Trees and Sense of Place

I did a lot of riding this weekend in the rural, southern part of Orange County, e.g., Mt Sinai, Wakefield, NC 86, Turkey Farm, Old 10, etc. Amazing how the temperature would instantly vary when the trees were back a ways from the road.

Someone not so long ago mentioned something about trees that could be a threat to Durham’s sense of place. Apparently most of the trees out along the right of ways throughout Durham were planted about the same time, e.g., 50 years ago. And they are aging out, pretty much at the same time.

If I understood correctly, this is both an opportunity and a threat, as most are. Hopefully someone is working on the solution not just the problem and rolling out a plan for trees.

The Humiliation Of Being Treated Differently

I recognized the couple immediately. Attractive African American lady and dapper gentleman sitting next to me at Rick’s Diner.

They sat next to me a couple of weeks earlier when, while departing, my attention was diverted by another diner asking if she could read the newspaper I left on my table. With my motorcycle gear I almost knocked a chair over turning around to answer her. So I ended up walking right out of the restaurant without paying, only to remember late that Sunday night.

I returned at 7 am the next morning when Ricks opened and paid the tab. Not an uncommon occurrence the person behind the register commented…but rare that people come back.

When I saw the couple again I kidded them that they should have reminded me to pay.

The lady laughed and said that had happened to her with some friends one time at another restaurant. She called the restaurant immediately when she got back to her office and was told not to worry at all and to come back when she could.

She did immediately, only to find out that in the meantime, they had reported her to the police by her tag number and sure enough, she received a visit a short time later from a uniformed cop.

Was the humiliation a coincidence or was it because she was Black? It would have been very easy to report me with a motorcycle and all. Different restaurants, different approaches. Or are some people treated differently than others because of the color of their skin and other characteristics?

I certainly don’t know the intent of the people involved but I could feel in the moment she told me the story, even with a laugh, the humiliation this lady felt and also how differently we each had been treated. And her playful reminder as she left to remember to pay my bill has played over and over in my mind.

People who happen to be African American are treated differently in very subtle and not so subtle ways just because of the color of their skin. Anyone like me who mixes and socializes with people of many ethnic groups might still not pick up on it and many others are in denial. Racism may be too harsh a term but the impact on the individual is just the same.

Those of us with different colored skin will never know exactly how racism, no matter how subtle, must feel. But even today, it clearly scars individuals and undermines society.

Thank you for flying AmeriSouthBlueDeltWest

Drives Durham resident’s nuts to sit as I did in Atlanta late last month for an early morning return to RDU on Delta and hear a gate agent repeatedly make an announcement that went like this:

“I apologize that our flight to Raleigh has been delayed. We won’t depart for
Raleigh now until such and such. We’ll board for Raleigh at such and such. Thank you Raleigh bound passengers for your patience.”

It would ordinarily be endearing to customers but the vast majority of people in the waiting rooms weren’t destined for Raleigh. We know that from research. Nor of course is the airport located in Raleigh. It is in Morrisville midway between Durham and Raleigh. And Raleigh only co-owns 1/4th of the airport, sharing equal ownership with the City of Durham, Durham County and Wake County.

Sitting there in the gate area wearing a “Durham-Where Great Things Happen” logoed shirt, I looked up to see eyes from all over the waiting room on me belonging to people I didn’t know. I thought about commenting to the agent but it was early, and I just didn’t want to get the dismissive or “I don’t get it” reaction or worse, the rude and defensive reaction often typical.

And I was already deep in thought about how to correct RDU bound online boarding passes issued by Delta that list features in the so-called “Raleigh Area,” many of which are really in Durham which for those of you who don’t know is in a different county, a different metro area and for all the differences, a different planet.

I can already "see" some eyeballs I hear rolling…well, "Just get over it!" Durham is extremely community spirited so instead of trying to hush us, how about our neighbors speaking up to clarify once in a while? I don’t mean just support Durham speaking up, I mean speaking up on our behalf. I mean “do unto others…”

Thank goodness another gate agent took over and used accurate terminology as did the pilot. And the person posting the flight at the gate really had it all down. They even put Raleigh/Durham signifying “and” rather than just the first part of the airport name.

