I love that we have the state’s largest Pride Parade, but we have to assess how we are showing up for marginalized communities more often than once a year.

BEING A WELCOMING COMMUNITY

Fayetteville is known for being welcoming and its passage of the civil rights ordinance is something we should all be proud of.

And yet, there is still much more work to be done. I love that we have the state’s largest Pride Parade, but we have to assess how we are showing up for marginalized communities more often than once a year. Transgender individuals in Fayetteville, as elsewhere, are incredibly vulnerable to homelessness, to harassment, violence, unnecessary police intervention, substance abuse, and suicide. We cannot afford to rest on our laurels or pat ourselves on the back - we must keep working toward equity.

Similarly, the racial disparities amongst encounters between school resource officers and students is not something we should dismiss. We must not be afraid to show this data on SROs. In fact, we must regularly address it and continue to demand better.

The housing crisis isn’t the only challenge we face, but it has a ripple effect that affects almost everything else:

Having stable housing makes it possible to hold a job.
Stable housing means better health and less sickness.
Good housing makes being a good friend or a better parent easier.
Housing works as a platform for the rest of life, and without it, everything suffers.

The crisis won’t be solved overnight. It will be solved through leadership in our community, listening to the most vulnerable voices, and reforming the policies and practices that led to the housing emergency that affects far too many of us.

I am dedicated to the well-being of all our residents. When I’m Mayor, I will work for you, and we will do everything we can to fix the housing crisis in Fayetteville.