A Familiar Refrain: Blame Without Accountability

A public meeting took place for City Council Wards 1, 2, and 3 about the city budget.

I find this ironic. A meeting is held, an exercise, in my eyes, where the councilmen tried distancing themselves from blame for the mess that has engulfed our city’s leadership.

The lecturing and posturing feel like the same old song, played once again while the city’s problems deepen.

“The crisis of community has its source in the corruption of character.” —Wendell Berry

Scandal is not only about financial loss. We must not lose our connectedness, which can be fragile. Racial finger-pointing, lingering resentments over who holds power, and the unwillingness to share opportunity across the whole community only deepen the divide.

This city does not belong to those who have figured out how to beat the system. It belongs to the Rocky Mount family.

Wendell Berry puts it this way:

“A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share it define and limit the possibilities of each other’s lives.”

We must keep faith in our shared place even in trial and turmoil.

Let’s pray for accountability and justice, and for each other, who are THE Rocky Mount family.