Friends of Cville Downtown does some damage control

The non-profit had to quickly change the language of a petition calling for changes on the Downtown Mall. Plus, a simple request from one resident.

Greer Achenbach, executive director of Friends of Cville Downtown, spent some time at last night's City Council meeting doing some damage control for a recent petition the downtown advocacy group posted.

"It seems there's been some miscommunication regarding the intentions of Cville Downtown," she told City Council during the first public comment period.

Originally, Friends of Cville Downtown posted a petition (petition version one) that said "concerns around cleanliness and safety have started to taint this historical district" and later added that "a clean and safe downtown contributes to enhanced quality of life, promotion of business, and increased tourism."

This prompted one petition signer to say, "I'm tired of the homeless asking for money and cigarettes," and another to respond, "AMEN Patty! Like Greer said, those people are tainting OUR town."

This…