It takes a village, and that includes all of the West End community

Dear West End community,

It takes a village, and we are that village!

I was born and raised in Salisbury on the West End and I still live here on a different street. Ms. Nestor, I’ve participated in the community cleanups and attended a community meeting or two. There is a need to cut the green overgrowth but definitely not the main issue of concern. I still see the same boarded up houses among other dilapidated buildings that were once vibrant places to live and to attend school. Now they are a victim of fires and places of refuge for the unsheltered with substance addictions and rodents with ferocious appetites. It takes a village.

We are that village who live among boarded up homes that are not owned by the city of Salisbury but private citizens who may live in Salisbury or in other states. These heir properties are unkept and no one wants to talk about these properties owned by folks who once lived in the West End village for fear of hurting feelings. Well, what about the folks who live among the unsheltered and rodents who have taken up residence in the boarded up heir properties?

City of Salisbury, the West End village is your concern as well for not taking appropriate and consistent action with owners of boarded up and dilapidated heir properties.

Young people walk what they are taught. They see there’s no respect for guidelines and laws governing care of properties. The West End village is long overdue in upholding the respect for the environment in which we live and have ownership.

When we talk about social determinants of health, we mean the environment in which we live, work, worship and play determines our health. The opinion of Kenneth Hardin in Sunday (May 9) highlights the community factors and City Council accountability; however, let’s be very real and accountable because it takes a village. That’s you, me and regulatory entities to do the right thing by walking what we are talking.

— Yvonne Waiters-Dixon

Salisbury

 

Leashes for cats could save heartbreak

I just buried Callie, a beautiful 8-month old Munchkin cat, on April 30, my 74th birthday.What a loving lady she was — an indoor cat who loved being outdoors. I saw her lying on Mahaley Avenue near Food Lion, very graphic sight. But I buried her, then saw her owners, who had already seen Callie’s lifeless body.

I assured the little Knox Middle School owner that I said a little prayer for Callie before her burial with my 50-year-old landscaping shovel.

Leashes for cats may be a good idea, as some city streets, like Mahaley Avenue, have a lot of fast traffic. I love animals, especially cats (my nickname “The Cat Man” says it all). I’ve never owned an indoor animal, but I’ve fed and sheltered many feral cats. I have never been bitten nor scratched badly by one.

Farewell sweet Callie, you had the sweetest purr and often crawled nearly on top of my head to see the world while I was painting outdoors.

— Fred Moore

Salisbury

Editor’s note: Moore was a U.S. Navy journalist from 1967-1971.