Irrational anger, few solutions

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/04/2023 (1306 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Wednesday, a report in this newspaper revealed that the City of Brandon has “paused” future public engagement sessions for its new city plan after a “highly charged and racist” confrontation occurred at a session conducted at West End Community Centre.

The report said “the normally civil open house format took a turn for the worse when several people showed up at the community centre accusing the city of wasting tax dollars on ‘unnecessary’ bike lanes and walking paths, and of attempting to implement a ‘15-minute city’ plan on the population, among other concerns.”

The report also quotes a passage from a 30-minute recording of the meeting, in which local business owner Rick Macl is heard saying: “We already know what’s going on. This is not a hidden agenda here. We all know about this 15-minute city thing.”

After confirming that community engagement sessions have been put on hold, city manager Ron Bowles told the Sun: “City staff were treated inappropriately with racial and age-based discriminatory comments. The city will continue on the pathway to establish a city plan that represents our entire community, not a fringe group or [a] racist few.”

On Thursday, it was reported that the city had issued a “toned-down statement” that indicated that disruptions had actually occurred at two sessions, and described what happened as “inappropriate and unsafe behaviour.” The statement added: “A small group of citizens used these events to discuss theories not related to the Brandon city plan project and city staff were treated disrespectfully.”

Yesterday’s newspaper included a letter to the editor by local resident Madelyn Robinson, which begins with this sentence: “I was dismayed to learn there is so much disinformation and misinformation out there about the ‘15-minute city’ concept.”

Later in the letter, she adds that “This concept is not about limiting people to their section of the city. If you want to go to the grocery store on the other side of the city, you still have that choice … If our city can be set up so that most of us live within 15 minutes of the essentials we need to survive, we will have more freedom, not less.”

By now, you have probably figured out the angry protests that occurred had little to do with what is actually in the draft city plan, and plenty to do with a new planning concept — “15-minute cities” — that isn’t even part of the current proposal.

Robinson is correct that there is no shortage of dis- and misinformation about the concept. There is also no shortage, however, of cynical politicians and their supporters who are stoking fear and confusion about the concept for their own political and financial gain.

Robinson is also correct in stating in her letter that “the 15-minute city is an urban planning concept that envisions neighbourhoods throughout the city in which most necessities and services such as work, shopping, education, health care and leisure can be easily reached by a 15-minute walk or bike ride.”

Nobody should regard those goals as a bad thing, but rage farmers and conspiracy theorists are claiming the concept is actually a thinly disguised plan to lockdown neighbourhoods and restrict the movement of citizens to within 15-minute districts. Some are even warning there will be electric fences to keep citizens in those districts and checkpoints at neighbourhood boundaries.

I know. It sounds like dog-whistle nonsense, but it’s finding a receptive audience, especially among those who are still chafed about the restrictions that were imposed during the pandemic. From their fear-filled perspective, the possibility of restricted mobility, enforced by electric fences and boundary checkpoints, is both credible and terrifying.

That fear, I believe, lies at the root of the anger seen at the community engagements. And all that vitriol was directed toward two female city planning department staff members, one of whom is young, while the other is a woman of colour.

It’s a despicable, disturbing thing that has happened and, sadly, there is every possibility that it will happen again once the engagement sessions are restarted. It is just as likely the protest will spread to the city council chamber when the plan is ultimately considered by council.

That may be disturbing for many of us, but the reality is that much of the unhinged anger and abuse we have seen on social media for years is spilling into the real world. Many of the anonymous bullies on Twitter, Facebook and other websites are now yelling their threats and insults at public meetings. By doing so, they are getting the consequence-free attention they crave.

If we were thinking Brandon was immune to this trend, we were naive. If we are hoping that pausing the public engagements will make the angry people go away, we are kidding ourselves. They will be back.

This is the new, post-Trump, post-pandemic reality we find ourselves in. If you have a solution, a lot of provincial, state and local governments in North America — and school boards, too — would love to hear from you.

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