#Local Community

[bumblebeeappletree]

While I have a post talking about letter templates for the higher government in the USA here, I’ve been thinking about letters to the local government. Mainly due to one of the Solarpunk discord servers I’m in so shout out to them!

Anyways I’ve looked and found a few websites that have some templates on them. Check them out and hopefully they’ll help you out! In order to make change we gotta do it not only in the higher level but also the lower level. And sometimes the changes that happen closest to you can help change that’s furthest from you.

[papercherries]

Sometimes I get so tired of caring. Sometimes I wish I could be apathetic and ignorant. I wish I wasn't so full of empathy and sympathy. I don't understand how there are people in this world who don't shed tears over the loss of life, all life.

Every body should own their own bodies, how is that such a radical concept? Mass genocide is bad, yeah no shit? People should have the freedom to choose who they want to be, that extends to gender, sexuality and even as far as occupation.

People are forced into roles, stereotypes, jobs. Because of the systems in place that prevent people from exploring themselves. Poverty has interest. Funding for the arts are in decline. The price of everything has rose. I'm lucky enough but what about those who aren't? How are their people living in denial of their existence? How do some people believe that there is some agenda against their people to make them "woke".

Punch all fascists, invest in your local community, make a co-op, grow your own food if you can, boycott mass murders and slave owners, keep protesting. Don't be prejudice and never be too tolerant. You and I stand on the shoulders of giants. They stand on flaming paper stilts.

Invest in your community and they will invest in you.

[seaglassdinosaur]

The world ain’t over. Do what you can to support and built your local community up.

I’m helping a local store owner start a book club to develop critical thinking skills in the kids. I made a list of thematically rich stories which I dropped off, and am considering signing up as one of the discussion managers of the club.

[thepeopleinpower]

Capitalism and colonialism took community away from us and I want it back. I’ve heard about it from my grandparents and in books and articles online. All throughout history and still today in some parts of the world. People looking out for each other. Regularly. Relentlessly. Neighbors watching each others children, having enough food to share and actually sharing it, being invested in each others lives because everyone has different strengths.

Today community has been strategically painted as a weakness and something to be skeptical of because it is a threat to the very foundations of capitalism. And that’s a real fucking shame because in reality, growing up with community and still having that through adulthood would probably make most people generally happier and less perpetually tired and stressed. It is renewable resilient versatile adaptable self-sustaining and kind of the Ultimate Resource.

[arwenkenobi48]

*dramatic trailer announcement voice* in a world of capitalism…and consumerist side hustles…one man thinks outside the box…

*record needle scratch*

alrighty ima start knitting *cutesy slice of life music followed by a montage of a knitting machine working*

Fr tho I’m so hyped about this

[asiawalecka]

Hanoi JAN 23.

[xtruss]

How A Community Saved A 100-Year-Old Florida Hotel, A “Symbol of Hope” For Black Americans

— Stephanie Friedman | February 22, 2025

Stained walls and boarded-up windows mark a dilapidated building wedged between newer developments in Sarasota, Florida’s vibrant Rosemary District. Looking at the Colson Hotel in its current state, you’d never know it was once a safe haven and symbol of resilience for Black Americans — but a local community is out to change that.

Following a negotiation process that lasted over a year, registered benefit corporation DreamLarge purchased the century-old landmark last December, saving it from a potential demolition meant to make way for new townhomes. The acquisition, hailed as a milestone for preserving the city’s Black heritage, was a community effort, involving support from a plethora of key players: the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, the city of Sarasota, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, and leaders of the city’s Black community.

“The successful preservation of the Colson Hotel is a testament to the strength, passion, and resilience of our community,” DreamLarge founder Anand Pallegar told Nice News, adding, “It’s proof that when a community unites around a meaningful cause, real change happens. The Colson’s story could have ended in demolition, but instead, it’s entering a new chapter — one that continues to honor its legacy while shaping Sarasota’s future.”

