Many factors are playing a role in the recent rash of shootings that resulted in the death of one woman and injuries to 19 people in Winston-Salem, several members of the Winston-Salem City Council said Tuesday.
In addition, a man died from injuries received May 5 after police returned gunfire at a home during a standoff in Ardmore.
âItâs a myriad of things,â Council Member Denise âD.D.â Adams said. âIt goes further back than COVID.â
Problems such as poverty, hunger, unemployment, drug abuse, poor education, crime, mental illness, and health-care disparities plagued neighborhoods before the pandemic, Adams said.
The pandemic magnified those problems, and has played a role in increasing numbers of shootings nationwide and in Winston-Salem, Adams said.
WS City Council Calls on State, Federal Lawmakers To Study Reparations by April Laissle
8:50pm Apr 19, 2021 The resolution calls on Congress to pass House Resolution 40, which would establish a commission that would develop reparations proposals and study the legacy of slavery in the U.S. KERI BROWN/WFDD
The Winston-Salem City Council has passed a resolution urging state and federal legislators to study reparations for Black Americans. The measure also apologizes for the city’s role in infrastructure projects that harmed Black residents.
The resolution calls on Congress to pass House Resolution 40, which would establish a commission that would develop reparations proposals and study the legacy of slavery in the U.S. It asks state legislators to pass similar legislation.
The Winston-Salem City Council approved a resolution on Monday apologizing for the cityâs role in slavery and discrimination against Black people.
Passage came on a 7-1 vote, with Council Member Robert Clark casting the only vote against the measure.
âWe are hoping to clear some minds and hearts and hopefully get Winston-Salem on the right pages of history,â said Council Member D.D. Adams, who made the motion to adopt the resolution.
In addition to the racism and slavery apology on the cityâs behalf, the resolution: Apologizes for the cityâs role in past urban renewal programs and road construction that helped the city grow âat the expense of multiple successful Black businesses and homes in the eastern portion of the city.â
Watch now: Annette Scippio recalls life in Winston-Salemâs Black business district before urban renewal in the 1960s
The Winston-Salem City Council is poised to apologize for its role in slavery and post-slavery discrimination against Black people.
Along with the apology, the city is expected to back passage of a bill in the U.S. Congress that would study and make recommendations for reparations that would be paid to the descendants of slaves.
The council will consider the apology and reparations resolution on Monday during its regular meeting, which will be held online starting at 7 p.m.
The proposal advances to the council after the cityâs general government committee last week approved the resolution with three votes in favor, none opposed and with one abstention.