Disregard For The ‘Little Guy’

To the Editor:

I was very disturbed when I read the article in The Bee regarding Boston-based Edens & Avant, the property managers of Sand Hill Plaza and their lack of regard for the predominantly minority-owned business that they displaced. This speaks to a bigger issue, and that is the attitude of some of our large corporate conglomerations and their arrogant disregard for the “little guy” trying to make it. This is more than evicting these folks, it speaks to the fabric of our society. We are heading down a dangerous path — we wonder why other countries distrust us and challenge some of our policies.

I know how hard many of these people worked. The cleaners built a customer friendly neighborhood business; I could walk in, set my cleaning on the counter and just mention a day for pick up, no ticket was needed by me. The poor Asian woman proprietor would ask me with tears in her eyes why are they doing this, why?  Yes, she was lucky to find another location but did she tell The Bee that when she began to move in she discovered the ceiling was to low to accommodate her automated system? Now they are forced to run around clothes racks to retrieve customers’ cleaning.

The El Coyote restaurant made a major investment in their business and after a period of time grew it into a wonderful restaurant frequented by many Newtowners.

Photo Land another minority business was forced to go to Monroe.

I am assuming that Boston-based Edens & Avant is not providing financial help to these predominately  minority-owned business, especially when giving them an edict “out in two months or pay a 200 percent increase.”

I call upon Boston-based Edens & Avant to do the right thing — it is called social responsibility, and that is to provide relocation and financial assistance to these hardworking responsible citizens.

I have never written a letter like this, or have been engaged in protests but I would urge Newtowners to boycott the businesses that replace these minority enterprises unless Boston-based Edens & Avant wakes up and does the right thing.

Patrick McAuliffe

121 Huntingtown Road, Newtown                      October 17, 2005