The Cavalier Daily
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LETTER: Fear and lies, the new election platform

The 2017 City Council election revealed the potency of fear and lies in politics

As the 2017 election passes, it seems as if it was a page from the 2016 election. The hate mongering, lies, misinformation and whisper campaign which Trump supporters were claimed to have used, was subsequently used one year later by the very ones who found this inexcusable, offensive and illegal when used by their political opposition. 

But of all the things used the most to generate a favorable election outcome, was fear and hate mongering. The idea and insinuation that anyone who was not with the Democrats or New Progressive Democratic Party, is a racist, white supremacist supporter or one who wants to hurt the poor or minority communities.

Did anyone ask the question of who was in charge, and who allowed Jul. 8, Aug. 11 and Aug. 12 to happen? Who has allowed government meetings, where citizens can come and voice their concerns to their governing leaders, become a place of fear and anarchy?

It's funny how we, as citizens of Charlottesville, seemed to forget who was in power when mass gentrification cleaned out the poor and working class communities. Funny how the 300 acres from Garrett Street South to Moore's Creek redevelopment plan were not mentioned as much as Aug. 11 and 12. Funny how the issue of the increasing crime rate, deteriorating public housing, decrease in enrollment at the University and a 40 percent decrease in small business revenue all escaped the conversation.

Instead, these true and real issues were overshadowed by lies. The idea that somehow these parties can cut out or eliminate hate or racist people, are just that — lies and fairy tales. The  truth is, the family and social dynamics of our society and community are deteriorating, the trust in government and authority is nonexistent.

The saddest thing of all is that all parties proved they are not above using the same tactics of lies, deception and misinformation to win an election. The other sad thing is, 37 percent of voters stayed home when they probably could have made the difference. Maybe it's because they didn't have someone in their party running, or maybe they were blinded by the smokescreen of lies as well.

Kenneth Jackson

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