Friday, May 04, 2012

EMERY BARNES PARK

Oldtown News Vancouver BC EMERY BARNES PARK I am concerned over the publicity on Emery Barnes Park. First it was a previous Board who earmarked this park for the citizens of Vancouver. Yet all publicity has gone to Chairwoman Constance Barnes and her late father, Emery Barnes. At the opening, members of the previous Board who had the vision to create this park should have been invited and they were not. Mr Barnes widow Janet Barnes should as protocol dictates and been invited to say a few words of her late husband and she wasn't. Ms Constance Barnes provided thanks and recognition to her Mother who was in attendance at the opening and I'm not sure why since her Mother had nothing to do with the Park or the creation of it, moreover she had left Mr Barnes in 1969. This is where I think Chairwoman Barnes exercised poor judgement and made a serious mistake. She was making the park opening about her family and that in my opinion is improper since who really deserves credit for the Park is the former Board and longtime General Manager of Park Board, Sue Mundick who oversaw most of the completion of the park. Further why this black BC Lions football player was invited to speak at the opening of the park makes no sense either and neither did the hiring of the entertainer also from the Black community who performed at the opening. It seems to me that Vision Vancouver and Ms Barnes attempted to make the opening of a community park into a black community issue for political purposes and why they did this has left many of us offended since Parks are for all people regardless of race, origin or cultural background. I am deeply offended over the racial overtones regarding this park opening and this opening was clearly used as a politicalization of our parks. Never before have I seen this happen in Vancouver and this issue needs to be addressed promptly. Jamie Lee Hamilton tricia_foxx@yahoo.com

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