phantom tollbooths in Davis Sq. ...

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

apropos of nothing and not a serious proposal but I was thinking about sales taxes last night, the discussion of tolls on 93 south and something to do with all the border violence going on in the world these days. Suddenly I had this image of tollbooths/checkpoints on the roads entering Davis Sq. Weird but interesting to speculate on.

The growth in popularity of the sq. has brought higher rents and housing prices, higher prices in stores and bars and general gentrification. The city of Somerville and the property owners benefit but the residents don't. Would be interesting to have a toll that went to offset the costs of gentrification to people who actually live here.

Comments

What? It's modest...

[komos.livejournal.com]

I propose we close off the community from the outside world with barricades made of the furniture of overpriced bars and restaurants and then arm aging, latte-toting hipsters to keep the undesirables out altogether. Why stop at charging them entry when we could instead protect the Square's unique cultural heritage by systematically driving away the speculators, the revenooers, and the gainfully employed?