Steve Church: Dix’s slow death

According to the March 30 editorial “Dix Nay Sayers,” the Dorothea Dix Hospital property deal is done and has been done for quite some time. Actually, our state government has proclaimed this deal nonnegotiable since 2003 when the closure plan was rammed through the Democratic-led General Assembly with little debate and zero response from Republican brethren.

This nonbinding deal between Gov. Pat McCrory and Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane needs only the blessing of our Council of State to be finalized. Twelve years of politicians, media outlets and park advocates declaring Dix a done deal kept the public properly sedated concerning the questionable decision to close Dix. Residents of North Carolina drank their Kool-Aid and never questioned their motives. We were scammed.

When Vladimir Lenin wrote, “a lie told often enough becomes the truth,” he could have been referring to this hospital’s slow, agonizing death.

Predictably, the lust for prime real estate triumphed. In their greedy arrogance, too many influential people stood by and watched this aging facility lose its fight to care for our most vulnerable. In the months and years ahead, as the bulldozers and developers rape this land, I hope their conscience doesn’t bother them.

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Steve Church: Dix’s slow death."