Kemberle Braden is the city police chief, and the veteran policeman says there is no politically correct way to describe the cycle of gun violence in Fayetteville. “The sanctity of life is no longer sacred,” the 49-year-old chief told Mayor Mitch Colvin and the Fayetteville City Council on Monday evening at City Hall about shootings one after another after another in the city. “All parties and the recent crimes have no value for life or the rule of law. The crime scenes are no longer a somber place. I was at a crime scene this weekend or last weekend where there was singing and dancing in the middle of the crime scene where a subject was just taken away to the hospital.” That should be about as sobering as it can get from the city police chief for all of us who are concerned about these troubling and alarming shootings and homicides.
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A 24-year-old man is the 35th homicide victim of the year, according to the Fayetteville Police Department, after police responded to an Aug. 26 shooting in the 100 block of Bonanza Drive. “To the citizens of Fayetteville, within the past 24 hours our city has had three major shooting incidences, a total of six victims and one is deceased,” Braden, the police chief, is reaching out in a news release to city residents. One of the shooting victims was age 12. “This is the second weekend in a row that our city has had multiple shootings due to the senseless cycle of violence,” Braden says. “The adult victims of all shootings in the past 24 hours were known to the police. They have criminal histories that include charges for aggravated assault, robberies and an array of narcotics violations. These incidents were avoidable. To solve these crimes, it will take the cooperation of the victims, their families and the community at large. This is not just a Police Department problem; this is our community; this our problem, and we must cooperate with one another and work together to prevent these senseless acts that are plaguing our city. If you see something, say something.” And, Braden reminds, if you have information on previous crimes or potential crimes of violence, call 911 or CrimeStoppers at 910-483-8477.” There were 44 city homicides in 2022.
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Mayor Mitch Colvin certainly was concerned about crime regarding juveniles at the conclusion of the police chief’s second-quarter crime report Monday to the City Council. Juvenile offenses for those 18 and younger are eye-opening: two juveniles charged with murder; eigh charged with attempted murder; 25 charged with assault inflicting serious injury; 94 charged with assault; 11 charged with shooting into occupied property; five assaults on law enforcement officers; 28 charged with resisting a government official; 11 speeding violations to elude arrest; 94 drug violations; and 54 weapons violations.
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A postscript, if you will, on juveniles and guns. City police responded at 12:45 a.m. Thursday to a report of a shooting in the 300 block of Plum Street, according to a news release. Officers discover two juveniles with non-life-threatening gunshot injuries. Both, the release says, are taken to a local hospital. What are two juveniles doing out after midnight? And a better question is, where the heck are their parents? Perhaps a citywide juvenile curfew is in order.
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“Bill, equal time is provided only for candidates in federal elections,” former WFNC and WIDU radio newsman Jeff Thompson writes in an email about our Aug. 23 column on Jeff Goldberg, the WFNC radio personality who drew criticism from city mayoral challenger Efrain “Freddie” de la Cruz as well as Alex Rodriguez, a District 1 City Council candidate, in calling for equal time from the radio station. “Some would argue that all candidates for public office should be granted equal time. I disagree, which is why the provision doesn’t apply to all people running for office. The fact is, some candidates are not qualified to serve, but this is America and even the unqualified can run. The law is the law, and folks running for local or statewide offices can ask for equal time on radio or television. But as Mr. Goldberg likely knows, they are not entitled to it.” I agree to a point, Mr. Thompson, but if what de la Cruz and Rodriguez claim, Mayor Mitch Colvin and Councilwoman Kathy Keefe Jensen have no business discussing their respective reelection campaigns with Goldberg when they are on the radio to discuss downtown issues. I do know Mr. Goldberg eventually will give all candidates their equal radio time, and that is good enough for me and should be good enough for all candidates. You are correct, Mr. Thompson, some candidates are not qualified to serve, and we have some running and some currently holding elected office.
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Some folks keep wondering about just when the Amazon Fulfillment Center on Bragg Boulevard will open for business. “There’s no hold-up as far as the physical development of the site,” says Robert Van Geons, president and chief executive officer of Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corp. “From the jump, the project was slated for some time in 2023. I talk to the company every few days, and they are committed to opening the facility. I expect to have an update in the next few weeks regarding when the equipment will be installed. Hiring and opening the facility typically follows closely behind.” So, it’s coming, and reportedly providing 500 jobs. If anybody knows what’s happening with the center, you can be assured it is Robert Van Geons.
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“Bill, I just read the article you wrote after Mr. Yarborough’s funeral,” Margaret Hedgecoe writes in an email about our Aug. 27 column on the late Ramon Yarborough, retired publisher of The Fayetteville Times, The Fayetteville Observer and Fayetteville Publishing Co. “It had so much feeling, I still have tears in my eyes.”
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“Great man,” Bob Cogswell Jr. writes in an email about Ramon Yarborough.
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“What a great tribute to Ramon in CityView,” Jimmy Townsend writes in a handwritten letter. “I am always in awe of your putting a person’s essence into words. Your love and respect for him was very evident.”
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“Hi, Bill, this is absolute the best article I have ever read,” Annette Renegar writes in an email about our CityView column remembering Ramon Yarborough. “It tells you so much about Ramon Yarborough. I am so glad I took the time to read it all.” There were so many good things, Ms. Renegar, to remember about this good man. Ramon Yarborough died at age 90 on Aug. 20. And, if I may say, it’s not how long we live, but how we live our lives that matters.
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State and local law enforcement officers will be out in force over the next two weeks as part of the “Labor Day Booze It & Lose It” campaign, officials announced at a campaign launch Monday in Davidson County. Increased patrols and checkpoints will be conducted statewide through Sept. 10 to keep impaired drivers off North Carolina roadways. “As we celebrate the unofficial end to summer with this weekend’s Labor Day holiday, we remind the public to celebrate responsibly,” Col. Freddy Johnson Jr., commander of the N.C. Highway Patrol and a Cumberland County native, tells CityView Media. “We are once again partnering with N.C. Wildlife for the ‘On the Road, On the Water’ campaign and with the Governor’s Highway Safety Program for the ‘Booze It and Lose It’ campaign in our effort to save lives through enforcement and educational campaigns. We are proud that so far this year, an approximate 8% reduction in fatal crashes has occurred compared to the previous year, but we will not stop until reaching our goal of zero deaths on our highways.” Alcohol is a leading contributor to fatal crashes in North Carolina, according to crash data compiled by the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. Between 2017 and 2022, North Carolina has averaged more than one alcohol-related vehicle fatality each day, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Transportation. Last year, there were 462 alcohol-related fatalities on North Carolina roads, according to the release, and 16 of those deaths came during the Labor Day period.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
