It’s easy to accuse others of NIMBY’ism when it’s not your own backyard at issue.
An organization wants to establish a school, serving 250 children with autism, on a sparsely populated, rustic street in the northern reaches of Altadena.
Many of the homeowners openly oppose the idea. As a consequence, some folks are accusing the opposition of bigotry -- as if the neighborhood would be fine with a ten-fold increase in daily traffic, noise, and exhaust fumes provided no one in the cars had a disability.
I don’t have a dog in this fight, or maybe just a small one, because I do know several children with autism, lovely and smart children, and realize a good school is hard to find.
Still, I don’t like bullies. And a bully in this case would be one who levels insults at another when his own comfort is not at risk.
We’re all asked from time to time to sacrifice on a personal level for the greater good. And maybe this is such a case, especially given the fact there's an existing compound on the street. But when the sacrifice involves prized elements of one’s own home and intimate life -- privacy, air quality, early morning peace -- I can see how this school looms like a bitter pill. And were I in their shoes, in all honesty, I don't know that I'd swallow it either.
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