Blogging the pushcart war

Cappy, who owns three of the pushcarts in front of Filene's, is blogging the efforts to save the pushcarts and the small businesses that are being forced out by property owners and city officials eager to turn the area into a more upscale boutique marketplace or something.

In a Globe article dated August 2 the BRA and Mayor's office patted themselves on the back for moving two "downtown Crossing Vendors" to new locations thus saving their businesses from the Filene's construction. They sent out press releases to tell the public that, "We know how important it is to keep these businesses going during construction and to give them the support they need," Menino said in a statement. "The continued vitality of Downtown Crossing is one of our top priorities." However, Lamberts Marketplace and GT Florist aren't street vendors. They aren't even in the Downtown Crossing Marketplace. They moved them to two locations the real street vendors have been waiting eagerly to move to. The question is why? ...

The Pushcart War is a great kid's book, and the plot shares some similarities to the current battle - just substitute "property owners" for "truckers." But where are the kids with pushpins?