Feb. 27, 2024 “Are we telling the right stories?” Developer Christopher Dennis said people who never visit the Beatties Ford Road corridor love to tell stories about the corridor’s challenges, from crime and drugs to homelessness and mental health issues. What if Beatties Ford residents wrote ... Continue Reading →
History doesn’t make people; People make history
Feb. 1, 2023 “Black history is a lifetime. It is not a month. Stop letting other people control the narrative.” – Forum participant Gary Marion Jan. 24, 2023 Perhaps there is no middle way between the stout defenders of Black History Month and Gary Marion's ... Continue Reading →
Update on historic status for John McDonald’s original cafeteria
March 20, 2022 The Charlotte Observer caught up with Beatties Ford Road entrepreneur Christopher Dennis, and longtime area resident Elloree Erwin, and published the piece below about Dennis's efforts to seek historic status designation for the building that restaurateur John McDonald used for the ... Continue Reading →
Developer’s story plays out in Beatties Ford Road corridor project
Nov. 9, 2021 In other hands, a rundown strip shopping center might turn into a less rundown strip shopping center. In Chris' Dennis's hands, Chase Bank is a major tenant, a portion of the building has been set aside for a yet-to-be-announced art presence, and the South Carolina native who's been ... Continue Reading →
Wellness, scholarships, & reflections on the week of July 4
July 12, 2016 Three very different discussions were undertaken at this morning's Forum. Some of it was dignified and organized. Some was as raw and contentious as the nation's mood in these days after police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana, and the killing of five police officers in ... Continue Reading →