local covid risks to HIGH, down from Catastrophic. Still important to get the updated shot, wear an N95 in public spaces, and use mitigations. #avlnews

Array of mutual aid, anti-genocide and leftist groups in Asheville area endorse call for locals to show up in solidarity against fascism.

We do not use the plagiarism/scam machine that is "AI," in any capacity, in our co-op's journalism, reporting, graphics, posts and columns. We regard it as contrary to every last one of our principles, and the principles that anyone worth a damn should hold dear. Especially now.

Array of mutual aid, anti-genocide and leftist groups in Asheville area endorse call for locals to show up in solidarity against fascism.

You can support @avlblade.bsky.social coverage of city council meetings by subscribing to our patreon. patreon.com/avlblade Or make a one-time donation at paypal.me/ashevilleblade Thanks yall and have a good night! #avlgov

Thanks for following tonight's coverage of the #avlgov city council meeting. However terrible this govt is, it's good to recognize the fissures between elected officials & the clear oversteps by the local gentry when they occur. May we make our city ever less hospitable to fascists big and small.

Mayoral candidate Roney speaks to wave of fascism from federal officials. "Asking us to do what we can is exactly" what is needed. Thanks locals who are speaking up. Manheimer, who recently explicitly thanked the fascist Kristi Noem, adjourns the meeting without comment #avlgov

Next commenter also addressing local ICE activity. Speaks of friend's Brown child being asked to carry identification on him at all times in order to prevent kidnappings by ICE agents. "It's profiling. It's racism." "It makes me sad to call Asheville home." #avlgov

Commenter asks #avlgov if they "have one thing to say about" what city hall will do to prevent people posing as ICE agents from kidnapping locals. Manheimer scolds him for asking questions. "Every single one of yall is a disgrace," says commenter.

Next commenter: "I hope you're getting the real news." Asks what #avlgov is doing to protect locals from fascist feds violating due process right specifically. "ICE is in your town. I know yall know that." "You're police officers are supposed to ask [masked ICE agents] for identification."

Thanks @davidforbes.bsky.social Still on open public comment, Nina Tovish asks #avlgov to clarify how its determining who will be brought onto the Helene Recovery Board. "I think it would be great for the public to see how you all work."

Manheimer recently openly thanked Kristi Noem in an official city statement. It is indeed a disgrace. #avlgov

Turning things over to @matildabliss.bsky.social to cover this last stretch of the Asheville city council meeting. #avlgov To support this live coverage, and everything else @avlblade.bsky.social does, subscribe: patreon.com/AvlBlade Or donate: paypal.me/AshevilleBlade

Even Manheimer seems taken aback, noting that Helene happened after last Kenilworth dam inspection. Dundas advises the Kenilworth locals to contact state authorities or hire an engineer. City manager Debra Campbell claiming that legally it's not their role #avlgov

Manheimer claiming "wires got crossed" with staff response to Kenilworth dam problems. Jade Dundas, asst city manager: in April 2024 city inspection found no issues with the dam. Which was...before Helene. Seems like #avlgov is, not for the first time, missing the point

Fisher: "inaction by the city poses a direct threat to residents" and the surrounding area. Dam failure could literally costs lives. #avlgov

On to open public comment. Eric Fisher, Kenilworth Lake preservation association: another flood would be devastating for the city. Kenilworth Lake and dam are essential to flood mitigation, but damaged. City's ignored our concerns and "we're now at a breaking point." #avlgov

Manheimer, after the public pushback against the social district proposal, is in favor of delaying it. Continued until Nov. 18. #avlgov

Roney pointing out even city hall staff have raised concerns about noise, strain on #avlgov resources, lack of public input. She's against the social district. Smith wants proposal delayed until Oct. 28 to incorporate proposals Coleman conveyed from the coalition of Black neighborhood groups.

Mosley calls Hess' racism "embarrassing" and reminds him he doesn't speak for Black communities. Roney: Social district has too many concerns. Reading statement from AVLFBU, local service workers' union criticizing proposal for lack of worker and local support, infrastructure #avlgov

Hess lecturing Black locals who spoke, claiming they should be satisfied with the [incredibly paltry] funds city hall devoted to "reparations." Wow. He's going openly racist, criticizing level of education, violence within Black communities. Mosley: "You literally just made something up." #avlgov

Had a blip and didn't catch next speaker's name, but she's condemning Asheville city hall's treatment of Black neighborhoods. "The level of hubris, arrogance and ignorance [from city government) is disgusting." "We put you in those chairs, we can take you out." #avlgov

Worth remembering that when locals — the people who do actually make this city — were demanding rental aid in the aftermath of Helene city hall refused to do it on any scale that mattered. But well-off business owners get the red carpet. #avlgov