OB Town Council Sets Up Online Poll – “No Target in OB” T-shirts Available
The group “No Target in OB” is holding an organizing meeting tonight, Friday, September 8th at the Ocean Beach Green Center, 4843 B Voltaire Street at 7:00 p.m.
Coming off a major rally and march down Newport on August 30th and a smaller protest rally outside the Sports Arena Target on Sunday, September 3rd, the network is regrouping to discuss future action items, more outreach ideas, etc.
They’re also in the process of setting up an online petition against the Target Express planned for the Antique Center on Newport.
Meanwhile, the OB Town Council has set up an online poll on the issue (we believe it’s just on their facebook page and just for OBTC members, but could be wrong) and so far, as of this writing, 81% are against Target moving in.
Also, “No Target in OB” T-shirts are available at The James Gang for $10.
Here is the “No Target in OB” facebook page, and here are statements from that page:
OB means community. It means local shops and lively culture. It means flare and it means funky, pride and positive vibes, casual — not corporate. A Target Express on Newport Ave directly threatens what it means to be OB. Join our fight to keep it out.
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Recently, the community of Ocean Beach found out that Target Express intends to open on Newport Avenue, which will directly and detrimentally impact the local economy. We intend to stop it.
The proposed site is currently occupied by the Newport Avenue Antique Center, located at 4864 Newport Ave. What’s more, this act of corporate intrusion violates the City Adopted Ocean Beach Community Plan in many ways, such as preserving the community character, supporting local business growth, promoting a pedestrian-friendly commercial district, and complying with parking requirements. Our mission is to uphold the charm and independence of Ocean Beach by preventing Target Express from opening and ruining our lovely enclave of awesome.
With few exceptions, the local economy of Ocean Beach is bolstered by small, privately owned businesses that compete fairly and supportively amongst each other in a rare example of conscious capitalism. Residents who do wish to shop elsewhere need only to go as far as Point Loma, where, approximately two miles away, most major retailers can be found, including — you guessed it — Target. Looking at current trends among retail corporations, it’s clear that introducing a Target Express can start a detrimental trend of other chain stores moving into the community via a corporate tactic known as “clustering”.
In correlation to the effects on our local shops, a Target in Ocean Beach is expected to negatively affect tourism in both the short and long term. OB is recognized worldwide (and in international publications, including The New York Times) as small and funky beachside surf town, the last of its kind in America. Without this tremendous tourist appeal, we can expect a decrease in spending travelers. Beyond OB and the surrounding coastal communities, this can negatively affect San Diego as a whole.
As Ocean Beach fights to maintain its 1960s charm in the 21st Century, traffic has become a major issue. Opening a major retail chain on its busiest commercial street will make matters all the worse, make our streets all the more congested and dangerous for pedestrians. The targeted location will bring heavy and hazardous traffic past our community’s library and one of its elementary schools — both popular pedestrian locations for residents, including families with small children.
Further concern lies in Target’s expected stocking of alcohol. Unneeded in our community is yet more off-site alcohol sales; the community is already oversaturated by about 300%. In an August 2nd community meeting, Target officials claimed that the store will not open with alcohol for sale, but refused to confirm that alcohol would not be sold on their shelves in the future. Ask yourself: When was the last time you were in a Target that didn’t sell alcohol?
These are among the most prevalent concerns but are by no means the only ones. We welcome you to share your own concerns about a Target Express in Ocean Beach, as well as your ideas on protest strategies and other, more appropriate uses for the site.
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