We’ve been documenting the ongoing saga of the soon to open Pho Keene Great Restaurant in Keene. First, the sign and Keene’s triggered city manager. Then the removal of the sign. Well, it’s back. Boston.com reports that Keene City manager Elizabeth Dragon said,
“in an email the sign was approved Friday and is in compliance. She said no one had submitted written permission to put up any sign until Jan. 4.
Dragon said officials decided to let the community “decide what they think of the sign and how they interpret it.”
Over at Free Keene (check out their modified banner it’s Free Keene Great) where we first picked up the story, things sound a bit more like what typically goes on in Keene. The city was stupid. It expected the restaurant to roll over. It didn’t. A court case based on the first amendment seemed likely if they kept pushing. So, Keene decided not to push their luck.
That’s a change.
When the Free State Robin Hooders were walking around town putting change in parking meters to protect folks from the fines the city accused them of stressing out parking enforcement officers. When the strong arm tactics failed the city sued.
Keene eventually filed a second suit seeking monetary damages, and just this week Cheshire “superior” court judge John C Kissinger Jr. tossed both suits out.
Keene, with its liberal college campus and declining enrollment is something of a Hopkinton or Portsmouth wannabe. Oppression comes easy when you think you aspire toward upper-class Liberal-privilege-ghetto-style.
We’re happy for the owners. And we meant it when we said we’d enjoy doing a Grok meet there in the spring.
Congratulations.
Pictured above: a mock-up of the official “approved” sign for the restaurant. You can also see it at PhoKeenGreat.com
