Can We Choose Jazz Over Communism?

 It is Memorial Day weekend, and much of Fayetteville has bugged out.  (at least in middle and upper class neighborhoods)  Fayetteville has a history of old money, but that is changing.  The Cumberland Foundation has accumulated over one hundred million dollars.  That is earning interest making it appealing for future donors.  It would be a safe place to keep money.  Cumberland Country seems to have no lack of money, because of its history of this old money.  The older generation is dying out, and the once prominent families have waned in influence.  There must be a tangible human presence for influence to occur.  Fayetteville has moved in another direction, and it is logical to say it has been toward "Black Lives Matter."  When downtown residents and business owners have their property vandalized with no protection from the local police, change is occurring.  I agree with the decision made by Mitch Colvin, when these violent protests were taking place.  George Floyd, a Fayetteville native, died at the hands of the police.  Consequently nation wide protests erupted including downtown Fayetteville.  It was no different than riots in Los Angeles, Detroit, or any other racially volatile area.  They smashed some windows, and a not so bright soul set himself on fire trying to burn down the Market House.  Because they were protesting the police, it did not make sense to send the police.  If the police had been dispatched to quell the violence, live would have been lost.  Of this I am sure.  Not sending the police was a diplomatic decision, and it was the right one.  The other side of the coin is law abiding, hard working, white residents of downtown were infringed upon.  Their businesses were not protected from this civil unrest.  The rationale is that property is replaceable, lives are not.  It was thought most of these business owners would carry liability insurance.  Who knows if their policies would cover vandalism?  If the local police failed to respond when businesses were being looted, isn't it a sign of weakness?  It does not set a good example for law enforcement in the community.  Subsequently the Market House was closed and cordoned off.  Barriers were erected and a mural was painted on the street encircling the monument.  It is a unique structure, half monument and half building best described as an open air market.  With a quick Google search no tangible evidence is found slaves were sold here.  It would be prudent for local historians and scholars to confirm this.  In another suggestion of weakness, the mural painted on the street was removed at Colvin's behest later to be re-painted with private money.  It took only a few days for this to happen.  The mayor conceded.  The rest of the residents of Fayetteville were not queried.  No one was asked if they agreed with the painting of "Black Lives Matter" on the street encircling the Market House.  If viewed hypothetically these words themselves suggest racial discrimination.  Do not all lives matter?  Downtown Fayetteville only is for black lives?  In response to this debatable issue, a local group of former politicians and business owners are collecting signatures to support putting this decision on the ballot to be voted upon.  It specifically is not about the painted mural on the street.  It is confronting the overall issue of change in Fayetteville.  Ironically for the first time the City Council is all African-American.  Whether it is racist or not, an all black or all white governing body is not integrated.  The "Vote Yes Fayetteville" organization seeks to gain enough signatures to have a referendum placed on a municipal election.  This referendum would add four seats at large to the Fayetteville's City Council, and allow citizens to vote for more than their one representative.  It seems like a logical choice to make the City Council more representative of Fayetteville's population, which seems to be changing.  The old money is dying out, and young people choose not to live in Fayetteville, because it lacks some amenities offered by other more metropolitan cities.  We after all are a military community, although not everyone works for the Department of Defense.  Violence nationwide has peaked, and even with the outbreak of Covid 19, violent crime has escalated dramatically.  This trend began with the election of Donald Trump and could be linked to white nationalist sentiments.  The police and retired military personnel have been found to engage in these sentiments.  Thus the former president could be to blame for a resurgence of violent racially motivated crime.  Not that long ago the Clinton's promoted Multiculturalism, a blending of national and cultural habits which suggested diverse populations can coexist in America.  Always we have done so, because America is a nation of immigrants.  Everyone at one time was from a different country seeking refuge from political oppression and improved economic opportunity.  To concept of white supremacy is flawed, and it conclusively is proven when examining black achievement in the 20th century.  America's soul, while anchored with white European money, became black very quickly.  African-Americans had to work the hardest to survive, because of a racially prejudiced population.  In a nutshell when you don't have anything else, you put your full effort into your goal.  Luckily for America culture has prospered from its consortium of artists.  American jazz, while grossly misunderstood and underappreciated, is the soul of America.  Her infrastructure was provided by the Carnagie, Rockefeller, and Morgan families, but the voice of America was created by African Americans.  The genius of these artists often of meager origins is the American Dream.  Without them America is destined to become a communist oligarchy.  During the Trump presidency, we were well on our way.