Clearwater should turn South Garden Avenue into an outdoor museum

Clearwater is at a crossroads.

Over the next few weeks, the city council will vote on whether to sell South Garden Avenue to the Church of Scientology. On the surface, it’s just a deal, $1,375 million in exchange for public roads. However, if you scratch it underneath the surface, you will see something deeper. This is not just about land. It’s about what kind of city we want to be.

For years, downtown Clearwater has been struggling. The reduced vacant buildings and walking traffic is clouding the dream of a bustling and welcoming centre. I believe that giving the Church of Scientology another land will finally open the doors and fill the city with life. But be honest. Hope is not a strategy. There is no guarantee that these doors will be open to the public. And even so, access isn’t the only tension between city residents and Scientology. It’s about trust.

That’s why gardens are important.

Garden is a community alternative proposal for Garden Avenue. It is a living, breathing tribute to those who built this city – black and white, side by side – even in times of forced separation. You may not know this, but Garden Avenue was once the heart of Clearwater’s African American business district. It was a place where barbers like Jack Morris served everyone, where cafes welcomed people from both sides of the racial disparity, and taxi drivers like Sydney Wigfall quietly bridged the gaps society had forced between us.

That’s the true story of Clearwater. cooperation. dignity. peace.

Yes, peace. That’s the purpose of this project. I won’t protest. It’s not politics. peace. The kind of peace that is built when people choose to work together rather than against each other. The kind of peace that lived on Garden Avenue decades ago could not be denied implicitly.

We want to regain that spirit.

In collaboration with the Clearwater African American Foundation, the garden will become a commemorative park. But more than that, it is an outdoor museum and walking tour, where residents and visitors alike remember Clearwater once and imagines what it would still be. Multimedia installations, conversation circles and QR coded stories from elders make this a place of reflection, connection and hope.

Some have questioned the location of our project, suggesting that it would be better from other locations, such as in the Greenwood area. But it lacks point. Garden Avenue is history. Bourdooing this street is to erase your memory. It’s not about real estate. It’s about respect.

As someone who spoke to hundreds of residents, this can be said that people in Clearwater say, “We want a downtown that belongs to everyone.” Not just the deepest pockets and most influential people. everyone.

The city council must be brave enough to vote in our favour. We need strength in this moment – the kind of strength that we don’t put pressure on, it stands up for the right thing, even when odds stack up against us.

We are not asking the city to fund this project. We pledged to collect money ourselves – $2 million to buy real estate and build a garden. On behalf of the people of Clearwater, we are pleading that the city will choose us.

To the City Council: You have the opportunity to do something that really makes sense. Choose people over property. Peace against pressure.

To the residents of Clearwater: Join us. Sign our petition and donate to this cause. Please let me hear your voice. Save your garden not only today, but for future generations.

The vitality of downtown Clearwater’s decline left more than empty buildings. It leaves deep citizen wounds. Some blame Scientology. Others point their fingers at city council. And too often, responsibility has returned to the people themselves. It’s the same cycle from the Jim Crow days. Change responsibility, deepen division, stall progress. However, human nature, although flawed, also retains its ability to grow, and we have seen it grow before. The story of Garden Avenue is one of the quiet courage that black and white citizens overcome barriers, challenge prejudice, and built a thriving community together. This park pays homage and learns from their heritage. The garden is not just a monument, it is an invitation to soothe, listen and rebuild.

This is the beginning of healing.

Brooks Gibbs is a supporter of www.savethegarden.org and Clearwater residents.