2013-01-07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 Mr. Kenneth Jackson, Rice, Virginia, said discrimination is alive and well in Charlottesville. He listed five unsolved murders and three missing people and said most of them are Black, which indicates a problem. Mr. James Pritchett, Homeless, said he has been panhandling for almost two years, and his sign is his only source of income. He cannot find a job. Please do not pass a law against panhandling. Mr. Nick Wispelway, 735 Northwood Ave., said he and his wife moved to Charlottesville because it was a safe place and a real community with diversity. However, their home was broken into last Friday, and similar incidents have been on the rise in the North Downtown neighborhood. He said he does not have a problem with panhandling, but it makes others feel unsafe. Please provide more emphasis on public safety and consider solutions. Ms. Nancy Carpenter, 727 Denali Way, said she joined a Facebook page called Charlottesville Downtown Reclamation Project to see what solutions the group was devising, but she was kicked off the page. There is a lack of civil discourse. She asked how someone can save enough money to buy a house when they cannot afford to pay rent where they are currently living. She asked the City to work to provide housing options for all members of the population. Ms. Ellie Thomas, 460 Stagecoach Rd., with the Virginia Cooperative Extension and Master Gardener Program, thanked Council for their funding and updated them on events for spring 2013. Mr. Lucius Bracey, 724 Northwood Ave., said public safety is an important issue facing our community. His neighborhood is seeing an increase in crime, and the City cannot ignore the problem. It is not getting the attention it deserves. He has heard folks have been attacked by groups in the streets, and safety issues are not getting the attention they deserve. He said he does not like panhandlers. Ms. Baily Hampton, 505 Elliot Ave., said she is tired of racist comments. She said if it were not for the homeless population, she would not feel safe on the downtown mall. She was robbed at gunpoint and did not report it to the police because she did not want to add to the problem of racial profiling. She said liberal politics caters to people who have money over people who do not. She said she is underemployed and cannot continue to live in Charlottesville if things do not change. COUNCIL RESPONSE TO MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC Ms. Smith thanked Ms. Thomas for coming to speak about the Virginia Cooperative Extension.