Mason: There’s a lack of confidence in Dover’s leaders

After reading about the string of headline-making violence in Dover within the last month, I think it’s time for a change in our city leadership.

I have lived in Dover for over 30 years and have never seen so much disarray and violence, to put it lightly. Crime has gone through the roof. Nobody is safe anymore in Dover, with the drive-by shootings. There have now been fatal shootings two weekends in a row. The city is plagued with homicides, robberies, assaults, lewdness by homeless people on the streets downtown, just to name a few, and the local leaders obviously don’t care about citizens anymore.

I believe we’ve lost our city, and no one’s doing anything about it. I used to think this city was the best place on Earth, with its deep history and quaint atmosphere. I used to love going shopping downtown on Loockerman Street. But now, like most people who live in the city, I am afraid to even drive my car through the streets down there.

I used to read about shootings in which people seemed to be sending messages. Individuals would be shot in the leg. Today, you see these are very deliberate acts of homicide, and that’s deeply troubling. We hear about people’s homes and cars being shot up. But then, we have the city of Dover elected and appointed leadership more worried about planting trees and flowers, building fancy apartments downtown, catering to developers and having barbecues, when our young people are dying, and citizens’ lives are at risk.

Don’t get me wrong, every city has its fair share of crime and corruption, but this is my city, our city, and it’s hitting home. Many of us were born and raised in Dover and are at the point of “we want to move out.” Someone once told me that one of the most cowardly things ordinary people do is to shut their eyes to facts.

Kimberly Mason

Dover

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