THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 24, 1995 TAG: 9511210141
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
On Oct. 15, Bill Reed wrote a column, ``Wanted in Seatack: equal protection from thugs, punks,'' concerning the neighborhood of Morgan Terrace, which borders on Friendship Village. Now I understand that the city map designates Morgan Terrace as the area where Friendship Village is located. But there is another Morgan Terrace. It is an apartment complex located less than a mile from the Morgan Terrace mentioned in the article. But more interesting is the fact that this Morgan Terrace, the apartment complex, is light years away as far as community activities and crimes are concerned.
The Rev. C.M. Morgan, an African American man, is the owner of Morgan Terrace apartment complex. A man of pride and vision, the Rev. Mr. Morgan has always been instrumental in the assistance of his people in reaching a higher level of existence. It is documented fact that, through the generous donation of land from his family, Seatack Elementary School, an African American school established during segregation, was built. His may not be a voice that you hear, but the respect, the encouragement and the support that he has given and still gives will always be remembered by people such as myself.
The column supplied two areas for discussion for me. The first was the fact that there was no distinction made between the Morgan Terrace on the city plat, and Morgan Terrace the apartment complex. Ignorance is no excuse for the negative image that was cast upon Morgan Terrace the apartment com-plex. But then the continual actions of this newspaper suggest that there is little concern that an African American man's reputation and livelihood may have been down-grad-ed.
The second issue is the content of the column. Why is there such a problem with lawbreakers on Carver Avenue? Didn't the city of Virginia Beach get some type of federal funding to increase police protection in that area? Is all the money for increased police presence merely for the boundaries of Friendship Village? If so, then why aren't the police who are paid with city funds being positioned in a neighborhood so wracked with criminal activity? Maybe there can be the same concentration of officers on Carver Avenue that are used to control the criminal activity on the Oceanfront. There has to be some solution.
Maybe Virginia Beach law-enforcement officers and the management of Friendship Village need to sit down and establish a dialogue with C. M. Morgan. Here is a man who has discovered a way of keeping lawbreakers ``off of his turf.'' The low number of crimes reported from his complex as opposed to Friendship Village makes people ask, ``What does he do that Friendship doesn't?'' After all, they both deal with tenants who are assisted with government funding. The tenant population of both complexes is primarily African American. The locations are within a five-minute walk of each other.
My only suggestion is that the Rev. Mr. Morgan treats people with respect and dignity. Therefore, people respond to him in the same fashion. Maybe The Virginian-Pilot and Friendship Village management should try to do the same.
Beverly A. Woodhouse
Cronin Road Dean and the homeless
I was incensed by the remarks of Councilman Robert K. Dean in the the article ``Dwelling on the homeless'' (Beacon, Oct. 15). He states that it is the role of the churches to care for the homeless. And just who does he think ``the church'' is?
We are, the people of the church. It will take a little more than his ``stroking a check'' on Sunday morning. An attitude adjustment on his part (and on the part of others, I fear) would be in order. The majority of the people on the streets are not there by choice. If the city and the private sector can work together to help this segment of society, then where is the problem? The city does plenty for other segments so why such resistance to this one?
The question should never have been will the city build a shelter but simply how best to do it. In today's economy even the most secure of us are only one layoff away from being on those same streets. Many churches are already doing their part, and I would agree that many could, and should, do more. However, this situation is greater than what the churches can do alone. A partnership is required to meet the challenge.
Mr. Dean sees this proposed shelter as a way to ``transfer wealth from my pocket to someone else's under the guise of social justification.'' He then goes on to mention the Lord and his own religious beliefs. May I respectfully suggest that he reread the New Testament and what the Lord says about helping those less fortunate than ourselves. And if none of the above motivates Mr. Dean and those who think as he does, may I offer a selfish motivation for this shelter and the city's cooperation with the private sector: With a centrally located facility, we can coordinate services and help to get these folks off the streets and back into ``productive'' society. That should ease the strain on Mr. Dean's pocket.
One good thing did come of Mr. Dean's remarks. I called my church's Urban Ministries program and said I wanted to do more than ``stroke a check'' and bring a can of food each Sunday. (Not that these aren't also appreciated.) They had something perfect for me to do to help. I challenge each of you reading this to do the same. It just may make your day.
Diane S. Gillespie
Virginia Beach by CNB