http://www.scriptfolio.net/Film.html

Kris,

Be assured that at no time since 2003 have we made any efforts to push the poor or homeless out of the area just so we could have a new district. From early on we have worked to INCLUDE the plight of the homeless in our planning and strategy. First, they are human beings that deserve to be treated as such. They are not property to simply relocate on a whim. We stated in our very first meetings that we would do something totally different and EMBRACE the problems in our area and not just push them to future generations.

The new development for the Oklahoma City Film Exchange District gives Oklahomans a rare opportunity. For the first time we could really make a difference and set an example for cities across this nation. Here we have a chance to tackle an entire portion of our downtown cityscape. It would make sense – why we have the materials, resources, and state & local support – to sit down and seriously discuss, create, and initiate positive change to our homeless community.

When we discovered the rich history of the area we have formed into a new district, we realized that its plight was what saved it and what could have ultimately destroyed it. People drove through the area with blinders on. If they didn’t look – didn’t see it – then it would just go away. As for the buildings – yes – that could have been a real possibility. But now these are registered on the the National Register of Historic Places. But those same blinders were used to ignore the homeless plight along the same streets.

This ‘problem’ won’t just go away. It needs the support and efforts of all of us. To ignore and allow such misery to continue on its current path is ludicrous and just as unresponsible as moments from the Katrina devestation.

It won’t be easy. And it certainly won’t happen quickly. Maybe not even for years. But I challenge those who would see change to MAKE change. Contact your representatives and offer your support. Offer your ideas. Seek a public ‘town hall’ meeting and encourage discussion with one another toward change. Get your representatives and the local city government to attend.

Together we can do this and with the increased focus on the new District – it can help by bringing the area issues into a spotlight.

I am glad for the developments along Film Row, and other parts of downtown. I just don’t want to celebrate it as due to “those homeless people moving further away from us.”