Residents have asked DCVB for a convenient “business card” they can hand to gate agents or pilots or flight attendants when these inaccurate references occur. We’re going to do that.

One thing I know for certain, if the shoe was on the other foot and Durham mangled any airline’s name or brand or worse, attributed it to another carrier…we’d probably hear from their lawyers vs. get a polite card providing the accurate reference.

The sad part is Delta is one of the better airlines about respecting brands. It's time for airlines to realize they serve more than airports and not all airports are located in a centric area with a dominant city.

And the old excuse “there isn’t enough room on the route map” doesn’t hold any longer. The web would permit any airline to put in all of the cities they serve just by asking each airline or airport for the cities and towns in their catchment areas.

Why’s Everybody Always Picking On Me?

Remember the kid who was always picked on in school? No reason. Maybe he was a little different is all. And once someone gets picked on, it seems easier for others to stigmatize that person, while inexplicably, others became favorites and could do no wrong.

Well, while typical bullies aren’t involved, a similar inequality or discrimination occurs in the treatment of various elements of the cultural infrastructure. A particular facility gets cast in an unfavorable light. Sometimes it is due to a timely sound-bite, sometimes the news media doesn’t have time to connect all of the dots, sometimes local government isn’t as careful to discuss overall revenue generated or associated at the same time it does specific expenses, or it gets a bit complicated to follow. And once a facility is stigmatized, well it usually doesn’t matter what the facts are in the court of public opinion.

The “kid” or cultural facility that gets picked on with cultural facilities often seems to be the Durham Convention Center. It is a little different like that kid in school. It may not be as glamorous. Maybe it isn’t shielded by powerful or influential Godparents. And often reports don’t give the whole picture.

DCVB doesn’t play favorites. The Bureau’s job is to generate visitation or visitor circulation and spending as a part of making each of these facilities sustainable. Each is valuable for equally compelling reasons and each relies on visitors for 60%-70% of its audience.

So in an attempt to provide perspective for news reporters and officials and the teams reporting on each facility, DCVB began three or four years ago to track cost/benefit for a select handful of cultural facility examples including:

• Attendance
• Economic Value Added
• Local Government Operating Cost
• Local Government Capital Cost
• Local Tax Revenue Generated
• The Gap (cost to tax revenue generated)
  

It is apparent from the results that the facilities may have different audience types and cost structures but in the end they compare favorably. Now the challenge is for people to access this information in a timely manner as issues arise, to challenge stigmas and treat with equal respect our community’s cultural infrastructure.

An even bigger discussion is why some people go beyond improving and measuring performance and somehow believe cultural infrastructure can and should even be self-supporting when that formula is not applied to other parts of the community infrastructure, e.g,. streets, water systems, sewers, government buildings, etc.

4.6 million +

That’s the number tallied from a strategic partnership DCVB maintains with nearly 50 Durham museums, performing arts and sports venues, historic sites, nature venues, festivals and civic facilities. For years, these facilities diligently logged attendance on a monthly basis for DCVB to use the aggregate tally for several purposes.

First, DCVB uses the numbers as a performance measure regarding getting visitors to circulate throughout the community. Getting visitors here is part of the job but of equal importance is getting visitors to circulate and to optimize spending and tax revenue generation after they arrive.

Regardless of the main purpose for a trip, visitors make up 60%-70% of the attendance and sustainability of these facilities and events.

Second, DCVB provides the tally quarterly to the City and County to inform one of their joint Results-Based Accountability measures.

Third, if they choose, the participating venues can use their attendance numbers and the aggregate number to compute and measure marketing share.

Fourth, when contrasted to other benchmarks maintained by DCVB, local officials and enthusiasts can use the numbers to calibrate future facility and event planning to be sure things are being added that complement.