Daddy, where does community come from?

A brief history of how NO 7-Eleven got started. 

Ingrid meets rob on Ave B, one overcast September day. Ingrid: 

"Did you see that 7-Eleven is going to open on the corner of Avenue A? Is there anything the block association can do?"

rob thinks, there's not a chance in hell the block association can stop a 7-Eleven. So he says: 

"Well, I don't know, but we can have a meeting and see." After a few emails, the 11th Street ABC Block Association sets up a meeting for November 14. 

And then came hurricane Sandy. Basement apartments on our street were destroyed. Boilers busted. Circuitry ruined. No lights, no heat, no phone. But we still had a scheduled meeting to hold, so we added hurricane relief to the agenda. 

Big meeting; biggest meeting we'd seen of our Block Association ever. Who was there? All residents, some young, some old, some new to the street, but mostly old-timers from the '70's, artists, performers, poets and some ordinary working folks, even people who grew up on the street. 

Starting with introductions, we asked everyone what they wanted to discuss. No one wanted to talk Sandy. Everyone was there to oppose the 7-Eleven. 

That's how NO 7-Eleven began.