Clinton youth appeal to city council

CLINTON — A group of Clinton’s youth addressed the city council at the regular monthly meeting last Tuesday.

Aaliyah Guinyard, president of the NAACP Youth Council, appeared before the council during the public comment portion of the meeting, with about a dozen teenagers and young people. Guinyard said she is a junior at Clinton High School, and wanted to thank the council for their attention to the youth of the city, but she also felt that more attention should be paid to the needs of area teens.

“As the youth of our city, we would like to address a few important issues that we believe need to be considered for the betterment of our community,” Guinyard said. “Our topic is ‘Our youth, teenagers.’”

She said that when she grows up, she wants to do cosmetology.

“So, one problem we would like to address is concerning teenagers not having nothing to do,” she said. “Examples like the Y. When the YMCA was built in Clinton, people thought, ‘oh, this could be a fun place for people to go.’ But little did we know, parents have to pay so much for their kids to even go for a day. Then also, memberships for the Y also cost $30. Some parents can’t afford that for their kids.”

She also talked about recreational football or basketball, which she said only goes up through age 12.

Mayor Lew Starling suggested that the kids attend the YMCA’s event at the Sampson County Airport on April 10 to see the planes. “It won’t cost you one penny,” he said. “YMCA leadership will be there that night. Tell them what you need.”

He also said the recreation director needed to address the concerns voiced about opportunities for teens.

Apostle Regina Lucious stepped up and told the mayor, “We need your help.” She said she works with the NAACP Youth Council and New Life Outreach Ministries.

“Many of y’all still haven’t come down to see the youth, so I decided I’d bring them to you,” Lucious said. “There’s many more.”

On Sunday mornings, she said their church is packed with probably 125 children. “We feed them. On Wednesday, I have 14 children that come to my house after school.”

She said it was important for the city council to see these children in person, and vice versa. “They never thought that behind the scenes is the city meeting,” she said. “They thought this is where you come in to pay the water bill. I wanted to show them, this is where they make the decisions for your life. It’s for the city. So y’all need to learn and come and see what they’re talking about.”

Lucious reiterated that the youth need the city council’s help, and not necessarily monetarily. “We need chips, we give them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Sundays,” she said. “Everybody wants water and juice. I don’t get paid.”

She said someone from Raleigh had donated 15 computers. “But we need all of y’all,” Lucious stated, adding, “I’m out all the time at night, at the police station, trying to help keep some of them off the streets. We are a voice. I’m going to keep crying out until we get what we need.”