I spoke about this during the public comment portion of the meeting. Here is the text of my comments:
I'm sorry that Wal-Mart felt compelled to withdraw their application. I feel sorry for the under-employed poor people of Asheville who desparately need jobs. I am one of them. And I feel especially sorry for the poor trailer park residents who were offered $7,500 to defray their moving expenses. Now, when that property is sold to the next buyer, they will likely get nothing from that buyer. When the time comes for them to move, and it will, they can look back to today and remember who is responsible for their hardship: The anti-Wal-Mart activists from Asheville -- and students from Warren Wilson College. One of whom, I know, is graduating next month and is moving to San Francisco.
