Good day to the local residents of Peekskill,

It has come to the attention of many that and group called the Peekskill Yellow Brick Road Project intend to petition the city to create a ‘Yellow Brick Road ‘ as referenced in the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum that was indeed inspired by an old road leading from the river to the Peekskill Military Academy. 

Many residents on social media have expressed their distaste for the project for the following six reasons: 

1.) The author L. Frank Baum was a man of mixed beliefs and talents. The author, while articulate in his writings to women’s suffrage movements, also praised the idea of manifest destiny and the genocide of the Native American people who inhabited the land in his numerous editorials. 

After the battle and Death of Sitting Bull, a Lakota he’s quoted as stating:

“Sitting Bull, most renowned Sioux of modern history, is dead.

He was not a Chief, but without Kingly lineage he arose from a lowly position to the greatest Medicine Man of his time, by virtue of his shrewdness and daring.

Forced to give up their old hunting grounds and espouse the hard working and uncongenial avocations of the whites. And these, his conquerors, were marked in their dealings with his people by selfishness, falsehood and treachery. What wonder that his wild nature, untamed by years of subjection, should still revolt? What wonder that a fiery rage still burned within his breast and that he should seek every opportunity of obtaining vengeance upon his natural enemies.

The proud spirit of the original owners of these vast prairies

inherited through centuries of fierce and bloody wars for their possession, lingered last in the bosom of Sitting Bull. With his fall the nobility of the Redskin is extinguished, and what few are left are a pack of whining curs who lick the hand that smites them. The Whites, by law of conquest, by justice of civilization, are masters of the American continent, and the best safety of the frontier settlements will be secured by the total annihilation of the few remaining Indians. Why not annihilation? Their glory has fled, their spirit broken, their manhood effaced; better that they die than live the miserable wretches that they are.” (Cited source: University of Warwick,UK)

 

2.) It feels like a waste of funds as we have the people face crumbling sidewalks or none at all, lack accessibility standard such as crosswalks, corner ramps and ADA compliment tactile steps. 

 

3.) Many already existing roads are cracked, crumbling, are ill maintained  and are filled with pot holes and other hazards to put hard working residents and their vehicles at risk.

4.) There is no mention of where funding is coming from or who will be responsible for the maintenance, upkeep and time that will need to be spent closing roads to either paint or lay brick down for this project which would impact commuters and those who need the train to go to work for an unknown amount of time. As well as who will pay for it to be cleaned for the many decades to come if the project goes through. 

5.) It is aesthetically displeasing and many have expressed no desire to have a bright yellow brick road for a small reference made by someone who spent little time in our historical city. 

6.) They claim it will strengthen tourism, strengthen community bonds and honor legacies without any explanation of how it will accomplish any of these task and no consideration for the hinderence  and money it will take away from local residents. By all means, this is an non important project that detracts from the real life issues and infrastructural problems Peekskill has and that residents face. 

I believe roads and sidewalks should be level, safe, fixed and maintained and take great precedent over making a road yellow for nostalgia sake. 

Here is the link to the Yellow Brick Road Projects proposal if any would like to read it as well 

https://www.change.org/p/proposal-for-the-creation-of-a-yellow-brick-road-celebration-space-in-peekskill-new-york?recruiter=1319689432&recruited_by_id=741949f0-6ee3-11ee-aecd-89f4d4f9ad95&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_medium=copylink&fbclid=IwAR0OrPwfSE2OYkX83IZGiRErlp171wLa0TTmQJOBmgJ1VsIPSks9rDgCIf0_aem_AYmWa9v72VVRiqdRT13VDfLgixFGQQvNCncaDqeH2V0DjIryxsUnBuXA37raf9BM3CY&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Just another resident who’s fed up with the lack of care and tack our city and this project present. We deserve basic safe infrastructure. 

Thank you and enjoy your day