Kenny Hardin, Citizen, Salisbury, N.C.
♦ I’m not writing this for political reasons or as a candidate. I’m writing this as a fed up resident.
Back in mid-May, I sat before the City Council and said our City is at a tipping point and that over the next few months it was going to get worse. I felt like what I said fell on deaf ears at that May meeting, but look at where we are now. Previously, in an email exchange with the former City Manager that was sent to me, the Mayor accused me of grandstanding and playing to cameras when I’ve spoken out about crime and violence in our City. There is no joy in feeling like I told you so.
I received a message last night about 8:30 pm from a frightened female resident who lives in the North Fulton/Ellis Street area. She said she had just called 911 to report a series of 5-6 gunshots near her home. A couple of hours ago, I was awakened by a message from another resident who shared that an Officer had been shot at in the Clay Street area. We’ve had several back to back shootings this week near Salisbury High School and on West Thomas Street. The shootings in our City are at a critical level and EVERYONE needs to step up to address this before it spirals further out of control.
The time of pointing fingers and assigning blame is not right now. Accountability is in order on all sides. We’ve got good people out doing work in the Community like Pastor Timothy Bates, but we need a heavier presence and involvement from the Faith Community and regular citizenry. We need people to stop shaking their heads in judgment and saying it’s “those people over there” because it can easily travel to different zip codes and neighborhoods. This is not a Black folk problem. I had a conversation recently with an angry young man who shared that they’re ready “to take our frustrations to Confederate Avenue and burn this motherf’n City down.”
I’ve shared these conversations with our City Manager, our Police Chief and our City HR Director, Zack Kyle. I’ve told them that there are strong people in the Community like Chris Sifford, Chris Sharpe, Marlon Hash, Angie Phifer, Talita McCain, Kenny Muhammad, Greg Vanzant, Alex Clark and others who are constantly talking with these young people to diffuse and suppress anger and redirect errant thoughts and actions. But, the onus for change can’t rest on a few and we can’t continue to be that singular driving force.
The entire Community does need to own the problem, but the City needs to step up and act like the Leaders they were elected to be. Where is your presence? Where is your voice? Where is your action? What is your plan? We don’t need statistics. People should not have to feel afraid in their homes and sit back and watch shootings occur over and over in the same areas. If our current Leaders can’t provide solutions and ameliorate this problem, then they don’t deserve to finish out this term let alone get the opportunity at another one.
Our reputation as a destination City is being tarnished, which impacts our growth and economic development. Good people are considering relocating because of this unabated scourge on our City.
My organization, Dedication to Community/Choose to Live is working on a Community event with some Leaders. We want to bring it to the collective Community and provide a dialogue on this issue early next month. I’m constantly out in the Community talking with our Youth and fighting as an advocate. What are you doing to help this critical issue? We need results not excuses or a whole lot of bitching, moaning, whining and complaining absent of action and involvement. I’m listening.
