Hampden has sweet potato fries, banh mi, organic haircuts “and the deftest waxing north (or south) of the equator,” but it won’t have the Roots & Branches charter school, which — after recently floating the idea of moving into Hampden’s Florence Crittenden Center — is now moving into another neighborhood.

So writes Hampden parent Edit Barry, in this strongly-worded blog post that argues that a charter would “cream off the most engaged parents” and hurt the local public school, Hampden Elementary/Middle School.

It’s “a disappointing” reaction, responds Jen Shaud, founder and executive director of Roots & Branches, which will announce its new location on Wednesday.

“I believe in choice,” said Shaud, who hadn’t seen Barry’s piece. “When charter schools and parochial schools and community schools work together then all schools, all of Baltimore, all Baltimore students, benefit.”

Whichever side of the charter debate you take, you’ll find Barry’s Hampden-flavored version of the “anti” position interesting.