10/01/21

Dear Friend:

Every now and then I see something on social media that makes me stop and think, “Did I just read that?” 

This week, the Mayor made a statement about the epidemic of violence that is affecting our city.  It included this: 

“We ain’t playing.  We need to save our children.  Where are the churches?  Where are the schools?  Where are parents before the gangs grab their children?  We cannot police our way out of this.”

While the Mayor may not know, I know where our pastors, educators, and parents are.  Where they’ve been all along.  On the front lines working to change lives one person at a time.  Educating our children and showing them a positive way forward.  Setting examples for their children.  You won’t hear me blaming them.  They are engaged and have been long before violent crime became a talking point. 

It will take Effective Leadership to address the complex problem of violent crime.  As mayor I will work with parents and educators, community advocates and business leaders, pastors and police, and you the community members of Greensboro.  And I will be accountable for the safety of our City, not quick to blame others.  

I will make job training, safe housing, public transportation, support of schools and economic development priorities. The things that help knit together communities and make us safer by attacking the root causes of crime. 

In Greensboro we face our problems by working together.  We can work to make Our City Safer, but we’ll do it with substance, not symbolism. 

For Our Future,