ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) —
In an anonymous online “communique,” an unknown person or group is claiming credit for two recent acts of vandalism targeting Business Improvement District backers in Asheville, hinting that they have the names and addresses of other adversaries, “along with their state counterparts in local government.”
“These adversaries are not theoretical, not symbolic, but material,” the communique states. “We strike to exploit their vulnerabilities. We strike to spread cracks in the spectacle of social peace, firmly committed to widening and exasperating the polarization between class antagonisms.”
The communique was posted Tuesday, June 18, on the alternative Abolition Media site two days before Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer spoke publicly about the most recent incident, saying, “It is not OK to silence people through intimidation in this way.”
Abolition Media describes itself as “an online news source for revolutionary movements, with information about militant actions, analysis, and features about local struggles from around the world.”
The Asheville Police Department is investigating two vandalism cases that both targeted members of a task force that successfully advocated for creation of a downtown Business Improvement District, which drew vocal opposition from numerous speakers before final City Council approval June 11.
- On June 6, 2024, in the days leading up to the final vote, a member of the BID task force found their vehicle with its tires slashed, an “A” anarchy symbol painted on its hood and the words “NO BID” spray painted on the side.
- Following the final vote, this week a second member of the committee found their vehicle parked in the driveway outside their home in the Haw Creek area with its tires slashed, the anarchy symbol on the back window and also as part of a profane message spray painted on the side. (Police say the incident was believed to have occurred overnight Monday, June 17, although the anonymous communique said it happened Sunday, June 16.)
During a City Council agenda briefing teleconference on Thursday, Mayor Manheimer condemned the incidents, calling them “intimidation towards folks that are simply volunteering their time to work on an effort that they believe will be better for our community, that I believe will be better for our community.”
The proposal for a downtown Business Improvement District stirred emotional appeals from both sides during a series of public meetings over the past three months.
Now approved, it will collect a special tax within the district boundaries downtown and use the estimated $1.25 million per year toward public safety and cleanliness efforts, including a controversial plan for downtown “ambassadors,” or “community stewards” to monitor the streets, report issues to city departments when necessary, and give visitors a sense of safety.
Backers called the plan important for economic development downtown, supplementing but not replacing city services. But a large and vocal group of opponents questioned its governance, putting day-to-day decisions over spending taxpayer dollars in the hands of an appointed board and the role that so-called downtown “ambassadors” will play.
In the online communique, the anonymous posters said the district “seeks to position wealthy property owners in absolute positions of power to assist the state and capital in tightening their grip of social control by ‘cleansing’ the streets of ‘antisocial-behaviors’ and ‘anything deemed out of the ordinary’ via increased surveillance and private security. By segregating deviant individuals from view and interaction with patrons, we clearly see this as a means of facilitating the upward stream of capital and furtherance of gentrification.”
The communique includes details about the targets of the vandalism incidents that were not previously released by police.
A spokesperson for Asheville Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the communique.
Prior coverage:
MAYOR CONDEMNS 2ND VANDALISM CASE TARGETING BID BACKER
VANDAL STRIKES CAR OF DOWNTOWN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BACKER
DOWNTOWN SHOWDOWN: CITY COUNCIL TRIES TO ADDRESS BID CONCERNS