A violent death in a neglected part of small-city America

It was a summer I would never forget. I was looking forward to lounging around the house and doing nothing. My daddy had different plans for me — summer camp. The brand new community center that he had worked hard to help advocate for on the south side of Statesville was finally open. I wasn’t excited about going to summer camp at the Bentley Center, but I was given no choice. My father made it clear that I would be in my community, with other kids from my community, enjoying the community center that would ultimately become a beacon of light and love for our community.

I went to the Bentley Center for camp every day that summer. It was extremely hot. Some days we weren’t allowed to go outside because of fear that we would overheat or that someone might pass out. But that didn’t stop the fun. We played games, went to the pool, listened to a lot of music, ate snacks, watched movies, developed crushes, made new friends, broke up with old friends, and did all of the other things that you do at summer camp. I’ve never forgotten that summer. It underscores what summertime in Statesville on the south side was like; at least for me, at least back then in the 1990s.

Last week, on the south side of Statesville, an innocent little girl was playing outside. She was brutally gunned down in a drive-by shooting while the sun was still shining. This happened moments from where I grew up. These are the same streets that I once walked with my brother and other kids in the community to get to the Bentley center for summer camp. These are the same streets that house pickup games and water balloon fights. These are the streets that are home to many of my memories.

There is another story about the south side of Statesville. A former classmate recently pointed out on social media that on the south side there are little or no schools, banks, libraries, grocery stores, or doctor’s offices, and there is an abundance of distressed housing. The south side of Statesville — like many other communities within small cities and towns that are left out of the picture — is mostly Black, mostly minority, and largely neglected.

Over the past few years, we’ve heard the musings of political candidates about saving and investing in small-town America. During election seasons, we watch them stump all around the middle parts of the nation. We see images of ranchers and farmhands and folks who work at the auto plants and in dive restaurants in tiny cities and rural towns throughout this country. A face is given to the everyday person, to the everyday experience. There has been an image painted of small-town America that reflects much of what my hometown looks like. However, there are parts of that image that have been edited out of the larger picture.

There is underrepresentation and under-investment in Black and brown and low-income cities all around this country. And under-investment at its core almost always leads to some of the other major events that plague these communities. This is compounded when that happens in small cities and towns. Communities like the south side of Statesville exist all over North Carolina. They are tucked in the crevices of rural towns, hidden in the joints of the mountains and hillsides, deeply pocketed within the beach towns and coastal communities. Not only are they underfunded, they are underutilized. There are gems there. Natural resources that need a little love. Growth that can happen with the right investment.

Folks who live in communities like these aren’t asking for much. Grocery stores within walking distance that can help them nourish their families. Community schools that instill pride and education in a future generation. Easy access to doctor’s offices and healthcare facilities that were created with them in mind. These are small fixes that can have maximum impact. The resources are there. They exist in other parts of the city; on the other side of town.

Statesville is no longer my city of residence. But the south side of Statesville will always be my home. It’s summer now. The sting of the unforgiving summer day might burn. The children may need to play inside when the temperature rises. That’s ok. That’s normal. But kids caged inside of their homes because the streets are hot and drive-by shootings are robbing them of the innocence of their childhood is deplorable, unacceptable, and ultimately; preventable.

This story was originally published July 12, 2021 at 7:57 AM with the headline "A violent death in a neglected part of small-city America."