Former mayoral candidate and columnist Mike Peterson says, in spite of a recent spike in the murder rate, the city keeps mentioning that overall crime is down. Peterson believes city leaders just want to focus on good things happening in Durham. He says they need to stop sugarcoating the issues.
"If we just pretend that parking lots, parking decks and the American Tobacco sites are going to make it wonderful without addressing the real root causes, that's whistling in the dark," Peterson says.
Durham mayor Nick Tennyson insists that he is not just focusing on the good things happening in the city.
"I believe in telling people the truth," Tennyson says. "There are risks in our city. There are bad things happening to some people in our city and we need to mobilize to prevent those things."
Both Tennyson and Durham Police Chief Teresa Chambers say they have been up front about the recent increase in violent crime. However, both insist the most recent statistics show some crime is on the way down.
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