A Hot Spot That Fostered Hope

The Colson Hotel’s heyday was in the early 1920s, back when Sarasota’s first Black community, in the area now called the Rosemary District, was known as Overtown. At the time, the landmark was one of southwest Florida’s only hotels where Black people could stay. It was the era of Jim Crow, and segregation laws meant Black travelers and residents alike had a tough time finding safe accommodations.

In 1884, the formerly enslaved Rev. Lewis Colson settled in Sarasota, the first-known free Black person to do so. Not only did Colson drive Sarasota’s first stake in the ground to plat the town, but he and his wife Irene became respected members of the community, with Lewis helping organize the Bethlehem Baptist Church and becoming its first minister. Irene, a midwife, provided much-needed medical care to members of the community who didn’t otherwise have access.

When the Colson Hotel, initially called the Colson Hotel for Negroes, was built between 1925 and 1926, it was named in Lewis’ and Irene’s honor. “They were instrumental in that their fingerprints are in the founding principles of Sarasota,” Pallegar told YourObserver. “The fact that they are the only Black people buried in the Rosemary Cemetery — the fact that this hotel sits literally a block from their grave — it’s really an incredible story, and it’s a story that not many people really understand. That’s how Sarasota was built.”

The 28-room hotel, complete with a soft drink parlor and barber shop, rapidly turned into a sanctuary for Black people, a “symbol of hope” against a backdrop of systemic oppression, per the website Save the Colson. And according to Vickie Oldham, CEO of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, it was a “very, very lively place.”

“Can you imagine entertainers that were on the Chitlin Circuit coming through there to stay the night, after they had played, say, at one of the local juke joints,” Oldham remarked to WGCU, adding: “Can you imagine what it was like for Negro Baseball League players to stay there over the night and be going to play competitively another Negro Baseball League game.”

In the late 1940s or early ’50s, the Colson became the Hotel Palm, and over the following decades, Overtown was gentrified and then rebranded as the Rosemary District in the ’90s. The hotel was used as a boarding house for a period, per Sarasota Magazine, but eventually it fell into disrepair and sat vacant — with its future up in the air.

“Meaningful Progress Takes Time”

In 2023, when Maximilian Vollmer purchased the Colson and its surrounding parcel of land via his development company, JDMax, he didn’t realize it was a historic site. Vollmer wanted to tear down the hotel to build townhouses, but was denied a demolition permit from the Sarasota Historic Preservation Board.

That same year, the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation named the Colson one of its “Six to Save,” a designation used to identify local historic buildings that are in danger of being demolished. Pallegar, who has acquired and renovated other buildings in the area, knew he had to act.

“If you look at the studies that were done by the Alliance for Historic Preservation, if you look at some of the other case work that we have in the neighborhood, it’s definitely a salvageable building,” he told WUSF last year.

After gathering the aforementioned allies and presenting a collective vision to the Sarasota City Commission in September 2024, Pallegar negotiated a deal with JDMax: DreamLarge bought the building for $700,000, while JDMax kept the parcel’s east side to use for townhouse developments. But the “pink box,” as many refer to the portion of land Pallegar acquired, would be saved.

How did he pull off such a feat? “Timing is everything,” Pallegar shared with Nice News. “The alignment of community support, city backing, and a clearly envisioned plan for the Colson’s future ultimately made this acquisition possible. It’s a reminder that meaningful progress takes time, but it’s always worth the effort when driven by purpose.”

Looking Ahead While Honoring The Past

Now that the Colson has been saved, its champions have big dreams for its future — which could include a jazz club, community center, or even another hotel.

“Our restoration efforts will ensure that its legacy is preserved while making it a space for future generations to gather, learn, and create,” Pallegar said. “We’re engaging the community to shape its new purpose. Every step we take in its restoration will be rooted in authenticity and respect for the people who built and sustained this space.”

When looking at next steps, it’s important to Pallegar to restore the building so that it’s both structurally sound and historically accurate. He plans to host conversations with the community to “co-create its future purpose,” secure funding that supports sustainable operations, and ensure the new Colson has an “active and meaningful” place in the city — emphasizing that whatever it becomes needs to be financially and operationally viable long-term.

