The city has been at a crossroads for years in regards to tackling critical issues. A strong case can be made that a high percentage of the current rise in crime and other societal issues is related to a decrease in ethical decision-making. That ethical decision-making is not mirrored or modeled by the elected positions of this city.

With the city council and mayor continually downvoting independent third-party investigations, it is no shock to any educated individual as to how the population of the city can consider questionable choices as being okay.

And when a society questions which laws are important or which decisions can be avoided from an ethical standpoint, it has lost its way. That is where the pillars of the community and the fabric of the city collide.

Below are excerpts from an email that I sent to the elected representation of the city, to include the appointed position of city manager, regarding the unofficial city manager’s State of the City report. From January to June, 26 homicides were recorded by FPD Public Information Officer. If this trend remains constant, Fayetteville will surpass the 50 mark this year.

This city has a violent crime issue. For the elected body that will have a debate on a way forward, try to do so without inserting identity politics. That will be difficult to do based upon the current data that paints the city as having a violent crime issue with a disproportionate number of citizens from the Black community.

For most of you identity-politics-elected officials, this will be followed with silence. And closed-door meetings. The current “Can Do” approach does not put the city on a path of transparency or civic debate for critical issues like this.

Policies of the city and the enforcement within the framework of identity politics, or lack of, has made it easy for some residents to make a bad choice. The set of parameters within that decision-making cycle is what has contributed greatly to the increase in crime throughout the city.

A series of bad choices tends to end up on this list, which then become a larger issue for residents to overcome. If this was an issue of “Americans” in the city, then everyone that was elected would be discussing it. Instead, the city council’s main objective is identity politics. This is a hyphenated issue. The city has seen your discussions on violence which always end with systemic racism. How about double standards and standards that continually change to where residents understand that laws can be ignored?

The previous five years have greatly contributed to the current status and state of the city. If you can, one standard ... one standard for every American in this city. Your current identity politics hypocrisy of current standards makes this a hyphenated issue. The lack of standards has ruined too many young lives in this city. That is clearly on your shoulders.

That makes it not an issue the entire city is looking at. But this is Fayetteville, and without a change of character, which generally means most of you should resign, it’s not going to change.

The difference is that decent Americans who want a better future for their children are going to look at the data and see that the city is failing. That you are failing.

Where are the pillars of the community?

Your lack of action on critical issues related to ethics and morality in the city have illustrated the requirement to use your identity politics language in order to get the point across.

The ethical and moral fabric of this city is degrading. No amount of social justice BS that you currently put forth is going to fix that. If the city doesn’t get back to the basics and establish parameters where ethics and morality take the forefront, you will continue to see violence perpetrated.

The city has too many pastors in name only. Too many elected and appointed positions that push forth identity politics versus one standard. Too many politicians versus citizens elected to serve. Welcome to the secondary and tertiary effects of those actions.

—Rob Walls, Fayetteville

Editor's note: This submission was edited for space.