Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ After watching yesterday’s mobilization of public support down at Salisbury’s City Council on City Hall’s streaming website, it appears that nobody is about to move a monument memorializing the area’s Southern war dead from over a 150 years ago.
I think its good that people of all races join in open and honest dialogue about the area’s race relations even if it gets loud and vehement at first and fingers are pointed. The reality is in most instances its always the same individuals who are willing to talk. Folks need to turn their focus and energies on the city’s multitude of challenges.
On the scale of things I view the monument as a distraction to the much larger fish needing to be fried for Salisbury to lift itself out of its undeniable rigor mortis.
The status quo here surely must recognize the long-term consequences of business as usual. When working class people of all races move out–economics and livability don’t improve, they go south.
The much larger fish to fry involve “problems of the living” not of the dead. Here’s a sampling:
• The local government’s lack of any transparency. Bad government practices and even corruption can be hidden where truth doesn’t penetrate and public information requests go unanswered.
• The need to connect with our city’s youngsters through mentoring and literacy programs and having recreation and playground facilities in underserved communities is of extreme importance. How do we replace gang culture with something better? There’s nothing better than something better to do.
• Salisbury’s high FBI violent and property crime statistics make the city among the state’s most dangerous cities (per capita). Deniers you can’t hide the bad beef anymore.
• Our police are understaffed and underpaid which means experienced officers get recruited out of our police department.
• Wild claims of success for the “Fibrant debacle” through hiding salaries and other shell games. Fibrant is a drain on the city’s limited resources and it impacts the city’s ability to provide services.
• “Play for pay” and cronyism is operative here in the Bury and it needs to be cleaned out. Taxpayers can’t afford the burden.
• The city’s U.S. census showing 25% poverty places tremendous stress on the city and county systems. Numerous approaches exist for creating jobs and business even in areas with poverty, high crime, low performing schools, and limited spendable income.
• How can everyday citizens create safer neighborhoods?
• Major epidemic of alcoholism and heroin, meth, and crack abuse in Salisbury impacts crime and families in a major way.
• The city’s over reliance on its water and sewer funds to keep Fibrant afloat. A crumbling water and sewer system needing many millions to fix and upgrade.
• A lack of public playgrounds, sidewalks, and safety lighting in underserved communities.
• The targeting of “have not” neighborhoods for gentrification and “shrinking” of city services.
• City Hall’s major disconnect with its communities outside of “8 block” and the country club.
• Creating practical trade education in public schools.
• A horrific traffic light system coupled with closed streets and the coming “traffic calming” on East Innes. If you don’t think this will harm chain stores and chain restaurants on East Innes–think again. It will also drive people away from coming into Salisbury.
• Downtown needs to do something different to be a draw. Too many vacancies and too few people means the current formula is not working.
• Younger and more educated persons are leaving town due to the lack of jobs, amenities, and safety.
• Inequitable exchanges with the city’s forcibly annexed neighborhoods
• The reality of working class folks, both black and white, pulling up stakes and moving to higher ground elsewhere.
• Poorly performing public schools on the state education’s letter grading system.
• Denial and covering up don’t work. It’s a city killer. People need to know what they best fix and solve.
• Nearly 800 vacant and abandoned houses in Salisbury in need of removal or renovation. Unabated toxic wastelands in many areas of the city.
This is just the short list. Creative solutions exist.
The bigger fish need to be fried.
