I have lived in College Park all my life. On the corner of New Bern Avenue and Raleigh Boulevard it has flooded for over a decade. So you mean to tell me that over a decade you’re only going to fix this for Bus Rapid Transit. You talk about environmental justice. You know this council just celebrated Juneteenth and that is the most racist thing I’ve ever heard.
The irony of this council putting forth this apology at this time was not lost on the public. Speaker Jeremy Gilchrest asked, now that you have apologized for the city’s racist past, including urban renewal, who is going to apologize for the current racism that we see systemically gutting out the black community?
For those in an NCOD along a BRT corridor, the city has taken away the last remaining protections you fought long and hard for. Protections you had to get agreement on from the majority of neighbors and then get approved by this City Council.
Rezoning proposals that violate the tenets of our carefully crafted and hard-won UDO including Neighborhood Character Overlays, Historic Districts and Landmarks protections should not be considered unless they support preservation of historic structures, vistas, character, affordability and generational wealth.
Apparently, it’s only Raleigh that must stay silent out of fear that the politicians on Jones Street might do something to hurt the straight, cis, white residents of Raleigh and we can’t risk that. As long as they are only attacking the LGBTQ+ community, Raleigh’s City Council is good.