United or Untied: Pick A Side

I would have blogged earlier, but Satan hindered me. (1 Thessalonians 2:18) I don’t know what it’s going to take for people to realize the level of chaos that is taking place in the City of Lumberton. There are some that are seeking to shed light on these matters, but it seems that so many feel that it’s someone else’s problem. If you unwillingness to get involved is because of me then I will be more than happy to step aside. This blog has brought led me in so many directions—those I thought I could trust could not be trusted, and those that I never knew cared had more compassion that I ever imagined. I’m usually not a person to apologize because I feel that apologies are a sign of weakness and when I speak I generally mean what I say. If you need an apology to get involved to help resolve the escalating chaos that is taking place in Lumberton, then accept my apology. On a deeper level, to the church members that were hurt by a disparaging comment, I would like to offer my sincere apology. You may never believe me when I say that I didn’t make those comments, but since I allowed the comments to be posted, I am responsible for the content. I know apologizing will not bring us back to the point where we used to be, but hopefully, it will allow us to move forward. I also need to apologize to a young lady that dealt with some very critical comments that were aimed towards her son. When she called me out on allowing the comment to be posted I became defensive when I should have realized that she was telling me her perspective as a parent and she was right in protecting her child. I also should extend an apology to the grandmother of that brilliant, young man that also was targeted by the spiteful comments. I am certain that there are others that feel that they deserve an apology, but I don’t think your issues compare to the two I just addressed. I have allowed some scathing remarks to enter into the blogger sphere and I accept responsibility for the energy I bring to this conversation. It is my hope that we can use this as a teachable moment and come together as a community.
We, as a people, want to be inclusive and get others involved in our quest to bring accountability to city hall. This is not a black or white issue; it’s a matter of green. We have board members that have given department heads a blank check and they can give their workers an unlimited number of overtime hours and/or comp time. We have a police chief that is trying to criminalize the residents of Wards 3 and 4. We have a large deficit in the city’s water department that is not being addressed and we don’t have time to get others on our side. There are white residents of Lumberton that know that the things going on at city hall are wrong, but there could be a limitless number of reasons why they don’t want to become involved. This blog has represented many views but they are just that—views, but they don’t warrant harassment from the Lumberton Police Department. There are several people that said “don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” Well, my response to that statement is if you are going to target someone makes sure you’re cleaning the entire slate and not just the one you consider a thorn. Yesterday, I was served with a warrant for my arrest for failure to pay parking tickets. Generally, a person has 30 days to pay their parking ticket or fine, but I was arrested 15 days after failing to pay a parking fine when the City of Lumberton has over $550,000 of uncollected tickets and fines on the books. There are fines that were assessed when Chief “Wimp” McCraney was in charge still on the books. Somehow, they managed to get Judge Stewart to sign off on a warrant for a fine that was assessed two weeks ago. Since we now have a new collection process for the municipal court, I guess we will see a lot of people being arrested for two week old fines or is that a method that‘s just reserved for bloggers. It’s time for our communities to work together and show Lumberton that we are united and that we can’t be bullied into submission. If others want to get on board, then great, but it’s our children, our communities, and our reputations that are under attack. It’s time to show city hall that we are united not untied and the only difference between being united and untied is where you place the I.