Open rebuke

The bickering between two of this city’s greatest treasures reminds me of story my grandmother used to tell me about a house that burned many years ago in an east Texas town pre-dating the civil rights era. Neighbors, black and white came to try and put out the fire. Inevitably there were people, however, who just stood around watching, and the efforts of a few to put out the fire failed. Their reasons for just standing around, she explained, had more to do with bad relations than a real understanding of what Community really means.

Though the family was saved; everything else was lost. Mrs. Culbreath and Mrs. Foreman, it strikes me that Dallas’ house is on fire and this City still needs both of you to put out the flames. The difference in what is at stake, I believe, is this time there are people still in the house while you bicker and argue; fanning the flames and giving the public a taste of what used to be something that we would handle behind closed doors.

This whole discourse saddens me. When is the last time you heard a child say they wanted to grow up and run for City Council, DART, be a school board Trustee or be the head of DHA? There is so much more work for each of you, starting with taking an honest look at the true impact of this open and unending war of words. What do you say, all hands on deck?