Up & Coming Weekly

July 21, 2020

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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10 UCW JULY 22-28, 2020 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Publisher's note: e turmoil gripping downtown- Fayetteville is infuriating as well as heartbreaking. is edition of U&CW is a nod to those frustrated by a lack of resolve from city leaders in recent weeks and a lack of respect from those who chose to deface and destroy our downtown, damaging personal property and ruining the lives and businesses of so many. We could write pages about it. Instead, we've chosen to let the community members speak for themselves. e pages that follow include just a few of the letters and postings about recent events, as well as uplifting photos and a chilling piece of history dating back to1963 and taken directly from the Congressional record. It is a 1963 prediction on how the Socialists and Communists will take control of America. It is a shocking reality of a 21st century America. e Communist/Socialist plan to take over America, con- ceived in the 1950s and '60s, is definitely working. See for yourself on page 15. Unfortunately, law-abiding citizens who believe in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are the only ones who can save Fayetteville and our country. Caving in, being silent, ignoring the situation and not wanting to get involved has only gotten us where we are today. Below are just a few who choose to not be silent. — Bill Bowman "an-ar-chy – a state of disorder due to absence or non- recognition of authority" — from Oxford Dictionary on Lexico We had grown accustomed to the loud noises emerg- ing from the Market House and the frequent motor- cycles that visit. But we were startled on Sunday night to see 4-wheeler ATVS cruising up and down the Person Street sidewalks. ese were on the actual sidewalks, not the streets. But our surprise was minor compared to the disappointment we experienced as we once again had to sit and watch as not so much as one police of- ficer arrived to address the growing infractions. In some ways, it seems like the wild west down here. e boarded-up stores with their painted plywood fronts seem somewhat quaint in the daylight. But our downtown takes on a more sinister and threatening look at night as large crowds grow and are joined by motorcycles and ATVs. You see far fewer people and cars as people secure themselves behind locked doors and peer through the curtains in anticipation of what happens next. A state of disorder exists today in our downtown. What we do, or opt not to do, is going to have implica- tions for this entire city for years to come. I have heard far too many people say they are sorry for what is happening in our downtown, but they will not be visiting downtown as long as all this anarchy exists. Imagine the impact this is having on the small businesses in our downtown following so closely to the COVID closings. Several have already incurred thousands of dollars of repair bills from last month's unmanaged demonstrations. Many likely will not sur- vive the financial impact. is situation has set back the economic development of our downtown for decades. is is not a failure that arose from any party's legitimate right to demonstrate. In fact, many of the demands of the protesters seem reasonable as we all seek ways to challenge our traditional thinking about race relations, to ensure that all people are treated fairly and to take all steps necessary to ensure our police department is well-trained, respectful and professional to every citizen. is is not a failure of the police of- ficers. I have heard from far too many police officers and firemen who want to fulfill their responsibility to protect and to serve but are held back by our city's elected and/or professional leadership. e tactical decision to sit by and allow this situation to grow to this point is unacceptable. Someone should be held accountable. is is a failure on many fronts — a failure of communication that prevents citizens from knowing what is happen- ing, a failure of the free press perhaps too understaffed to ask the hard questions and a failure of our reluctance to get involved until it is too late. But mostly it is a failure of leadership. e City of Fayetteville FY2020 Strategic Plan reports that a core value of our city is to "safeguard and enhance the public trust in City Government." Our elected leaders and our City's professional staff are failing us in this basic responsibility of every local government everywhere. ere has been far too little communication, far too few creative solutions identi- fied and far too much willingness to allow the situation to grow unchecked to the unacceptable place we find ourselves today. In the absence of real corrective action, in the absence of real leadership demonstrated by those we elect and those we employ to lead us, we could likely see this state of anarchy reach even higher levels with devastating impact to property and people. Our downtown does not belong to any one of us — not to our elected officials, the protestors, the residents, the business owners or our police department leader- ship. ey have merely been temporarily charged with its stewardship. Our downtown belongs to all of us — each of those that came before us in the 250-plus years of our history and to the thousands that will come after. It is time we acted like it. https://facebook.com/just4me1871/ videos/10157316774775887/?t=61 Dear editor, Here is a quote to consider: "Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it, and you'll start believing in it." e author is Jesse Owens. For those of you who unfamiliar with Jesse, he was the greatest Olympian of his day. He was a black man born in Alabama during the "Jim Crow" era of the south. He was a track star who earned the right to represent the United States in the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany. is was no ordi- nary Olympiad. It was the showcase event for the Nazi government of Adolph Hitler. He was going to show that white Aryan Germans were superior to all races of the world. Well, Jesse would have none of it. He won four gold medals in track and field, as well as setting a few world records. All this was filmed for the world to see. For those of you who are protesting the perceived racism of white Americans, the Founding Fathers, and the Constitution of the United States, I have a few words for you to consider. I cannot speak for all white Americans, nor can any black man speak for all African Americans. So, let us talk of the Founding Fathers and the Constitution. e Founding Fathers, those all-white male gentries, gave the world the greatest governing document ever conceived. It gave to the people the right as to how they are to be governed, and people retained rights that had never been granted in the history of the world. at document gave you the rights of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of worship, freedom to bear arms, protection from unlawful search and seizure and, as amended, the right of all citizens — male and female, regardless of race — the right to vote. is document established a represen- tative Republic — a totally new way to represent all citizens and states. is is the legacy of our Founding Fathers. Sure, they had faults, and some were slave owners, but they designed a government structure that ultimate- ly gave freedom to all citizens. If Jesse Owens could find the good the United States offered in his time, maybe you will look for the good as well. PS: Here is the difference in protesting/demon- strating in the U.S. versus Communist/Marxist coun- try. e Chinese government has taken over the policing and criminal systems of Hong Kong, which has been self governed since Britain turn it over to China. e government was concerned about Hong Kong citizens demonstrating for democracy and the right to be self-governed. Now the Communist government has banned a series of words, includ- ing freedom, democracy, and other similar words. People are protesting by handing out blank papers with no words on them to protest the restrictions. ey are being arrested for doing so. at is a prime example of total control being the hands of the gov- ernment rather than the people. The community speaks out COVER STORY TONY CHAVONNE, Former Fayetteville Mayor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. WARREN L. HAHN, Fayetteville citizen. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. e Founding Fathers, those all-white male gentries, gave the world the great- est governing document ever conceived.

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