A rendering of what the renovated Colson Hotel, and the site between 8th and 9th streets, could look like.

And ultimately, Pallegar would love to one day turn over ownership to the Black community. “This is just the beginning,” he said. “The Colson’s preservation is a win, but its impact will be determined by how we activate its space to serve and inspire generations to come.”

[engawanoie]

off to taiwan? let’s ride a wave on 311 [2025]

the 20-minute highlights subtitles in the oven — almost ready to serve! english follows 今年も温かく素敵な時間が流れた「3月11日に波に乗ろう」。前夜祭、3月11日、さらに翌日まで何と素晴らしい時間であったことか。野草や竹と戯れ、地中や海底に思いを馳せ、時＝生命の営みを知ったようなやはり分からないような。。そんな素晴らしき日々でした。本会は深い意味はなく、ただただ3月11日に集い、サーフィンをし、美味しい食事を食べ、ダラダラと過ごすためだけの会です。そんな時間を、もしよろしければ、ぜひご共有ください！まずは仲本拡史監督による20分のハイライト映像をどうぞ。 そして、何と本作が台北当代芸術館で開催中の展覧会「安全室-safe…

[thewaybackcloset]

Sharing my wonderful, first-time experience volunteering with Hearts & Hammers! Grateful for the opportunity to lend a hand to this incredible organization. ❤️⚒️

[arwenkenobi48]

So I’m in the tail end of whatever bug I’ve currently got but my nose still feels like it’s full of wet cement

And when I talk I sound like Pootle from The Flumps (if I try to say ‘mine’ it sounds like ‘bide’)

But I’ve also made some more scarves and once I’m no longer unwell, they’re going to the local clothing bank in the centre of town

I gave my wardrobe a massive clearout as well, so I’ve got about 5 other bags’ worth of clothes to give away too

It’ll come in pretty handy since inflation is rising again and we’re also having a cold snap so yeah I wanna make sure everyone’s wrapped up warm and generally has something nice to wear while being on a low budget

I got some of my favourite clothes from clothing banks and learned to make some of my favourite meals from foodbank parcels so I really wanna give something back to the community that made that possible, you know? It might be cold atm, but I’m surrounded by some of the warmest people I’ve ever met, that includes all the friends I’ve made on tumblr too 💖

Hope you’re all doing well and I shall keep you posted 👍

[eldritch-queern-magicat]

The idea of quitting college fucking again, but because of my physical health this time, is killing me inside. I'm so close to getting my associate's degree. Pass these classes I have now, then i only have a lab science and phys ed credit to get. I can graduate at the end of next semester. I'm so close, but it feels so far away. If I could handle online classes, I wouldn't be so worried. But I can't. I have to be physically there.

My life may not be worth a silly fancy sheet of paper saying I got my first history degree, but damn if I don't want it all the same. It's definitely pride and a wounded ego. I know. It's been five years since I started untangling those things.

I just wish so many other things weren't happening at the same time. Because if I wait, I don't know how long it's going to take for me to go back again to finish. This is still the third time I've gone to college. Though I suppose this may be for the best. It gives me time to get my name changed legally, especially in our current political environment. And I'm doing other community things because we're living in a dumpster fire. I can't and won't leave that.

And in the process of writing this post, I've realized that this may be my best option right now. As much as it sucks and I hate it, it also might be what I actually need. Of course in that event, I will definitely recognize it several years from now. That's going to be really fucking annoying, though. But such is life. We'll see.

[brewerytownrx]

Brewerytown Rx Pharmacy is your local community pharmacy that proudly combines a variety of services, personalized care, and high-quality products. Located conveniently located on 26th & Girard Ave, we have served the North Philly and Brewerytown neighborhood for over 10 years. We are equipped with knowledgeable and friendly staff who strive to help you reach your health and wellness goals.

[shitbl0gger]