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Public commenters tell Raleigh council Moore Square move is a civil‑rights issue, press for transparency on Dix/SHaw projects
Summary
Several speakers at the public-comment session urged the Raleigh City Council to treat the proposed Moore Square bus-station relocation as a civil-rights matter, not a crime issue, and raised transparency questions about the Dix Trail and coordination with Shaw University and related federal funds.
Octavia Rainey, who said she has been a civil‑rights activist for 50 years, told the council that the proposed Moore Square bus-station move is "a civil rights issue" and urged members to stop framing the matter as a crime problem. "Don't wrap this in a bow like it's a great present when it's poison," Rainey said, adding she is organizing meetings across Raleigh and will meet with the News & Observer and Raleigh Magazine to press the point.
Eugene Myrick asked the council for public answers about the Dix Trail and its routing through Shaw University's campus, whether federal funds tied to a Chavis Park–Dix Park connection had gone directly to Shaw, and why Council member Branch solicited letters in favor of a rezoning. Myrick said an on‑record whisper between the mayor and a council member during a prior public meeting "belongs in the public record" and asked whether that interaction influenced a rezoning vote. Those questions were posed as requests for transparency; the transcript records the questions but does not include council responses in this excerpt.
Chris Crew urged the council to pause consideration of stand‑alone zoning changes — citing Z‑5‑26 (New Bern Avenue) — until the comprehensive‑plan update is completed, arguing that piecemeal rezoning undermines equity and long‑term planning. He recommended routing change requests into the comprehensive‑plan process rather than handling them one‑by‑one.
Why it matters: Speakers framed land‑use decisions as matters of racial equity and institutional accountability, and they requested specific public disclosures about funding and decision‑making. No formal council responses or votes are recorded in the provided transcript segment; the concerns were raised during the public‑comment period and left open for follow up.
What to watch next: Council staff responses to the Myrick questions about Dix/SHAW funding and any formal responses or agenda items addressing Moore Square relocation or Z‑5‑26 will determine whether the concerns trigger legislative or procedural actions.
