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[quote=Anonymous]I think all our biggest issues are related:

1. Homelessness
2. Crime
3. Lack of opportunity/criminality for kids living in poverty or other high risk situations

Schools could of course be better but I actually think for the people responding on DCUM it can’t possibly be the biggest issue because most of us either have decent IB schools or the ability to use the lottery to access them. Schools are primarily a problem for #3 above and it’s obvious to me that the issue isn’t simply “better schools” because we already pour a lot of money into schools serving this population and it’s not working.

I think for many years leading politicians have believed that if we can just bring enough money into the city in the form of business and development, these problems will solve themselves. Surprise! They don’t. Agree Bowser and her ilk are corrupt, but it’s important to understand their corruption stems from this self-serving belief. They are skimming off the money flowing into the city, but in many ways they’ve been elected specifically to bring that money in, so they no doubt feel entitled.

The real issue is that no one wants to deal with 1-3 above. Definitely not Allen or the other white  “progressives” — they pay lip service to these things but are  always afraid of suggesting anything that could be criticized by activist orgs (some other f which do great and vital work and some of which… don’t). Their whiteness is also a problem because it means they are always trying to prove they aren’t racist, I stead of just solving problems.

I think we need more black leaders who aren’t in the pocket of developers like Bowser/McDuffy. People who have real moral authority and won’t be hamstrung by their own fears of not being sufficiently woke, but who are more interested in solving problems than lining their own pockets. I think Christina Henderson fits this mold, but she’s still pretty young. Potentiall Zach Parker if he wins in Ward 5. Maybe Spiva if he gets AG? These are hard problems and there aren’t easy solutions. We need people more interested in actually addressing them than padding their pockets, but these ineffectual white progressives are not getting it done.[/quote]

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