The parking deck was in the news today:

It’s more of the same. Our local leadership has failed to hold the private developers accountable, and we’ve wasted almost 20 million tax dollars in the process. We’re stuck with a massive reminder that Fayetteville just isn’t good enough for a Hyatt Place Hotel, fancy apartments, or even the steakhouse they promised on the first floor. It’s just a parking deck, without an elevator.

But another headline got my attention, one that’s far more important than empty brick and steel:

Violent crime is on the rise. I’m sick of it. You probably are too.

Troy Williams, of the Fayetteville Observer, had an interesting take today. He noted that funeral directors across the country are stepping in to educate and inform young people about the true cost of violence:

“Mimicking the 1970s “Scared Straight” programs used throughout the United States as a means of deterring juvenile crime by troubled teens visiting adult prisons, morticians are employing their updated version of “Scared Straight” by inviting parents and their youngsters to take a seat in their offices — and plan the youngster’s funerals. I hope it makes a difference. The senseless killings have to stop. Murder does irreparable damage to families. I know. Friday was the anniversary of my youngest brother’s murder in Washington, D.C. in 2011.”

Fayetteville is declining, and it’s time we get our house in order. Fortunately, it’s an election year, and I know one funeral home owner who’s not getting a free pass this time.