Remembering how Asheville city hall teargassed anti-racist marches with children — repeatedly — in 2020, and arrested our journalists for covering their crackdown on a homeless camp on christmas night 2020, and thinking about all the steps that got us here. All the warning signs ignored by too many.

Downtown Asheville hasn't had this much snow in years. Temps frigid at 12 degrees, wind chill -6. We're not getting above freezing until Monday. #avlnews

Thread on how Asheville's non-profit complex played a key role in crushing the 2020 uprising and restoring the status quo.

Attorney Seth Starns reminds us that liberals have paved the way for fascist attacks on press freedom, citing the recent precedent set here in Asheville, NC against the @avlblade.bsky.social.

Meeting adjourned. To support this live local government coverage (and everything @avlblade.bsky.social does), subscribe: patreon.com/AvlBlade Or donate: paypal.me/AshevilleBlade

Speaker's asserting that interim APD chief Jackie Stepp's "proactive" enforcement is mostly harassing and attacking locals in the name of "crime prevention," compares it to ICE crackdowns. #avlgov

Open public comment. First speaker says city "becoming more sanitized" in interests of the wealthy, using "pain from Helene" as marketing copy for investors. Says they've repeatedly faced harassment from the Asheville police. #avlgov

Asheville city council approves distribution of federal housing grants 6-0 #avlgov

Notable is that city hall often touts these grants as showing they're doing something about affordable housing, when it's federal funds and they legally can't use them for anything else #avlgov

* meeting, not morning. It is, unusually, a morning meeting.

Starting new thread for the rest of the Asheville city council morning. They're currently signing off on federal housing grant funds they administer. #avlgov

Last public hearing would allow more accessory dwelling units by not requiring them to go through aa extensive a process. This would not cover new construction, just conversiom of existing structures. #avlgov

Rezoning for residential property off Merrimon to convert to commercial use passes 6-0. #avlgov

Next public hearing is a zoning hearing for a property just off Merrimon Ave, converting it from residential to commercial. #avlgov

Roney makes motion to approve the incentives for Project Vessel. Passes 6-0 (Council member Sage Turner is absent) #avlgov

Pretty frequently, economic incentive deals here are also clear as mud. As is too often the case they're not even naming the company ("Project Vessel" is an alias). County government's massive giveaways to Raytheon are probably the most prominent example. #avlgov

On to public hearings. First is $35,000 in tax incentives for "Project Vessel" manufacturing development. Nearly twice what would have covered those raises for new firefighters. But, well, they're just saving lives, not wealthy business owners, so city hall doesn't really care about them. #avlgov

Brief report on Black History events. Asheville city hall's proclamations and commemorations of Black history have steadily risen as their gentrification of, and crackdowns on, Black communities has steadily escalated #avlgov

Wow, this is despicable. Ullman claims that downtown BID is "economic justice." It's a tax inflicted on the entirety of downtown (including renters and elders on fixed incomes) that goes to a chamber front group dominated by the wealthy. #avlgov

Manheimer claiming BID "ambassadors" represent "reimagining public safety" of alternatives to police. The BID rep just mentioned the ambassadors are trained by the APD. #avlgov

BID rep claiming their board is "diverse and representative of all of downtown." It's dominated by the wealthy #avlgov www.patreon.com/posts/wealth...

Even given that, the BID (the DID is a Business Improvement District intended to benefit those with money and property, it was renamed after aforementioned public outrage) has already acquired a reputation for removing leftist political fliers ans posters and surveilling the homeless. #avlgov

So Hess is a conservative. Him folding in deference to the status quo ain't surprising. Roney's running to oust Manheimer in mayoral election. But any time pushing something (the November anti-ICE measure and, now, firefighter pay) involves the slightest bit of conflict, she always folds. #avlgov

On to annual report on the "Downtown Improvement District," a chamber front group that gets revenue from a tax imposed on locals in the center of the city. It's intended to gentrify even further, though it's temporarily backed off some of its most openly draconian plans due to public outrage #avlgov

After mayor and others criticize him, Hess isn't pressing forward with the motion to extend raise to newer firefighters. Nor does Roney. Cowardice all around. #avlgov

When it's yet more cash for the cops or surveillance or a massive raise for higher-ups, Asheville city hall miraculously has endless cash. But when it comes to not paying firefighters a pittance, all of a sudden the cubbards are bare. #avlgov

