Changing names and demolishing statues are about the only things that Democrats have to offer in this era of high inflation under a president who unfortunately is reversing progress and promoting dishonesty in America.
And now the Democrat-led Roanoke City Council members are following the same path as they continue to ignore the major problems in the city while jumping to support legislation to change the name of the federal building in Downtown Roanoke.
The liberal mentality in the United States has instigated problems among people and is continuing to do so. Attorney John Fishwick Jr. is asking Virginia legislators to pass a bill to rename the federal building in Roanoke as he apparently couldn’t come up with any better ideas that would actually benefit the City.
It was not a surprise to see the members of Roanoke City Council supporting such an idea. Obviously, Mr. Fishwick is not able to see the very real problems that Blacks are facing in Roanoke today that have nothing to do with the name of a deceased person whose ideology and actions have zero impact on the lives of anyone today. It is the Democrats’ political game to pretend to be sympathetic to Blacks and other minorities as well.
Obviously, renaming buildings does not end disparity and discrimination; logically, it’s only another waste of taxpayers’ money. It’s questionable how many hard-working citizens in Roanoke actually care about changing a building’s name or if removing a name can ameliorate the real issues Roanoke faces — including the scourge of violence and shootings in the city.
I have asked quite a few Roanoke residents about the idea of renaming the federal building and their knowledge about Richard Poff and came to two quick conclusions. First, they had no idea who Richard Poff was. Second, renaming the building was either not an important matter to them — or they preferred it for the sake of the change only. Therefore, generally speaking, a name on the building is not an issue that instigates racial conflicts in Roanoke or is even a concern for people.
I remember in 1991, during the uprising in Iraq, names were removed, statues of the former president of Iraq, Saddam Husain, were destroyed, and hence, the dictator was defeated. However, the Iraqis inherited a different corruption and agony. Unfortunately, today in America the liberals are handing out a fresh-looking apple that is rotten from inside.
Mr. Fishwick should propose practical, effective solutions to Roanoke City Council to help create a safer community for young Blacks, other minorities, and everyone else for that matter. The continual shootings including the tragedies of 17 murders in Roanoke City in 2022 are having a much worse impact on the city and are hurting Roanoke families more than a mere name on a building.
– Serwan Zangana supported Operation Iraqi Freedom as a U.S Army translator before coming to the U.S from Kurdistan, Iraq in 1997 to seek political asylum. He was granted asylum status and years later proudly became a U.S citizen. He currently serves as a correction officer in Roanoke.
