Honoring the Past, Building a Future
We stand before you today, not with rumor, not with idle talk, but with the plain truth of a long-running scheme. The defendants sit at that table, smug in the belief that the system is theirs to work, twist, and own. This is not a case about bad luck or tough times. This is a … Continue reading Here Ye, here Ye: This is the case of The People vs. the Councilmen Who Beat the System.
Friday afternoon, August 8 in Rocky Mount. I was downtown to photograph the building at 112 NW Main Street. In the stretch of street where I stood, I counted six cars. Six. The building I came to photograph, and the ones reflected in the glass across the tracks, looked like a patchwork quilt stitched by … Continue reading A ‘Raggedy Ass’ Friday In Rocky Mount, NC
Some days, it feels like we’re living inside a Southern novel. Not the kind with porch swings and sweet tea, but the darker kind, where power and corruption hides in plain sight, and self-preservation outweighs public service. The longer I write about Rocky Mount, the clearer it becomes. We are not just observers in this … Continue reading When Real Life Reads Like a Southern Novel
On a recent post about Rueben Blackwell and the condition of Happy Hill, a reader left a comment that spoke directly to what many in Rocky Mount have quietly hoped for: "We need City Management to assemble a group of smart, hard working, caring, professional staff members who will look at every neighborhood in the … Continue reading Rocky Mount,NC: A Neighborhood, A Task Force, A Future
October 7, 2025 - In this case, the most powerful statement a voter can make is not a vote at all. In response to a comment on Facebook about the shameful neglect of the Happy Hill neighborhood, I replied with a thought I now want to explore more fully. Councilman Reuben Blackwell is running unopposed … Continue reading Boycotting a ‘ballot line’ In Happy Hill: Councilman Rueben Blackwell
Main Street Rocky Mount 