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President Obama signs proclamation creating Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index....river_home

That's really wonderful news.

Good news!

I thought it had been done years ago. Ridiculous that it hasn't.

Good god. The comments section. What a sad sad country we live in.

I don't think I could stomach reading it.

Tremendous honor for the city and this part of Birmingham. As I understand it, this designation opens the door to potentially millions in federal funding to really develop that area into something first class.

(01-12-2017 08:51 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  I thought it had been done years ago. Ridiculous that it hasn't.

It's been slowly moving up the chain of historic designations. It's been on a federal list of some sort since 1980 and was upgraded to a National Historic Landmark in 2006. The National Monument thing is basically the highest it can go without an Act of Congress and is the same level/treated the same by the feds as a National Park (only Congress can declare actual national parks)

(01-12-2017 10:58 PM)Blazer85 Wrote:  Tremendous honor for the city and this part of Birmingham. As I understand it, this designation opens the door to potentially millions in federal funding to really develop that area into something first class.

It should bring added visibility to people interested in cultural tourism which will be great for downtown hotels/restaurants.

The federal funding impact is big too. I imagine the city will receive some grants to offset the restoration of the A.G. Gaston hotel as a tourist site and possibly the Freedom Center the city is trying to build. Plus the national park system provides advertising to drive people to visit and provides park rangers to patrol the area.

(01-13-2017 09:25 AM)hooverblazer Wrote:  

(01-12-2017 10:58 PM)Blazer85 Wrote:  Tremendous honor for the city and this part of Birmingham. As I understand it, this designation opens the door to potentially millions in federal funding to really develop that area into something first class.

It should bring added visibility to people interested in cultural tourism which will be great for downtown hotels/restaurants.

The federal funding impact is big too. I imagine the city will receive some grants to offset the restoration of the A.G. Gaston hotel as a tourist site and possibly the Freedom Center the city is trying to build. Plus the national park system provides advertising to drive people to visit and provides park rangers to patrol the area.

The National Park Service has committed $300,000 per year to the new National Monument. The city of Birmingham ceded parts of the A.G. Gaston motel to allow for the Monument declaration...it is now Federal land.

I had no idea that it didn't have the designation already.

I've always been proud to have it in our city.

(01-12-2017 08:55 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  Good god. The comments section. What a sad sad country we live in.

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than the comments section of anything news related.

Makes me sick.

(01-14-2017 11:36 PM)BlazerJoe Wrote:  

(01-12-2017 08:55 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  Good god. The comments section. What a sad sad country we live in.

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than the comments section of anything news related.

Truth! I find it depressing and scary.

(01-12-2017 08:55 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  Good god. The comments section. What a sad sad country we live in.

I couldn't stomach more than 4 or 5 comments.