For more than a year, Wilmington DSA has been working with community members to construct bus stop benches to make using public transport easier for all people in New Hanover County. The benches have been serving that purpose without incident until several weeks ago. As we are sure many of you have seen, our benches have received a lot of attention in recent weeks, both on social media and in traditional media spaces. Most of the comments have been overwhelmingly supportive, and even folks who might disagree with our political theory agree that the lack of seating at our bus stops is a problem that can and should be solved. We have been in communication with members of Wave, City Council, and City Engineering department officials about the best way to resolve this so that the benches can remain and serve their intended purpose. These talks have been constructive, with several Councilors voicing support for the project and clearly stating they did not wish to remove the benches. The tone from some elected officials and unelected staff has, unfortunately, changed somewhat after more recent developments involving a County Commissioner reaching out to NCDOT to remove the benches and a small group of bad actors stealing and repainting a bench to draw attention to themselves.

This is why we are calling upon you to once again focus your voices and opinions towards the key officials and governing organizations that can allow this project to continue. This project began as a show of community responsibility for public services that neither the city or the county demonstrated adequate interest in. We believe that spirit will not be broken by one politician wielding their position at the expense of their constituency. Losing the benches negatively impacts folks who already have to wait on an underfunded public service, and to see that happen because of people who are afraid of their neighbor’s own words would be farcical.

The pre-written letter on the next page outlines what we want the County Commissioners to do to keep this project going. We’re not going to allow the County Commissioners to prioritize the opinions of a few outspoken critics over a public good like having a bench to sit on while you wait for the bus.