Ullman openly saying that they need to keep cash dormant in reserves to appease wealthy bondholders, not for things like paying firefighters. While city governments are generally terrible, okenty contradict investors, but Asheville city hall never even tries. #avlgov

New city manager DK Wesley (salary: $265,000 a year) taking a page from her predecessor, Debra Campbell (who repeatedly gutted firefighter pay) and claiming that firefighters pay will be addressed as part of the overall budget process (translation: their pay's going to get gutted again) #avlgov

Council member Maggie Ullman (also running for re-election) pulling a sleight of hand, claiming disgustingly that the firefighters got a "raise" not a "compensation adjustment" and that "those are very different things" with a raise ...not meaning a permanent pay hike. This is ridiculous. #avlgov

Manheimer criticizing Roney (they're both running for mayor) claiming she's not "responsible" by signing letter to local government commission on dip in city budget reserves. Roney says she hasn't done so because city keeps finding money for things they want despite supposed budget crunch. #avlgov

Council member Bo Hess makes a motion to add the missing pay for new firefighters, claiming council wasn't accurately informed that the budget did that. Council member Kim Roney seconds, calling level of firefighter pay "shameful." "We find money for the things we care about" #avlgov

Manheimer, a wealthy lawyer who lives in a mansion, claims that city hall's budget crisis is reason they can't find $18,000 (in a $273 million budget). "It's not for a lack of support or want on the part of council." She's repeatedly supported budgets that gutted firefighter pay. #avlgov

Chamber rep praising city hall sending funds to support business, another sign that — as it often does — such funds will go to support the largest, wealthiest businesses. Meanwhile renters and locals driven from their homes have not received any similar support #avlgov

Worth noting that Asheville city manager makes $265,000 — other higher-ups have similarly bloated salaries — while firefighters are paid well below living wage. #avlgov

Welcker Taylor, of firefighters' union, criticizing city hall for not giving new firefighters a promised pay increase. "They're our most vulnerable, and they still make $17.27 an hour." Living wage in Asheville is $24.10. Taylor: know city's struggling with budget gap, but this is $18,000 total.

Proclamation for Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Manheimer reading proclamation against genocide, to "speak out against hate in every form." She publicly praised Kristi Noem www.patreon.com/posts/word-a... And allowed open hate speech: ashevilleblade.com?p=4994 #avlgov

Mayor Esther Manheimer reading council's rules of decorum, which she does because she's a brittle coward who can't stand criticism for her many evils. She regularly ignores or arbitrarily changes them to shut down criticism: ashevilleblade.com?p=4964

This unusually-timed Asheville city council meeting is starting. Handful of zoning hearings and tax incentives for Project Vessel manufacturing plant on the agenda. #avlgov #avlnews

This starts in less than an hour. @davidforbes.bsky.social will cover live. #avlnews #avlgov

Asheville city council is still holding its unusual 10 a.m. meeting in person, in below freezing temps after an ice storm. They'll also only accept comment in-person. Once again, open contempt for the public and any pretense of transparency: www.ashevillenc.gov/government/c... #avlgov #avlnews

This is where we're at as the winter storm bears down on Asheville. Latest projections have it arriving around noon, with the worst freezing rain hitting this evening. This amount of ice can do very real damage, so please take this seriously. More info: forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php...

The impacts of the looming winter storm are becoming clearer, and it's a very real threat. If you haven't already, check in on each other, finish getting supplies laid in and take precautions seriously. #avlnews More info here: forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php...

Instead of wildly successful militant demos, they demanded people get behind a city hall-run "reparations" process that would supposedly address all the injustices. Many Black locals opposed this, some loudly. Over @avlblade.bsky.social we printed one making their case: ashevilleblade.com?p=3896

All of a sudden a bunch of non-profit complex groups (most of which received some kind of support from local government) swept out to declare that only they were speaking on behalf of "the community" and the only protests should be passive, run by them and obey the curfew...

Thread on how Asheville's non-profit complex played a key role in crushing the 2020 uprising and restoring the status quo.

Y'all we are now at $3,063/3500. We are getting so, so close to ensuring our co-op can make it through 2026.

We are just a few dollars away from hitting $3,000, which put us just $500 away from our final goal. Please share and support as you can.

We are just a few dollars away from hitting $3,000, which put us just $500 away from our final goal. Please share and support as you can.

We are getting pretty close on this, and reaching our goal would mean a lot to our group of working class trans journalists that's been through hell in Helene's aftermath.

Now we're over 85% of the way there. Thank y'all so much! Everything helps.