Public comment: roller-skating rink request, Voting Rights remembrance, and new professional basketball team announced

During the public comment period at the Aug. 4 High Point City Council meeting, several residents and community leaders addressed the council on distinct topics.

Zipporah White Evans, speaking for the Southside Neighborhood Association, asked the city to allow general indoor roller skating at a Parks & Recreation facility. Evans said High Point currently lacks indoor roller skating and argued an indoor location is safer for skaters, easier for lower-income residents to access via bus routes, and that wood floors in Parks & Rec facilities can accommodate skating. Council members thanked her and said staff would look into the request.

Dr. Elma Harrison of the High Point NAACP marked the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on Aug. 6 and urged continued commitment to defending and expanding voting rights. Harrison recounted the act’s historical role in ending literacy tests and other discriminatory practices and warned of modern threats such as restrictive voter ID laws, cuts to early voting and closure of polling places.

Katina Johnson announced she has become the first African American woman to own a professional men’s basketball team based in High Point. Johnson said the team, called the High Point Pistons, will compete in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and that the organization plans family-friendly games, community fundraisers, and local recruitment and training for players.

Council members acknowledged the comments; staff indicated they would follow up on the roller-skating request and welcomed the new team to the city.