Signs of the East Side

The Gateway Corridor Commission doesn't seem to know too much about the East Side of Saint Paul, or they wouldn't be talking about building a railroad on its residential streets.

They seem like nice people, just out of touch.

If I were to show them around, I'd show them the rowdiness of Friday nights and the quietness of weekend mornings. I'd show them how nature weaves its way through the area and what local residents do to preserve and accommodate wildlife in a residential setting. It would knock their socks off. I'd show them a crowd of neighbors planting their snow shovels upright to push the car of an elderly nut who had to drive even though the roads weren't plowed. And I'd have them count how many schoolchildren cross the path the Gateway Corridor Commission wants to barricade, and how many locations kids cross that path, all afternoon each school day.

I'd show them the signs of the East Side.

From the "Deaf Child Area" sign to the "This Is Not A Used Car Lot" elementary school sign, both within spitting distance of the train they want to run through, I'd show them the signs of the neighborhood.

And I'd bet that they've never seen any of it.