OROVILLE — Despite the rain, a crowd of nearly 50 gathered outside of Oroville city hall to protest the city’s potential move to take over the Oroville Southside Community Center.
While the City Council held its closed session, demonstrators toted signs and chanted their desire over and over again: “Keep our community center.”
Kevin Thompson led the protest. He’s the director of the Oroville Southside Community Improvement Association, also known as Haven of Hope on Wheels.
“This is our Community Center. This is our dream. We can’t let people keep our dreams away. We are here today to let them know that we will not stand for this,” he yelled into the microphone.
“Come on, let’s make some noise in this place. We’re a lively bunch. We gotta make some noise. We want the world to know that we’re not gonna roll over and play dead. This is a vision that started many years ago. We won’t be pushed away. We’re gonna stand.”
Lisa Torres, a recent candidate for City Council, also took to the microphone.
“The Southside Community Center is hard work. It just looks easy because of the time and dedication that goes into it. You just don’t build Rome in one day. This is a project that’s been going on with tender love and care. People around the community care. You’re taking it away from people who have put work into this,” she said.
“We’re not leaving. We’ve not letting go easy because when you start messing with the community, you start messing with people who love and care, and those are the people who work the hardest.”
The center is home to award ceremonies, spelling bees, weddings, funerals and more. When it came time for public comment, those outside were ready to participate. They echoed the same concerns citizens voiced through the microphone.
In an interview with this newspaper, Thompson said, “(The councilors) think because they were initial partners when the center was built that they have a right to it now, but they have been absent. They have been a deadbeat dad to this community for 20 years. They have not been positive.”
He explained that in the 1990s, a contributor gave $1.5 million to the center with a stipulation that, at the 20 year mark, the county would be at liberty to do what it wants with the center. The 20 years is up on May 21, 2020.
As the protest carried on, the City Council voted unanimously on just three of the agenda items, holding the others over until the next meeting:
- Approval of a Tax and Equity Fiscal Responsibility Act, TEFRA, in connection with a revenue bond by the California Municipal Finance Authority, CMFA, a joint exercise of powers authority and public entity of California, in an amount not to exceed $14 million. This is to assist charter school educational facilities.
- Approval to change the land use designation and zoning of a 3.91-acre portion of a parcel near Mitchell Avenue and Veatch Street from public land to high density residential, and zoning from Zone PQ (public quasi public) to Zone R-3 (high density residential) to facilitate multi-family housing.
- Approval to paint and install reflective tape on traffic signals at nine city intersections by St. Francis Electric for increased visibility.
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