Protestors Plan Human Chain Across the Waterfront

Alexandrians against the city’s current plans to redevelop the waterfront are hoping to highlight their views by creating a human chain beginning at King and Union streets and stretching down to Robinson Terminal South.

“We are not trying to form a blockade or restrict access but we want to show that there are a lot of people concerned with the city’s proposed plan,” said event organizer Boyd Walker. “We would like to see alternatives.”

The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., which is just prior to a City Council work session on the issue.

“The city is continuing to push its plan and not understanding there’s significant opposition to the plan. They are going to vote on the plan in June as opposed to going back and taking a second look at it,” he said.

The Saturday session will not hear public comment. Walker said he believes at least one more public hearing should take place before a vote.

He’s hoping for a turnout of 100 to 200 people and said it could become an annual event.

“We’d like the waterfront to be a more vibrant place,” he said. “We’re all stewards of this historic waterfront and we’d like the City Council to consider themselves as stewards as well.”

Walker noted that support for the movement is seen through the many “Don’t Rezone the Waterfront” signs spread around Old Town, which reference the city’s plan to rezone some areas to allow more commercial use.

He also said the city had notified him that they have begun removing these signs where they are posted in public rights of way, but they are allowed to remain in front of private homes. 

“I know there’s been some confusion about the signs because some people viewed them as political” such as permissible signs promoting a candidate for election, said Faroll Hamer, head of the city's Planning and Zoning Department. However, the city does not allow signs in public rights of way that take a specific position on an issue, she said.

“We enforced this issue a few years ago when anti-abortion signs were all over the city, and we need to apply laws equally to everyone,” Hamer said. “They’re certainly allowed to put these signs in front yards or windows. We don’t feel that this is a free speech issue.”