I ventured up in the Georgia/Virginia streets region last night to check out the happenings. What I saw was tumbleweed and a few yellowed, torn newspapers flying through the dusty wind.

Okay, I exaggerate but not by much. What in tarnation has happened to our ol’ girl Vallejo? I feel so bad for our city today. Vallejo didn’t do anything to anybody to deserve this, did it? The Wednesday Night Celebration was just fine on Georgia Street. I know I have mentioned before the problems with the teenagers, police, and wanna-be sophisticates, but it really wasn’t that bad. When I wasn’t a vendor I still enjoyed strolling up the street, running into people I don’t get much of a chance to see anymore, and listening to the fantastic entertainment. Now, Virginia street looks like a quarantined area where people aren’t quite sure whether to stay or break free.

Stay or break free. Those are the choices running through my mind as I watch this city show more signs of depression, anxiety and nervous break-down. I live here and will continue to live here indefinitely but the whole dog chasing its tail thing has got to go and I do mean now. BRING THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT CELEBRATION BACK TO GEORGIA STREET AND I DO MEAN NOW! Don’ even wait until next year, because there might not even be a next year. Or maybe that was the plan all along? Take one of the few things that is working for the city, blindfold it, and tell it to walk straight off the pier?

Well I stood for about five minutes on Georgia and Marin and couldn’t even bring myself to walk over to Virginia Street. I’m all for change if change makes sense but this is yet another bad decision that has come to fruition. When it’s all said and done though I hope this can be a ‘teachable’ moment for our community. Preserve the good things and challenge the rest.