So are residents fighting H6 out to preserve the memories of those buried there or are they being opportunistic?
As noted in today's article, it depends on who you ask. Neighbors fighting the school say that H6 should be halted to preserve the possible slave and Native American graves there.
"We as humans, with our innate curiosity of the past, should at least take the time to examine what will be 'forever destroyed' if development moves forward as planned," said Save the Slaves in a press release.
With our economy in the state it is in, I think we can afford to move a little slower. This site, with all of it's uniqueness and history and other areas of interest, should be preserved and studied and peacefully enjoyed by all."
But Michael Trinkley, the consultant whose group examined the cemetery for the school system, thinks that the neighbors have less pure motives. He's accusing the neighbors of using the graves as an excuse to block the school's construction. He thinks they're far more worried about traffic.
"I wish people wouldn't use the dead to further their goals," said Trinkley, executive director of the Chicora Foundation, which got $9,969 for the report.
Even though plans call for preserving the cemetery, the neighbors say there are potentially other cemeteries on site that will be destroyed by the school system.
Comments
Bad Decision
Thu, 02/12/2009 - 06:59 — For_The_ChildrenI think the location of H6 was a bad bad decision. H6 is right down the road from Heritage, and the traffic is a HUGE concern for the surrounding community. If there are gravesites on this land, I do believe the district should sell it back to build a park/dog park - this area needs a park- and I think its a great idea. Yes, more high schools are needed, but the BoE needs to plan a little better. Rolesville is the location that needed a school in the heart of the city - the Board should have taken this into consideration. This reassignment, of all, makes no sense. You have nodes across capitol, closer to Wakefield, being assigned to Heritage - some of them closer to H6, yet they were assigned to Heritage. Then you have nodes on the same side of Heritage, currently assigned to Heritage elementary/middle NOW assigned to H6 - really the BoE does not care about keeping peer groups together, nor do they care of about the emotions of these children, they only look at them as numbers. I am ashamed of this Board and the distraught they cause OUR children and families. In a few years, you will see the emotional effects the Board has caused these children through the constant reassignment and loss of their peer groups - children who do not want to make friends because they have learned they will only loose them, children who do not want to get close to other children, because they have learned they will only loose them, children who will not trust other children, because they have learned they will only be moved again and loose the trust they gained - all because of numbers......
OT
Wed, 02/11/2009 - 10:01 — Sideburnshttp://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4514436/
Rosa's right on this one....
Wed, 02/11/2009 - 08:10 — Bob_SconceIt doesn't happen often, but Rosa Gill is right on this one.
The economy is tight, as is the school budget. The idea that the district should donate this land, which they spent several million dollars on, for a dog park is just silly.
If there are other "potential" cemetaries on the site, then they should speak up about where they are. But, I find it hard to believe that a plantation owner would allow his slaves to build cemetaries willy-nilly throughout his property.
That said, there may be legitimate concerns about traffic on that road. If so, the school district needs to address that problem.