Man kills self in front of City Council after zoning decision

CNN ^ | 10/5/2007 | AP

[JTHomes]

Unfortunately, this is one of those issues that at first glance appears to fit the predisposed beliefs of many here, and so most folks are unwilling to look any further.

Okay, let's look further. It is well within the bounds of normal and good business practices to look for higher and better uses of one's assets. If getting a commercial designation would have done that for him, and would not have caused the community any undue harm, then they should have let him do it. 5 board members apparently thought his plans were okay. It's just that the law and order over liberty types on this thread would rather tilt a decision toward "the rules" and making him prove his case rather than toward his individual liberty. These same law and order types are the ones who detest his public suicide. I suspect this is so, because it is the one thing someone is free to do that they could never control or impose consequences for. This reveals their true nature.

[sbMKE]

Makes even less sense that his "home" address was being denied a rezoning -- look at the satellite shot of the Madison street address and it looks like light industrial and retail all around - storage units, etc along with a mix of houses. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=1517+Madison+St+clarksville+tn&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.681389,112.5&ie=UTF8&ll=36.519005,-87.327989&spn=0.002061,0.003755&t=k&z=18&iwloc=addr&om=1 Your addresses are wrong - but from looking at the satellite shots it does appear that there is quite a bit of zoned commercial and/or industrial surrounding the barber shop. No, my address is correct: The council had just voted down the second reading of a request from Ronald "Bo" Ward, of 1517 Madison St., to have his home rezoned as commercial. Ward, owner of Bo's Barber Shop across from Gate 1 on Fort Campbell Boulevard, had said the rezoning would increase his property value, allowing him to secure a loan to offset debt he incurred when he expanded his shop. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071005/NEWS01/710050372 He was not trying to rezone the barber shop, but instead his home located at 1517 Madison St.

[NativeSon]

It might be; it might not be. Depends on what the cause is, I suppose. I cannot think of very many instances where deliberately taking one's own life for a cause is admirable, but certainly not over a zoning decision. Hitler took his own life too, for a cause. Was he a martyr?

Hitler did it not for a cause other than denying his soon to be captors justice.

I think skimask is probably on the right track with #91 regarding indicators of suicide. I would guess that this man had other issues going on mentally and emotionally, rather than his killing himself purely out of fighting what he may have thought was government tyranny.

I've read other definitions of the word but my opinion remains the same. I have no religous objections to his choice and value his sacrifice. Many have died to create this great nation of ours but in last 50 years we have surrendered so much of what it means to be American. Maybe he was pushed to the breaking point and made his stand, his last stand.

Thank you for the rational debate. ~NS

[Dianna]

What else shocks me about this entire thread is how very many FReepers would meekly put up with the loss of their home and livelihood because of a petty zoning board decision.

Anything less than shooting ourselves is meek?

[Enterprise]

" You have to stop giving free haircuts, raise your prices and let others pay for those haircuts, or sell your business and work for someone else. I don’t think shooting one-self is the best solution."

I agree. Suicide didn't solve anything. And basically, had he done the things you recommended, I would have agreed with the recommendations.

I'm not in business, but I'm like a lot of Freepers, I try to help others.

A couple of things from my past:

I was in a restaurant and I could see a guy was down and out. When I paid my bill, I left money with the cashier to pay for the guy's meal. Another time I was in a store and standing behind a man who owned a restaurant. He was ten dollars short. I gave him the ten dollars and I told him I didn't want repayment to me, instead would he please repay it by taking the 10 dollars off the bill of the next man or woman in military uniform who dined in his restaurant.

I wish Bo could have been a Freeper or knew one. If I could have helped, I would have.

[Dianna]

He lost his business and his home due to their decision. I’m sure that would be no problem for you, just a “setback.”

NO, he went into debt with the expectation that he would later be allowed to expand his business. When that didn't work out he killed himself.

If I assume I'm getting a promotion and take out a huge mortgage and then don't get the promotion, WHO is responsible for my situation?

[Snoopers-868th]

THIS IS AMERICA. clapping my hands!!

[HungarianGypsy]

I know liberals they are the meanest, nastiest people on the face of the earth.

Ahem! I have change that to Leftist radicals (like those at DU). One of my favorite friends is a liberal and one of the sweetest guys I know.

[nicko]

was there through the 80’s and the 90’s...lots of fatalities...and yes, I’ve been guilty of getting back to post from the Classic Cat in Nashville just in time for PT...btw, I’ve worn both of the patches on your home page on several different occasions...

[Kaslin]

Where did you get this that his address was on Madison Street?

[Kaslin]

Actually the barber shop is not near the main gate, which is Gate 4 on the Kentucky side. The shop is near Gate 1 on the Tennessee side

[RinaseaofDs]

Bingo. Especially at the city level, the qualification of these councils are spotty at the very best.

Property taxers have no problem at all taxing seniors out of homes they’ve held for generations. Just another day at the office.

[Justa]

"The barbershop was on Ft. Campbell Blvd, the house on Madison. He wanted the house rezoned commercial so he could take out a bigger loan against it, in order to pay back the loan he'd taken to expand the shop."

Uh-huh, and we'll be seeing more of this in the future as declining property values and unserviceable mortgages deprive people of their businesses, homes, etc. The risks they took catch up with them. It's too bad since he seems to have intened the mortgage to generate more income. Did peoples' hair stop growing? No, so something was amiss in his re-payment plan for the business expansion mortgage, thereby necessitating a rezoning of his house for another business mortgage there to cover his downtown mortgage. Maybe he got shafted on his business mortgage and couldn't re-fi?

If he couldn't service the business mortgage taking on another one probably wasn't going to help.

It's a topical story as there will undoubtedly be others who won't be able to handle defaulting on their mortgage. This is a business mortgage Caveat Emptor.

[cherry]

I don't defend this guy for suicide, but when the rich and powerful and the elite want some favor from govt there is even a wince of protest.....its just done, quietly.....

just look at all the stinking stadiums the public has built for billionaire team owners after they "threatened" to move their teams.....

but we couldn't give a simple barber a little help....

[Enterprise]

Thank you.

[Kaslin]

Actually I wouldn’t call Clarksville with a population of 113,175 a little town. It does however have the mentality of a small village

[Enterprise]

Can’t deny that. Organizations employ high priced lobbyists to get favors from elected representatives. It will never change.

[Kaslin]

I think the haircut story is pure mythology.

No it is not. I live just a little over two miles from the barber shop and drive by every time I go to Fort Campbell. It is true

[Between the Lines]

Where did you get this that his address was on Madison Street?

From the local newspaper of course. The Leaf-Chronicle

[Kaslin]

Yes he did