Castle Rock Town Council Ignore Citizens, Approve Destructive Mall Continuation

Another day, another assault on democratic governance and the Colorado ecosystem by the Castle Rock Town Council. Following up the February 17 2015 meeting, last night the Council OKed the continued development of the invasive and destructive “mega-mall”. Fox 21 Denver reported on the meeting:

http://kdvr.com/2015/03/03/castle-rock-approves-mega-mall-after-heated-hearing-over-prairie-dogs/

As with the last session, many activists and lovers of the natural world showed up in opposition to the construction, and many voiced their resistance to the mall, in over 45 minutes of testimony. [This comment portion of the agenda was truncated to 45 minutes by Mayor Donahue, who was perhaps tired of hearing what citizens had to say about his selling out of their natural world.]

Those in opposition to the mall are irate about the destruction of one of the largest remaining prairie dog colonies on the Front Range, to make room for the center.

Fox News also reported that members of the Council (at both meetings, we note) stated there is overwhelming support for the new development among their constituents. However, when asked for the source of these data, Mayor Donahue refused to answer. One speaker at the meeting asked for a show of hands of those in opposition to the mall, though, to which there was about 90% validation for opposing the mall. We suggest this brief survey is likely more valid than whatever it was that Donahue alluded to, if in fact there ever was a survey. We’d love to hear from him on this.

Council stooges also asserted that the mall will provide “needed” jobs for the community. However, a recent article in the Castle Rock News-Express indicated unemployment in the town its 3.3%. Clearly, there is no jobs-based justification for the mall’s construction, so we ask, exactly whose pockets are to be lined by this project?

Clearly, Council Members have no answer for any inquiry about their purported supporting arguments. The project is widely destructive; it appears very few people want it; and there’s little economic justification  for it. Are we to surmise someone’s pockets are being lined by Alberta Development? Donahue, help us wade throughout the bullshit, would you?

Besides acting as an affront to nature and common sense, the Council and Donahue in particular show a penchant for trampling the democratic process rights of their residents and other citizens. Here’s a brief list of some of their more egregious transgressions:

> Mayor Donahue, as noted above, limited comment on the construction proposal to 45 minutes, in  blatant disregard of his own constituents’ Free Speech rights. If these rights should be freely exercised anywhere, we think, a meeting of the town should be a primary showcase.

> Donahue had several individuals removed from the proceedings for trivial ‘violations’ of Donahue’s personal decorum policy. In Donahue’s egocentric world, clapping and brief asides from the audience are egregious acts and deserve police escorts from the Hall. Council Member George Teal’s own tasteless behavior, vigorous gum-chewing in session, apparently does not rise to the level of misbehavior in Donahue’s Rules of Etiquette. Here’s more on the evictions from the Denver Post:

http://www.denverpost.com/dougco/ci_27638667/three-people-removed-from-noisy-council-meeting-castle?source=infinite

We don’t count smirks, texting under the table, and similar violations of courtesy in this list, but they did also occur.

> Despite his own promise to answer questions from petitioners, Donahue has refused to do so on the occasion of both meetings. Questions posed include:

Asking permission to feed the starving prairie dogs;

Questions about the purported survey showing ‘overwhelming support’ for the mall;

A request for an explanation of how a 3.3%  jobless rate justifies the malls’ cornucopia of (low-paying) jobs; and

A rationale, other than legal loopholes, for refusing to delay the mall construction for 3 months so the prairie dogs could be relocated.

Deep Green Resistance abhors injustice of any type, particularly ecological and social varieties. The Promenade Mall and the Castle Rock Town Toadies violate both these fundamental principles, and we mock and condemn them for that.

We will not stop fighting for our values of life, justice, and sustainability. As of this writing, activists are organizing a referendum on the mall planning proposal. They are also drafting documents asking for a Recall of Donahue and perhaps others. We’ll forward more details soon.

We support and join the good people of Castle Rock and all across Colorado in resistance to these tawdry, ecocidal creeps. We’d love for you to struggle with us!