What a day!
Bookended with a trip to the zoo in the morning, and dinner at the fish and chip shop, was the Jefferson Park Neighbourhood Party, named after the suburb we live in.
They had a band, a DJ who has a VERY easy job, and a few stalls. My personal favourite(s!) were the Jefferson Park Neigberhood Organisations.
There are, to my knowledge, two community groups that are at war with one another. On one side are the JPNA, the Jefferson Park Neighberhood Alliance. On the other side, the Jefferson Park United Neighberors. Whatever you do, don’t mix them up.
Both offer a weekly, four page digital newsletter, where they battle to release “exclusives” over whether the new overpass proposal will be delayed or how good is the Chicken Tikka at the local Curry Grill. Don’t think this is clean journalism; they have clearly been following the Murdoch Model as their news arm is clearly a front to recruit members and raise funds for their true focus.
For the JPNA and the JPUN, the real battle is over who gets to run the Jefferson Park Pick Up litter event. Both run a version of this, although I was told in no uncertain terms by a head honcho at the JPUN that theirs was “better”. Like the Golan Heights, controlling this small strip of land has huge advantages in terms of both strategy and morale.
I ended up joining the JPNA, as they gave me a key chain and their politburo seemed a bit younger and hipper (both members were early 60s). However, my support is of the ephemeral kind; I simply won’t be gearing up for this civil war nonsense.
Not for ideological or pacifists instincts though. The real reason I’m not going to join a turf battle over who has the “real” right to host Clean Up JP events is because a third, larger, more powerful group already has their grip on that role.
I’m not talking about the Popular Front of Jefferson Park.
I’m talking about the Council.