This was printed in the "Alabama Voices" section of The Montgomery Advertiser on 07-07-07.



Oh, dear Montgomery, what can be said about you that hasn’t been spoken or written a million times already?

You are the Cradle of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis was sworn in on those beautiful Capitol steps. Montgomery was the heart and soul of a way of life that disappeared as soon as it started coming together.

In between the end of the Civil War and the middle of the twentieth century, Montgomery became an industrial and cultural center of commerce.

Far from the magnolia-scented memories of the Old South, we became the Cradle of the Civil Rights movement. Some of our finest citizens were trapped on the outside, as poor race relations and Jim Crow laws kept African Americans from advancement.

Two of the greatest movements of people in American history began here – the Confederacy, yes, but also the Civil Rights movement.

Can’t a city that gave birth to this blessing – or curse – of our eternal dichotomy somehow find a way to point to a new, better culture?

Montgomery is a pretty big “small town”, and in so many ways, Montgomery should be better than ever. We have the Riverfront, we have the Biscuits, we have Hyundai, we have Gateway Park. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and Museum of Fine Arts all call us home. We are the capital city of a state where mountains tower above the north and beaches flow across the south.

There are more wonderful goods and services provided by the City of Montgomery than I can list in this space. I love my hometown and I am proud to be from Montgomery.

And yet – and yet, despite the best efforts of so many people who have worked so hard to make Montgomery so great, we have a bad reputation. And I can’t say it isn’t deserved in some cases.

If someone passing through town were to stop at some of the various businesses near Interstate exits on their travels in Montgomery, they might experience rude service, where an employee chats on a cell phone instead of helping the customer. Worse yet, a passerby might be in the wrong place at the wrong time and be the victim of a violent crime, such as theft, a slashed tire, or – heaven forbid – a shooting.

I was born and raised in Montgomery, and after an absence of eleven years, I moved back home in 2003 with my wife and children.

Is Montgomery in 2007 better or worse than it was in, say, 1992? Fifteen years is a good gauge of time, and gives a chance for generational perspective.

In these fifteen years, the population of Montgomery has grown, despite the naysayers. There are more businesses, restaurants, and companies located in Montgomery than there were 15 years ago. Montgomery is a lot more diverse in a lot more places than it was in 1992. The citizens like to stay informed, and take part in community forums in their own neighborhoods and in citywide meetings.

But, if someone had said that copper theft would be an epidemic in 2007, who would have believed it? Our neighborhoods are being corrupted by crime. The murder rate is disturbing enough, but violent crimes are actually down from previous years. The small-time stuff is what is running people off.

Gang insignia spraypainted on buildings; areas of town abandoned for the next big thing (or shopping center) out east have become eyesores – just look at Normandale or Montgomery Mall and weep; slashed tires, stolen purses, and teenagers walking around with no purpose are but a few of the things that are most disturbing about the Montgomery of 2007.

What could be done differently, fair capital city?

I may not know much, but as an educator and radio personality I have crossed paths with many people and heard many ideas. So, for what it’s worth, here’s what I think we could do to make ourselves better.

Montgomery Public Schools should consolidate all magnet programs under one roof – 1756 South Court Street, Sidney Lanier High School. All the magnet students could participate in not only their academics at a high level, but also play competitive athletics and have a wonderful fine arts program. Lanier was the model for all schools in the southeast once upon a time. It is the prettiest building in town, with room to grow.
Neighborhood schools need to come back, and crosstown busing needs to end. The reasons for busing (integration) are moot points now that the school system is 88% black. Forcing these children to attend schools so far from home is hurting them, not helping them.
All Montgomerians gather for events such as Jubilee CityFest. We all go to the Montgomery Zoo at various times during the year. Events and locations with heavy traffic need to be clean and have the friendliest personnel available to make our city appealing to people who may be visiting, or stepping out for the rare occasion.
Racial politics on both sides needs to be over. There are enough guilty parties around, and you know who you are – white and black. Stop it. We could be a bright, shining example to the world of how to get along, if we can move past the divisiveness.
Although I understand why he said it, the Mayor telling people to arm themselves was bad public relations in my opinion. Why should we feel so unsafe that we need to buy a gun? Pay these policemen enough money so they will stay on the force, and turn them loose to patrol the neighborhoods.
Elected city officials need to keep their promises and hold themselves to higher standards than just trying to get re-elected. Pandering to a population is as transparent as it gets – again, you know who you are. Didn’t someone once say, “follow your heart”?
Cramton Bowl renovations have been a long time coming, but safety needs to become a priority. As a band director in the Montgomery Public Schools, I spent several Friday nights at the bowl. Uniformed officers telling me to keep the band in place while a gun was found happened too often. My family wouldn’t even come to our games because they were afraid. No one should be scared to attend a high school football game.
The coarse cultural climate needs to be changed from top to bottom. I am not saying we need censorship, but trashy videos that promulgate lascivious or disrespectful behavior seem to be on every channel all the time. Similarly, music that stirs the pot of the gangsta lifestyle seems to be transforming ordinary young people into wanna-be thugs. Someone, somewhere, has to curb all of this before it gets worse. This is not only a problem in Montgomery, but everywhere. Again, however, Montgomerians could stand together on the need for a more positive artistic viewpoint.
What’s wrong with playing up our storied history? For example, I recently visited the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, and was the only person in the building besides the employees. We can do better at showing off the good that came from the Montgomery Bus Boycott and similar struggles of the Civil Rights era, as well as those of Confederate times.

These are but a few points, but anyone who loves Montgomery should consider each of them.
For far too long, we have been divided into “haves” and “have-nots”, and rarely do the twain meet.

With hope and prayer, perhaps someday we can realize our full potential. Ronald Reagan was famous for saying that he wanted the United States to be viewed by the world as “the shining city on the hill”. Wouldn’t it be something if Montgomery became the prototype and role model?

We are already on Goat Hill. I’d like to think we’re halfway to our goal of being the shining city.