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Emmajean Road has been the
pride of the “black suburbanite” class since the late 1960s
and early 1970s. Along with its distinctive ambience of
pastoral peacefulness, this two block-long residential
sanctuary shares a geographical border with its esteemed
neighbor, the moneyed bedroom community of Ottawa Hills, and
remains relatively unchanged since blacks first moved to the
community nearly six decades ago.
Recently, however, a
battle has begun over control of the community’s “spirit” or
mystique. Michael Leizerman, a wealthy local attorney,
recently purchased 20 acres of land at the end of the
cul-de-sac on Emmajean. Leizerman then built a house on 10
of the acres and donated the remaining acres to the Buddhist
Temple of Toledo. The Buddhists plan to erect a new temple
on the connected property to serve their small 30-member
community.
Although construction for
the temple satisfies all zoning and code requirements, some
of the long-term Emmajean residents oppose the project.
While concerns over
potential increased traffic are often expressed as the
reason for the resistance, the fear of change usually rises
from beneath the surface.
“A lot of us [residents]
have concerns about the amount of traffic,” said one
homeowner, “But we haven’t really got street lights or curbs
and storm sewer tile in here, so we like it because it is
nice and quiet out here, the way it’s been for years. But
having a temple down there in the woods changes things,” he
quickly added.
Would the long-term
residents’ interference occur if a Baptist Church were to be
built rather than a Buddhist temple?
“The type of religion
never came up at all. Just about how it will affect our
neighborhood. Folks have been living here a long time,” the
homeowner continued.
On the other hand,
longtime Emmajean Road resident and pastor Rev. John Roberts
concedes that the street is narrow and lacks curbs, but
adds, “but you know me, I’m not going to get in a fight with
anybody about ‘church.’ I’d rather have people angry with me
than God,” he chuckled.
Rev. Rinsen Weik, the
temple’s leader who is credentialed as a “fully transmitted
teacher” according to Zen practice and is also an
accomplished musician and professor at the University of
Toledo, has been frustrated by the intensity of the
opposition given his organization’s promise to be a good
neighbor.
“When I have asked for the
residents’ vision for improving the neighborhood, all we
hear in the public meetings is ‘We want our neighborhood
exactly the way it is, so go away,’” he laments.
With a plan commission
hearing scheduled for June 13, can anything be done to reach
a satisfactory outcome?
If so, the answer lies in
knowing how to manage change in, what is now, a rapidly
changing society.
Peaceful change is
unlikely to take place when those most effected by the
change do not feel a sense of ownership or involvement,
posits Alison Gilchrist author of The Well-connected
Community. Mutuality has to override feelings of ‘us’ and
‘them’ in order to address inevitable conflicts and
misunderstandings that come with change. One essential way
to accomplish this, says Gilchrist, is by “extending
informal networks to tackle social exclusion and build
neighborhood or community cohesion.”
Rev. Weik has hired
consultant Jason Daniel to attempt to connect the Buddhist
Temple organization and the Emmajean Road residents into a
well-connected community. I am convinced that building
mutual trust and ensuring more representative involvement is
the only way to bridge the current differences. The
discovery of joint solutions or the development of
alternatives that are acceptable to both the old and new
neighbors are, only then, likely to take place.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
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