{"id":802,"date":"2019-03-05T22:53:09","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T22:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=802"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:52:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:52:23","slug":"celebration-and-conflict-convene-at-durham-city-council-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2019\/03\/05\/celebration-and-conflict-convene-at-durham-city-council-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebration and conflict convene at Durham City Council meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you walked into the Durham City Council meeting Monday night the first thing you likely noticed were not the elected officials or 13 members of the New Black Panther Party, it was the little girls. <\/span><\/p>\n Ten Girl Scout troops packed themselves into the chambers. Some scouts sat on the floor and others two to a chair to hear March 11 designated the start of Girl Scout Week in Durham.<\/span><\/p>\n So it goes at City Council meetings, where topics celebratory and serious rub shoulders, taking observers on a roller coaster of experiences that are inspiring, friendly, somber and, at times, deeply contentious.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition to honoring the scouts, Mayor Steve Schewel celebrated recently retired U.S. Circuit Judge Allyson Duncan, Council member Vernetta Alston read a declaration celebrating Women\u2019s History Month, and former Mayor Bell bid farewell to city attorney Patrick Baker.<\/span><\/p>\n The tone grew more heated when Council member Mark-Anthony Middleton lamented Duke\u2019s recent refusal to donate a tract of land to the Durham-Orange Light Rail project. It became both somber and angry after Durham Police Chief C<\/span>erelyn \u201cC.J.\u201d<\/span> Davis presented the city\u2019s 2018 crime report. <\/span><\/p>\n First celebration<\/b><\/p>\n