Kesha Monk has lived in Raleigh on and off for over 20 years. She is a graduate of Shaw University & a full-time media professional; having worked as a radio personality in markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. After a devastating cancer diagnosis in 2011, she had to make a career pivot and become a voiceover artist. She has been the live announcer for the Tony Awards, The Soul Train Awards, and even voiced a GM commercial that aired during the Super Bowl earlier last year. Her voice has been behind various major political campaigns across the country including President Biden’s Democracy Summit, Satana DeBerry for State Attorney General, Raphael Warnock’s Senate run in Georgia, Cherelle Parker’s Mayoral Run and more recently, Harris For President.
Kesha Monk delivered public comments to City Council on September 10, 2024.
I’m here to express a grave concern that impacts every single one of us in this room – the irresponsible growth of our city. Just a few days ago, my 81-year-old father took a terrible fall and hit his head on the concrete. While going in and out of consciousness, while in a moment of sheer panic, I called 911, only to hear the words that no one should ever hear in an emergency:
‘Please hold.’ That moment felt like a lifetime.
This isn’t just my story – it’s a symptom of a much larger issue. Council so focused on adding density, building higher, and expanding at the speed of light that we’re forgetting the essentials – the human cost of growth. We talk about more buildings, but what about more emergency responders? More 911 operators? More police officers, firefighters, and paramedics? What about ensuring that our very own public safety personnel can’t actually afford to live here…which of course is a whole ‘nother discussion…But, what about the quality of life for those of us already here?
We cannot allow this city to grow in ways that neglect our safety, our environment, and our basic ability to respond to emergencies. I’m literally talking about the unrestricted availability to ANSWER THE PHONE! Right now, it feels like we’re putting profit over people – and that’s a recipe for disaster.
Raleigh is literally becoming a city where you can’t get through to 911 in time. That’s diabolical. You are planning for 30 & 40 story luxury towers – but seemingly aren’t planning for the necessary infrastructure and staffing. What’s going to happen is traffic is going to become so congested that ambulances won’t be able to reach people in critical need. This will become a city where overdevelopment will (and has) led to flooding, environmental degradation, and worsening quality of life.
We need smart councilors who champion smart growth – growth that respects the environment, maintains our community character without displacing legacy residents, growth that doesn’t cause or worsen homelessness, that doesn’t obliterate our history and ensures that emergency services keep pace with our expanding population. We must ask ourselves: Is this growth benefiting our community, or is it putting us at greater risk?
As election day quickly approaches, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of responsible growth in our city. Recklessly approving every rezoning request that comes across your desk, without thorough consideration of its impact on our neighborhoods and environment and our infrastructure, could have long-lasting and detrimental effects on Raleigh’s future and our lives.
To those council members who have shown dedication to thoughtful, community-centered development — thank you. Your commitment to our city’s well-being is noticed and appreciated. However, to those who have prioritized profit over people, your time in office may be coming to an end. Our community deserves leaders who prioritize the needs and voices of residents over the interests of developers. If you fail to listen to the people, don’t worry; we will ensure that you won’t have to worry about retaining your seat in the next term. Raleigh deserves better. The citizens are watching — and voting.
Please don’t sacrifice our safety and quality of life for short-term gains. Let’s make sure that as our city grows, our emergency services grow too. Because the next person who hears ‘Please hold’ in an emergency might not have a second chance.
NOTE – This is not a new issue for Raleigh. You can read our previous reporting here: Raleigh is losing emergency responders
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