Jorge Cornell and Ryan Shell both made appearances at District 2 candidate Nettie Coad's campaign kickoff at the Nettie Coad Apartments today. It wasn't the first time the two at-large candidates have bumped into each other on the campaign trail.
Both candidates have reached out to the mother of the young man recently killed at the Hickory Trail apartment complex.
Shell said his effort to organize a community watch awareness event this past week was scuttled because Interim City Manager Bob Morgan advised council members that it would be dangerous to appear, and that family members and residents did not welcome the attention. Shell indicated that, in fact, the family was happy to have attention from elected officials and attention from the media. (I haven't checked with Morgan to confirm any of this.)
Cornell had a different concern. He said the Greensboro Housing Authority is threatening to evict the family because the young man who was killed was allegedly a gang member. The city council candidate -- who leads the North Carolina Latin Kings, a group recognized by law enforcement as a gang -- said he considers the allegation that the victim was a gang member to have no merit, expressing the view that the killing resulted from an individual beef rather than a gang conflict. He said he will be organizing a campaign to prevent the eviction. (Again, I haven't had an opportunity to confirm any of these details with the Greensboro Housing Authority.)
Cornell's comments prompted a conversation about the unfairness of public housing rules. One man, an ex-felon and HIV/AIDS activist named Thomas E. Clodfelter, introduced himself to the candidate.
"I've been following you for awhile," he said, "and I support you."