From: Cheek, Patricia Patricia.Cheek@ci.raleigh.nc.us
Subject: Raleigh City Council Meeting---Tuesday, March 17 @ 1:30pm
To:
Date: Friday, March 6, 2009, 9:54 AM
Dr. West has asked that you make every effort to attend this Council meeting if possible. We look forward to seeing you there.
Do you think the Raleigh City Council should make JOBS and NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY in Southeast Raleigh its FIRST PRIORITY?
Do you want Southeast Raleigh to have access to $$ funds from Obama’s Economic Stimulus Program?
Do you think our community needs LESS CRIME and MORE YOUTH PROGRAMS?
BE THE CHANGE!
Come and support the Southeast Raleigh Quality of Life Coalition!
Where: Raleigh City Council Meeting
City Council Chambers
222 West Hargett Street
When: Tuesday, March 17 @ 1:30pm
E-mail Brad Thompson at bttsr@aol.com
to get more involved!
Patricia Lynch Cheek
http://us.mc01g.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=patricia.cheek@ci.raleigh.nc.us
Community Services Assistant
Community Services Department
831-6100
Community Services Homepage
Dear Brad,
We here at Wake Community like to think we closely follow issues regarding Southeast Raleigh. We've reported on murder after murder on Bragg Street and Tarboro Road. We've criticized Mayor Meeker for his utter "benign neglect" of your community's serious crime issues while pumping millions of dollars into Fayetteville Street for yuppie intellectuals.
One thing that's been missing in all our coverage and the stories we've followed?
YOU.Haven't heard from you in a while. Where ya been?
We just heard your glowing presentation of passion and concern for Southeast Raleigh. (You can view it here.)
Apparently you've decided to assemble all the Southeast Raleigh groups together for your "quality of life" coalition.
You sure did use a lot of resilient words in your presentation. Very passionate I must say.
You spoke of:
"... common commitment to do whatever we can, to make it stronger."
"... but we don't want to bury our heads in the sand."
"... situation that cannot be tolerated."
"... explosion of crime, particularly violent crime, that is intolerable."
"These problems cannot be left behind."
We just would love to know where this passion was recently as Southeast Raleigh rotted, as violent crime skyrocketed, social ills prevailed and shopping centers like Longview lost businesses.
We can observe one thing though. You seem all about some stimulus cash and making sure your hands are in the cookie jar. Suddenly you're on the scene.
You spoke that the".. stimulus package represents an opportunity for community investment." and that Raleigh should "... aggressively pursue the resources in the stimulus."
You ran through a whole host of social programs and services for Southeast Raleigh. Any of this stuff have a proven track record of working? Or are we burning yet more money on failed social services endeavors. Not sure why we should be too hard on you though - the Wake County Public School System spends millions on this annually and refuses to show any proven track record of success.
Don't get us wrong. Southeast Raleigh faces a lot of challenges and we've made it abundantly clear that Mayor Meeker's "benign neglect" is shameful.
The money was there to address serious problems in your community - but Mayor Charles "livable streets" Meeker chose not to invest in your community, but rather to pump millions of dollars into Mint restaurants, tear up Fayetteville Street and build City Plazas. And he continues to do so.
If you are serious about helping out Southeast Raleigh, then we would welcome your voice in criticizing Raleigh's misplaced priorities. Will you criticize Mayor Meeker?
One last thing. You went to the 1995 Million Man March in DC. Folks like former Sheriff John Baker spoke clearly when they said:
"All right, you are going to Washington. Then what?" Baker said. "What are you going to do the next day?" (Raleigh News & Observer - 10/18/95)
What did you do the next day, and the day after and the day after until March 17, 2009?
It's also interesting who you traveled to DC with for the March.
"It was kind of overwhelming -- a whole sea of people," said Bakari Kambon, who went to Washington with his father, Kamau Kambon, and Brad Thompson, a Raleigh city councilman. (Raleigh News & Observer - 10/18/95)
For those who don't know Dr. Kamau Kambon, he called for the extermination of the white race at Howard University in October of 2005. You can view the video here.
Part of the problem with our minority youth in Southeast Raleigh are the influences they come into contact with.
We would welcome your formal denouncement of Dr. Kambon. Your silence will speak volumes.
