What the CPCA are saying about Sydenham Town
Crystal Palace Community Association Newletter - Summer 2007

VIRTUAL REALITY (ALMOST)
Graffiti tags on the www

Many will remember the social phenomenon - CB Radio - whereby people could indulge themselves in flights of fantasy, hiding behind, often outlandish, pseudonyms.

Its successor is perhaps the ‘Virtual website’, numbers of which have dramatically increased, when although, unlike the air-waves which can be regulated, ‘postings’ are being increasingly used in the vilification of so-called ‘groups’and of individuals.

Two such ‘sites’ are ‘Virtual Norwood’ and ‘Sydenham Town’, which although offering opportunity for participation on local issues, scrutiny of these sites identifies the same few people, mostly lacking the courage to identify themselves, who are ‘posting’ defamatory and vindictive statements again and again, maligning and reviling others.

Some ‘posters’ damage their credibility in demonstrated ignorance on issues they raise, which go unchallenged amongst the sycophants who are themselves disseminating disinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, of which they falsely accuse others of doing.

Some, in their anonymous attacks, expose their inability to focus valid argument, and under the new order they seek to impose, dissent becomes disruption, and those who strongly express the same views become a mob, not a majority.

Graphic demonstration of this is on the ‘Sydenham Town’ website, where Marion Wood is to be commended for identifying herself in her posting on 5 June 2007: “Having studied the information provided by the CPCA website and after rereading all Sydenham Town postings about this topic, I remain opposed to the LDA proposals for private blocks of flats to be built on publicly owned open green space.

I am disappointed by the tone and nature of some of the more personal remarks in recent postings regarding the community association and its chairman. With reference to Rent a Mob tactics at public meetings, it strikes me that these may be exactly what they are. The question is who is doing the hiring?”

In response, “nasaroc” posted on 6 June 2007: “Marion - I’m very unclear about your comment: “Who is doing the hiring?” You are surely not suggesting that the people at the meeting acting in this fashion are not all long-term members of one particular group. Which they are. Or that they are being provoked into behaving in an undemocratic and intimidating fashion? Which they aren’t. Or that they’ve been “hired in” by some sinister outside body to undermine the CPCA? This is fantasy world stuff’ Whatever your views on housing on the site, there is simply no excuse for trying to block other people’s opinions by intimidation and heckling.”

Concerning blocking other people’s opinions by intimidation, Crystal Palace Campaign Founder Member, Kim Rich, who has devoted years to the protection of Crystal Palace Park, was blocked from giving her opinions to those at the 1 June 2007 ‘dialogue’ Meeting by Munish Chopra on the grounds she would have opportunity to speak to them later.

Kim Rich had no opportunity to speak to them later, and was able to speak to only half the attendees and to put her ‘views and opinions’ on tiny pieces of paper to be stuck on wall charts, under classification ‘positive’ or ‘negative’, as decided by the ‘dialogue’ team.

“Charles” in a ‘Sydenham Town’ posting of 3 June 2007 agreed: “Yes, the rentamob sound awful ...“ criticism that would be more valid if “Charles” had been at the 1 June 2007 Anerley Town Hall ‘dialogue’ meeting, which by his own admission, he was not.

In a defamatory outburst posted on ‘Sydenham Town’ on 3 June 2007 “outcast” alludes to “. . .so many dissfunctional (sic) people...” attracted to the Crystal Palace Community Association, and states: “They have embarked upon some sort of vendetta against the LDA and even got the Farm stopped!” and by further allusion that they are “. . . not normal members. . . “ but “..unsavoury fanatics. I think they are a menace.. .the CPCA should be barred from further meetings.”

The date of posting and the date of joining, both given as 03 June 2007, suggests “outcast” joined ‘Sydenham Town’ specifically to make vitriolic attack on the CPCA whilst hiding behind anonymity.

Continuing in this vein, “Eaglesman” posts in the newshopper.co.uk website on Thu 31 May 07: “How many members does this so-called “Community Association” actually have, apart from Payne and Elkin? Why don’t these self-appointed “representatives try saying something positive for a change instead of just winging? Don’t they know the history of the park? It was built using proceeds from the sale of land on fringes for housing - that’s right, all those grand old Victorian piles on Crystal Palace Park Road.”

Far from being ‘so-called’, the CPCA is a Registered Charity with a large membership of which John Payne is the Chair and Suzanne Elkin the Honorary Secretary, duly elected by democratic process, something with which ‘eaglesman’ may be as unfamiliar as with the history of Crystal Palace Park. The land which was sold to a local builder, years after the death of Paxton, was to raise money for the ailing Crystal Palace Company, and the Park was certainly not built from these proceeds, as claimed by “eaglesman”.

These ‘posters’ have inadvertently made Marion Wood’s case quite condusively. (Could “nasaroc”, “outcast” and “eaglesman” be related - perhaps we should be told?)

The CPCA gives no more regard to anonymous website vilification than to anonymous letters and graffiti, but will consider its position, should the Association or any member of the Association be defamed or libelled.
 

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