![\"IMG_1592webtop\"](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_1592webtop.jpg\")
<\/a>(Foto por Hutton Marshall)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The campaign thus far has been led by Care About South Park (CASP), a small organization of residents modeled after previous community efforts such as Care About North Park, which continues to fight against a local Jack in the Box remodel in 2013.<\/p>\n
CASP co-founder Sabrina Diminico said the South Park organization had to come together in a hurry to react to Target\u2019s plans to move into the neighborhood. She said a town council would prepare residents for similar battles in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis really kind of opened our eyes \u2014 Target kind of side swiping us,\u201d Diminico said. \u201cIt came out of the blue and we don\u2019t ever want to be caught like that again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recognize the immediate need to get that town council formed so we\u2019re never in this position again as a community where we don\u2019t know what\u2019s happening basically in our backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Organizers at the Sunday afternoon rally sought to raise $600 for the town council\u2019s 501(c)(3) nonprofit status filings, which would allow the organization to apply for grants and accept tax-deductible donations. CASP representative Kate Callen said that although the official nonprofit status will give the group greater clout, fundraising will be far from its chief concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe South Park Town Council will be strictly community education and community engagement,\u201d Callen said. \u201cWe\u2019re not lobbying, we\u2019re not political.\u201d<\/p>\n
The town council\u2019s inception amid a contentious fight isn\u2019t a new phenomenon. In fact, a common enemy can often serve as a rallying cry spurring a community to band together.<\/p>\n
In the northern portion of Uptown, the University Heights Community Association formed in the early 1980s as the neighborhood fought against two five-story housing complexes and eventually advocated successfully for the creation of Trolley Barn Park.<\/p>\n
In 2006, Hillcrest residents fought successfully against another large housing development in their own backyard. According to local activist and co-founder of Hillquest.com Nancy Moors, the fight galvanized neighbors, leading to the creation of the Hillcrest Town Council.<\/p>\n Mark Arabo, president of the Neighborhood Markets Association and one of the loudest voices in the fight against TargetExpress, said town councils have become an effective way to stand up to well-financed, outside interests.<\/p>\n \u201cI think nothing is stronger than a town council,\u201d Arabo said. \u201cIt gives the power of the community to the people, and out of the hands of corporations.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it will be instrumental in not just this fight, but future fights,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n For Diminico and others leading the charge in CASP, the town council will likely add needed volunteers to community efforts like the one at hand. Diminico estimates she spends roughly 20 hours each week in the fight against Target \u2014 on top of a full time job.<\/p>\n Callen said at the rally that the small group driving CASP will likely become the town council\u2019s inaugural directors, and that elections will be far from contentious.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we get to the point that there\u2019s enough people where we might have elections, sure, but my sense is that we\u2019re so consensus oriented, I can\u2019t see us ever having elections where people run against each other,\u201d Callen said.<\/p>\n Callen later stated through email that the town council wouldn\u2019t exclude residents who didn\u2019t share the views of members on issues like the TargetExpress opening, describing the organization as a \u201cbig tent\u201d that welcomes a broad range of opinions.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a contentious issue comes before the council, members would discuss it and, in accordance with the bylaws, decide whether a response or plan of action is warranted and what that might be,\u201d Callen wrote.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the campaign to convince Target or the property\u2019s owner to voluntarily back out of the South Park lease raged as strong as ever on Sunday. While Target representatives announced last month the store\u2019s summer opening would be delayed until October to allow for more community input, Diminico and Arabo said CASP isn\u2019t willing to make any concessions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want to negotiate. We don\u2019t want to know what they\u2019re going to do. We don\u2019t want them here,\u201d Diminico\u00a0said. \u201cThere is no compromising with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe think at this point any deal is a bad deal because the community doesn\u2019t want it,\u201d Arabo said of Target, which he described as the \u201c800-pound gorilla\u201d in the room. \u201cWe think that Target would not want to go into a community that doesn\u2019t want them.\u201d<\/p>\n Several residents were also critical of Councilmember Todd Gloria\u2019s involvement in the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cI was one of Todd Gloria\u2019s earliest supporters, and I still think he\u2019s an incredibly gifted public servant, but I never would have dreamed he wouldn\u2019t fight for us,\u201d one South Park resident said. \u201cI can\u2019t get over that.\u201d<\/p>\n In an emailed statement, Gloria reiterated his position that since Target will not change the use of the building (retail space), and since Target\u2019s occupancy of the space will be the result of a lease agreement between two private entities, his ability to intervene in the situation is limited. He also praised the corporation\u2019s concessions made on behalf the community.<\/p>\n \u201cI was also pleased to hear that the store is being designed to serve the needs of the community,\u201d Gloria said in the statement. \u201cSpecifically, dedicating 40 percent of the store to groceries and including a pharmacy will benefit the neighborhood. In what I feel is an important show of understanding of the neighborhood, Target has agreed not to include a Starbucks in the store. This ensures that the neighborhood establishments we know and love can continue to be the local coffee shops for South Park residents. At this time, the store will also include technology, health and beauty, as well as some clothing items.\u201d<\/p>\n TargetExpress representatives project the store will open in October 2015.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>