Mr. Willie Green’s Comment:
Link to Shelby Star Article:
The future of our young men and women of all colors should be more of a concern. 8 young men ranging from 16-years old to 19-years old, black and white will be sent to prison, sadly because our leadership in the black and white community has failed the kids in Cleveland County.
This is where the anger and discussions should be, how do we as a community find a way to work together to save our young men and women from a life behind bars? And not about the name-calling of politicians from other states, there are enough misconduct and criminal activities of our local officials that we need to deal with before we worry about another state’s public official’s sexual misconduct.
Willie A. Green, Sr.
Editor’s Note: Shelby is a violent place and has been for decades. Especially among teens. There were gangs when Shelby leadership assured everybody that there were NO Gangs in Shelby. Remember the “Chopper Boys?” “Chopper’ being a machine gun that the gangs would fire off on a regular basis in West Shelby. Drugs, Robbery to get money to buy drugs and other such incentives for violence. Lots of talk about what needed to be done. But nothing effective ever gets done. Especially after the “grants” run out.
Mr. Willie Green’s idea for a sports complex was probably the best hope to make even a dent in Shelby’s violence. Violence on the street and elsewhere. Violence and crime just a couple blocks from the Court Square. Hey, take a trip down to the New Courthouse. Full security at the front door. Metal Detectors. X-Ray Machines and armed guards. Bullet Proof Glass too. As Tommy Pruitt once said, “If they weren’t so low down-they wouldn’t have to be so ‘skeered’!!” But, after a few days, everything goes back to the normal level of crime that everybody has become numbed too. Until the next episode of violence and murder.
Those that can are moving out of Shelby and Cleveland County. When the 2020 census data is finally in, we will know how much population Shelby and Cleveland County have lost. Fleeing violence and looking for better job opportunities.
