You ask: “Why not get a loan from a commercial bank or put the restaurant in another building that is not owned by Fettermnan.”

Sousa tried to get a loan from a commercial bank for the project long before the Kickstarter campaign, and none were willing to make a loan, that’s why they did the Kickstarter campaign in the first place. Once they did get started with construction, Sousa went back to the commercial banks to get a loan to cover the unforeseen cost overruns that the architect did not identify, and AGAIN, NONE were willing to make a loan. Feel free to make the loan yourself.

As far as using another building, I’m not aware of any other building owners offering lifetime free rent in Braddock or anywhere else. Perhaps you would be willing to offer up the space yourself?

As already mentioned, Fetterman has offered FREE RENT FOR LIFE. Not 5 years, not 10 years, not 20 years, FREE RENT FOR LIFE. If Fetterman has an agenda here other than trying to get a restaurant and training program off the ground, he has to be the world’s worst negotiator, and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on that one considering Harvard let him in.

You don’t have to support the project, but I can’t fathom why anyone, especially someone who knows nothing about it, would take the time to throw stones at it. You should set higher goals for yourself than being an internet troll.

i absolutely know a conflict of interest. The non profit loan is being used to improve the property The moment money is used to improve a property the property gets more valuable…benefit is created from that activity . Loaning someone money from a non profit that you control to improve a property you own that in the end will be more valuable is a conflict of interest.

Why not get a loan from a commercial bank or put the restaurant in another building that is not owned by Fettermnan.

I have no doubt that what he does for that community is of great benefit and the restaurant will push revitalization.

It just appears to be a little self serving.

I’m not sure what trenches you’re referring to either. Fetterman and Sousa both live in Braddock with their families. There ain’t exactly a good side of the tracks in Braddock. If Braddock has trenches, which I wasn’t aware it did, Fetterman and Sousa are in them with the rest of the residents.

It’s well know that the P-G article was filled with innuendo and no facts and was thoroughly discredited. Members of the P-G staff even distanced themselves from it. I’m not sure if you’re that miserable a human being or just a troll, but you’re pushing a very strange agenda.

I also noticed you called Braddock Redux a “non-profit” in quotes, which most would infer that you’re suggesting Fetterman is making money from it. You can look at the books yourself, Fetterman has never taken one penny from Braddock Redux and only puts tens of thousands of his own money into it. That’s a fact that you can verify yourself.

I do have an idea for you though, if you’re so concerned about the impropriety of it all, you can give Mr. Sousa rent free space in your own building and loan him the money to make the improvements for the restaurant and training facilities.

How about the ethics of over-promising and under-delivering? Because that’s what Sousa has repeatedly done. The PG article is far from a “hit piece.” It discusses Sousa’s financial difficulties. When Sousa promises a restaurant that will help transform Braddock, his history of over-promising and then walking away from troubled businesses is nothing if not germane. Surprise surprise, his financial problems have followed him to Braddock.

And let’s not even start with the utter failure of Braddock Redux to bring structural change to Braddock and it’s black residents. Grafting white artists onto Braddock doesn’t help the people in the trenches. The “any ‘improvement’ is a good one” theory is a load of BS.