Todd Paris, Staff Writer, Salisbury, N.C.
♦ Dateline Salisbury – November 4, 2016. In a response to an officer involved shooting earlier this week local expectations are the protestors will be gathering tonight of Lafayette Street for a vigil tonight at 9:00 p.m. Citizen’s right to peaceably assemble must be respected. Those with “no business” in that section of the Park Avenue, near the intersection with MLK drive might want to steer clear so as not to create excess parking and traffic control problems. We all hope for a peaceful vigil.
In another unrelated matter- Chief Jerry Stokes and our leaders on Salisbury City Council (Blackwell, Miller and Alexander) have accidentally unveiled the SPD’s newest crime fighting weapon – an ice cream truck. RFP revealed the existence of this vehicle some months ago and despite the “spy photo” we obtained, many scoffed and doubted that this financially challenged city and undermanned and underpaid police department would actually field a police ice cream truck. Many thought that we fabricated the whole thing!
Now this expensive vehicle newly wrapped will be called the “Neighborhood Ice Cream Express” and yes it is proudly emblazoned with the Salisbury Police Department insignia. While our local “justice friends” have been remarkably silent on their purpose and intent, it is thought this idea is borrowed from the City of East Saint Louis as a way to improve relations with “the community.”
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/27/us/ice-cream-cops-trnd/
Well if you live in a town with run-away violent crime, little economic opportunity and almost nightly shootings and can’t afford the high-speed broadband service that is financially driving the city under, maybe a tasty ice cream will just have to do.
Final thoughts? It’s just like the City of Salisbury to complete ice cream truck in the dead of winter. Perhaps someone will donate a coffee and hot chocolate machine. It would certainly be a godsend to the local street merchants who spend so much time on cold city street corners well into the night. Underpaid SPD officers as well, who need some extra overtime could always work the “NICE’ truck at the end of their shifts and make a few extra bucks as well. Nah, it’s still more “Let them ice cream” for the residents of a failing city.
