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While Jerry's comments are colored with his usual unnecessary level of condescension, I think him and JJK5 do have a point. If you look at this thread from the point of view of us who have never patronized the Decatur, then indeed it does appear that emotions are way elevated, I'm still waiting for some facts for example. I can identify with people's emotions attached to the place, I can certainly transfer them to places I care about, but as someone who never was part of the 'community' (and who frankly, isn't too upset by missing out judging from some of the comments here), I don't have the same 'the world has ended' feeling about whatever it is that is happening here.

I wish the supporters would put their emotions aside for a minute and tell me what is going on, why is this eviction taking place, are there typical Providence shenanigans happening here, or is this a case where a property owner wants something that s/he perceives as better for him/herself? If the owner is doing bad things to push out good people, then I'm all for getting the Councilman to stamp that out. If the owner is well within the bounds of the law here, then I feel everyone's pain about the loss of their cherished institution, but the legalities of property ownership are what they are.

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Here are the facts:

Joann Seddon owns the Decatur Bar

John Ozbek owns the building (as well as many many others in the near vicinity which he purchase for very low prices).

The Decatur Bar has been evicted, and the lease has expired. From a legal standpoint, there is probably nothing that could have been done to prevent the eviction. Fine.

Here is another fact:

The Decatur is a great place, and the people who ran it are great people. Its closure is a significant loss for the City of Providence.

So, as a discussion board, I think that it is fine for people to lament this as a significant loss, and to discuss other ramifications for the neighborhood and the city that this might have - which I was trying to allude to in my other post. The closure of the Decatur, the loss of industrial space for small business, rising rents for business and rising costs for housing - these all have significant impact on the City of Providence. So I hope people can take from this the oppotunity to discuss what is really important in this town, and ways to keep those things from being lost.

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This is the funniest thread I have ever read on here. People are portraying the closing of a BAR as if it were some sort of eulogy thats' demise affected millions of people. I'm sure that more than half of the people in protest of this closing don't even patronize the place....Is the real issue that the only defiinitive Anglo evening spot in the area will be closing and the people that invested tons of $$ in a dressed up 3rd world urban slum potentially face property deevaluation because the closing of a white enclave ( "community center") ? BTW...The majority of Pawtucket is just a little bit smaller version of PVD with the same bullcrap...Have a blessed day!
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If the lease was up, why did they have to evict them? I'm not that familiar with how leasing a business property works, but couldn't the owner just have not renewed the lease? If it's really on the up and up legally, why was the councilman asked to get involved? Also, Jen mentioned that the Decatur would only have a week to find a new location. Why's that?
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My understanding, through this thread and what some people have told me off of it is this:

The Decatur's lease is up, the landlord wants them out, the proceedings to remove them seem more or less on the up and up (no one has been able to address exactly why they only have a week left to me). Some people, including Lombardi have offered to sit with the parties involved to mediate their differences and try to come to an agreement where the lease can be renewed. So far this mediation has either not been agreed to or has not worked. So unless something changes, the Decatur seems to be gone.

So, until the parties agree to sit down and talk, what are people expected to do?

I'm more than happy to continue with the discussion that eltron outlines above, what do losses like this mean for the city, how can we improve the city but maintain it's character? We're going to lose some things, some good things are going to come in. Will the net effect be positive for the city in the long run and how can we assure that it is?

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Jen sent me this, wanted me to post...

Hello Everyone,

The Decatur is closing. Joann made her desicion last night, and while it was a heart

breaking one in many ways, she feels good about this.

It has been an amazing six years, and we will all cherish the memories we built together

forever.

The Decatur Lounge is so much more than a building... it is a spirit and a force and we will

rise again.

What we need to do now is walk away with our heads held high.

PLEASE, we ask AGAIN, do NOT threaten anyone or take any unsavory actions into your

own hands.

We became aware last night that people have been threatening John Ozbeck and even John

Lombardi (who was on OUR side!) as well as another man who has absolutley nothing to

do with this.

This is unacceptable, guys.

This is not how we want to be remembered, and if this behavior continues, it will make it

very difficult for us to reopen in the future.

There is no enemy here. Fight by sending us postive energy and helping Joann keep the

good reputation she has worked so hard for these six years. People will associate any bad

behavior with Joann and with The Decatur Lounge, and that is something we can not have.

We apprecaite your strong feelings and your saddness and your frustrations, but this

MUST STOP! Please!

Thank you all so much for your help and amazing support. There is no more need to call

the phone numbers we gave you, so we ask that no more phone calls be made.

It has been a good run, folks. And we will take a while to regroup and rejuvinate, and then

WE WILL BE BACK!!

Love, peace, and thank you with all our hearts-

The Decatur Lounge

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Ok, so I know everyone has already responded to this one, but I just cant help myself. What's with the "white enclave" stuff? Have you ever been to the Decatur? One of the things that is awesome about it and makes it the "community center" is that there are all sorts of people there. Its one of those places where everyone in the community comes together and socializes. I really resent you calling my community a 3rd world urban slum. My neighborhood is a wonderfull place full of vibrant wonderfull people and the Decatur is a great place to get to know all of them. I do not drink alcohol and I never have, so as you can imagine I could really give two craps about some random bar closing. The difference here is that this is a central hub in our community.

I assume that you have never been there, and keeping that in mind maybe you should not pass judgement on what is or what is not a central part of our community. You mentioned the Eagle - As a straight guy I have no idea if it is a really important part of the gay community or just another bar. If it were being evicted and all of my gay friends were up in arms about it, I would certainly empathize and join in the fight. The greatest thing about Providence is its' personality and place by place it has been getting erased over time. If we just sit back and not at least put up a stink we are in danger of becoming just another faceless place with no sense of self.

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OK I get it. Maybe you liked to hang out there. You don't drink but you felt it was a neighborhood gathering place and are bummed out that it's closing. Reasonable assessment....however the community that you speak of is nothing more than a few hundred people that felt like the neighborhood was going to take off evaluation-wise like a Boston suburb...whether you want to admit that or not....The Decatur Lounge represented a pivotal locale where other "investors" in the "community" gathered to talk about how "hip" the area was...I don't know....maybe you do like the area and are content with your investment purchase...albeit the 2 foot long rats, rampant car break-ins, and illegal immigrant overcrowding ... and you're right...I have never been there nor did I have any desire to go there...but I can say that a BAR'S demise doesn't dictate the culture of an entire city. Just because it happens to be your hangout among the likes of JenSauerkraut doesn't mean a city councilman and city taxpayer $$ should be wasted on trying to save a dive bar for the local "hipsters".....Welcome to the real world of business.....btw......even if you're not gay...Patrick's on Smith Hill is a good time.....Bus 57 runs late...... :shades:
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The Falugos Furniture space on Westminster now has the windows papers over and "Coming Soon - La Moda" signs up. No indication of what La Moda might be, but this is a pretty large retail space. It had appeared they were doing a store front church in there a couple months ago, but I only saw folks in their once or twice.

Now the the Decatur is officially closing - Any suggestions on what could be a good space for them? I suggest the store front church at the corner of Harrison and Westminster because A) I would prolly offer it up for an LNG port if I could and B) big space for a patio out back.

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