Independence - "Really?"

When I observed the location of one of the new “Independence – Real People – Real Progress” billboards on 24-Highway, it seem fitting and actually says a lot about our actual progress here in the historic area of town.  It’s adjacent to an unkept lot with overgrown vegetation and code violations, adjacent to the oversized and prominent high-voltage lines that traverse in front of the Truman Library and dissect a National Historic Landmark District, adjacent to a used vehicle lot where vehicles are displayed on grass and gravel, across from the scrap metal dealer where stolen copper lines and bronze artwork end up, a corridor where about 40 businesses have abandon property, and a once prominent corridor that moved wagon trains towards the west that now handles migrant vagrants traveling east from KC.  It’s a street that KC has prominently named “Independence Avenue” but locals here call it by its State Highway 2-digit number.  And to top it off, the PR campaign that brought us this billboard was financed with public funds from our Heritage Tourism budget.  Yes, that’s right, this billboard at this location does send a message.