11/08/21

Dear Friend:

We are 4 months from the primary election for Greensboro Mayor.  We have been canvassing across the City, meeting with residents and businesses about the future they want to see.  Our campaign revolves around 4 themes: 

1. Effective Leadership
2. A Safer City
3. Focus on the Economy
4. Real Investment in Tomorrow

We will detail our vision and plans on each of these themes over the next several months, but today I would like to talk more about A Safer City.  

With record-setting homicides in Greensboro over the past years, non-stop headlines about new violent crimes, and Greensboro now ranked as the 8th most dangerous city in the country, we feel and are less safe and less able to enjoy the basic human right to go about our daily lives safely.  

During my conversations with you I have heard your stories about feeling unsafe in your neighborhood, worrying about your children, hearing gunshots while eating lunch, and many more.  You deserve to know the guiding principles which will inform my plans to make Greensboro a safer city.

First, we must make wise use of our resources, along with state and federal funding to address the root causes of crime. Summer jobs, job training, and affordable housing are essential tools in breaking the cycle of hopelessness that often lead our young people to crime.  

Further, I’m committed to providing the training, funding, and compensation needed to ensure we have a police department that is well equipped and staffed to meet the many challenges they face.  I’m proud to have led the City Council in a first step of increasing officer pay and the budget of our Police department this past Spring.

I’ll advocate for a best practices approach to policing that uses technology to identify patterns of criminal activity.  And push to stengthen our Police department’s efforts to combat gangs.  As mayor I will also ensure the City Council has regular and focused (1) work sessions on crime and (2) community forums to discuss our actions and your needs. 

Finally, I reject the false choice between safe streets and police reform.  I see reforms like “Eight Can’t Wait” as essential steps to establishing greater trust behind the Police department and the people they serve and protect.  

Over the upcoming months I’ll be providing more details of our plans to address crime and our other campaign themes.  As always, I look forward to meeting you during our community events and getting your input.  Together we will do the hard work of making A Safer City. 

For Our Future,

P.S. – On last Wednesday, we launched a series on issues vital to Greensboro’s future, inviting experts in the field to share their perspectives with me and for me to share my vision on how we can work together to move Greensboro forward.  The first discussion, which was on reducing crime and criminal justice improvements, can be viewed here.