Beltway Area Indymedia

Eastbanc, the developer who got the DC Council to pass emergency legislation selling West End library to them got protested and laughed out of a public hearing at West End Library.

Eastbanc had the nerve to show up at a normal meeting of the Friends of the West End Library-to tell them the sale of the property would BENEFIT THEM!

One proposal was to put a new library on top the firehouse, the other was to build condos on top the library. Of course, building on top the firehouse would mean any firehouse emergency closes the library. Since the library building would not take the weight of a condo tower above it, that proposal would require demolition followed by erecting a new building-which could take two years to complete.

Already five libraries are closed in DC- Anacostia, Benning, Tenleytown, Shaw, and Georgetown. Closing a SIXTH library for several years while the other five are also closed and face uncertain futures is not a good investment.

As a result, dozens of protesters from the People's Property Campaign showed up outside the meeting-and the Friends of the Library on the inside were nearly as hostile. Both proposals drew outright laughter from the crowd, indicating that Eastbanc has failed in their drive to get community support for their library demolition plans.

Eastbanc, like most condo building developers, is about as popular as a bedbug with most DC residents.

Next stop, ANC 2A meeting Wednesday, July 18 at 7PM in the State Plaza hotel(2117 E st NW)-Tell Eastbanc to shove their library demolition right up their Caterpiller D9!