Our Woodlands Association Wants to Shut This Website Down

By:  Sharon Aron Baron

I’m pretty thorough about attending all of the WHOA monthly meetings now that I’ve figured out where they are.  You see, now that I’m the treasurer of my section, I now get mailed reminders which lists the specific clubhouse that they are held in for that month.  There are six clubhouses in the Woodlands, so if you don’t know where the meeting is held, you may as well give up.  It’s not worth driving around.

Imagine my surprise today receiving this friendly expensive certified letter from the association’s attorney.  The letter (below) was a cease and desist and told me that  I must take down the site immediately…that I am tarnishing the distinctive quality of the association’s trade name and injuring its reputation.

I kept thinking to myself, “When was this matter ever discussed at a meeting?”  I’ve been to all of them, and I don’t recall discussing this, or even voting on this.

Was this a secret vendetta against me and the website?

Did our board secretly meet and vote to do this?

Since establishing this website back in 2010, I’ve never made it any secret that this was “resident run.” In fact, I consider it a privilege and because we aren’t affiliated with the WHOA, this gives our contributing writers and commenters, who are also residents, the freedom to say what they’d like.  With minimal moderation. Why not?  This is our community.   This is where we have a voice.  All this and its free of charge to the residents.

Our Association and our board is trying to shut down, not only my voice, but yours as well.  Listen, you don’t have to read it.   We have over 569 subscribers to our email blasts.  There is an opt-out on the bottom.

More importantly, I’d like to think that this website provides a much-needed service to the community, whether it’s reuniting lost dogs, alerting our homeowners to crime in the area, or even sharing the recent passing of one of our neighbors.  The Woodlands in Tamarac also showcases our children and the events that we put on, as well as features some of our elderly residents as well.

While we have my attorney review and fight this.  The question is, how much is this costing you for this legal action against this website?

You should ask, because you are paying.