Your view: West end deserves help

I moved to the west end of town over 53 years ago. It was a beautiful place to live. We raised four children, three nephews and two foster boys here. We are still here and have no plans to move. This is our home. Like Hope Terrell, we have had our house shot into, we've had our car tires slashed, eggs thrown at our car and house and a big whiskey bottle thrown through our bedroom window, but we are still here.

The city has allowed this to happen. They didn't want them going to the north end of town, so they began putting Section 8 houses out here. When someone moved, the houses were bought by Section 8. I have always wanted to help the poor, but we have reached the point where they are better off than we are. We give them a Section 8 house to live in, we give them food stamps to eat on and we pay them to have babies, so they just keep having them one after another.

I have always been a supporter of our city, but I don't believe they are doing their jobs as they should. Why do they allow grown men to stand on the corners or in the middle of the road, selling their drugs and cussing us out when we go by, instead of getting them out of here and making them get a job instead of selling drugs?

They are beginning to destroy some of the dumps out here, but when there is a vacant lot, everyone just throws their trash out there and leaves it - the city leaves it instead of cleaning it up. I saw a family the other day cleaning their yard by just raking the trash over on the vacant lot. The city knows this, but because it's on the west end, they do nothing about it, instead of acting like this is part of the town and either make the owner clean it up or clean it up themselves.

This used to be a pretty part of town but now the city doesn't seem to care because of Section 8. Drug dealers, lazy no-goods hanging out on the corners have been allowed to take over this part of town. People got scared and moved out and left it to them.

The city is responsible for allowing Section 8. They don't know who is in the houses or what they're doing because they're making money. I don't care to help people, and have for a lot of years. But I don't want to give these strong, healthy boys a house to make and peddle their drugs in. I went to work when I was 13 years old, went to school and graduated and continued to work. I learned at an early age if I wanted anything, I had to work for it. And that's what these boys should be doing. I don't mind helping the poor, but I don't want to support the lazy no-goods.

It's time the city begins to realize the west end is part of Sikeston and either clean it up or make the owners clean it up.

Pauline Williams