NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The group trying to stop the Metro Police Headquarters from moving to Jefferson Street now hopes the community can start redevelopment of the area on their own.
North Nashville residents met at a community meeting Thursday night, where many said they want a say in what goes in their own neighborhood.
One of the most common suggestions was a library or some sort of education center on the site where Mayor Karl Dean wants to build the police headquarters.
The biggest concern comes back to who is controlling the redevelopment of Jefferson Street and north Nashville -- the people that live there now or developers who possibly see cheap land.
“I know that it's not just about the headquarters. The headquarters was phase one, the rest of it has to do with gentrification,” said Rev. Jesse Boyce with New Covenant Christian Church.
A couple dozen people turned out for the first of what organizers hope will be many meetings talking about what should really go at 14th and Jefferson and all up and down the street.
The police headquarters has not been defeated yet and if it does get built, community members said they won't stop working to shape their neighborhood their way.
They said the headquarters was a wakeup call for everyone in North Nashville.
“Sometimes it takes something big like them threatening to take our land or take our community for us to wake up and want to do something,” said Taneisha Gillyard with Justice For Jefferson Street.
Council members will vote on the capital improvement budget Tuesday. There have already been amendments filed to have the South Nashville jail project removed from the budget.
The police headquarters will likely be included in that, as well.
