Committee to Re-Elect Andre’ Knight Response To Tarrick Pittman

The Committee to Re-Elect Andre’ Knight has committed to run our re-election efforts on the outstanding record of success and growth that Rocky Mount has experienced in the 15 years that our candidate has served with distinction and honor as the City Council Representative for Ward 1. Councilman Knight, from the outset of his first candidacy, has been maligned, accused and vilified unjustly. Thankfully, the people of Ward 1 saw through every attempt to disqualify our Candidate, Council Representative Andre’ Knight, and sent him back to serve the people and lead progress for all of Rocky Mount.

We believe that cheap stunts that our candidate’s opponent is attempting to perpetrate are dishonorable, sad and desperate. First of all, the recent Facebook posts that Mr. Pittman has published on his page are libelous and slanderous. The information is false, the pictures are not of his house and his allegations of neglect, taking advantage of people who are struggling to survive and violating City ordinances are lies. Our candidate has not addressed Mr. Pittman’s own inconsistencies in his business and legal affairs. From the outset, he blamed Councilmen Knight and Blackwell for targeting him and trying to evict him from City property. Lies. Both Councilmen tried supporting him as a new downtown business by referring potential clients to him and even taking their own personal computers to him to repair. Regardless of the disappointing outcomes they experienced in their business interactions with him, they did not slander or accuse him. It was the Administration of the City of Rocky Mount, under the advisement of the City’s Attorney’s office, that held Mr. Pittman responsible for his own obligations as a tenant of the City. The NC judicial system resolved that matter recently and our Council Representative had nothing to do with the complaint or the outcome. This is documented history.

Unlike his opponent, Councilman Andre’ Knight has a strong record of advocacy and accomplishment. He does not have to conjure vague images, create suspicion and sow discord through veiled Helms, Reagan and Trump smoke and mirror tactics. We’ve seen all that before. Our candidate led the fight to bring relief to our electric customers in Rocky Mount and to our friends throughout eastern North Carolina from unjust charges levied by Duke Power through Electricities. That battle with industry titans was fought and won. That is documented history.

Our candidate has helped recruit business investment to Ward 1, led revitalization efforts and advocated for increased funding for housing, business development, and enhanced safety measures in inner-city communities in Rocky Mount. Rocky Mount is better than it has ever been. We have new housing where dilapidated warehouses once stood. We have cleared blocks of ruined houses where open-air drug markets existed. We have created and funded policies and projects that have brought tens of millions of dollars in public and private investment to downtown Rocky Mount. For the first time EVER, an international hotel brand is seriously considering locating in east Rocky Mount with the prospect of bringing brand new commercial and retail developments and condominiums to our downtown in Rocky Mount/Edgecombe County. That is documented history.

Our candidate has been a strong advocate for poor people, the elderly and the sick and has brought progress to our City through his leadership. He chairs a real Board of Directors at OIC that serves thousands of real people every month. Under Knight’s leadership, real people are being trained, put to work, opening businesses and their healthcare concerns and needs are being met. More documented history, not fictional and vague accomplishments.

Our candidate is a real entrepreneur that has run a family business since the 1990s and struggles as every small business owner does. There is no shame in not having all the money you need for everything you need all the time. However, we believe that it is deceitful, dangerous and treacherous that a candidate who wants to represent people in Ward 1 brazenly leads and carries an agenda of lies, sabotage, destruction, and annihilation of every policy and leader that has opposed unjust institutions, practices, and people. Andre’  Knight has not received endorsements or accepted money from people who have openly maligned east Rocky Mount and Edgecombe County, disparaged and disrespected our elected and appointed leaders and have tried to destroy regional growth and economic success in Edgecombe County. That is documented history too.

Right now, the Committee to Re-Elect Andre’ Knight is focused on winning this election through the support of the people again. We cannot and will not be distracted by baseless lies and innuendo. That’s a well-thought and planned Trump-inspired move. We will not respond to every falsehood that is published and every fear that is promulgated by our opponents. But it is a mistake for our opponent to think that he can say whatever he wants to say without being accountable for his words and actions. We know he is just one small cog in a web of candidates who are being paid, endorsed and supported by privileged millionaires to destroy the true unity that is bringing life again to historically neglected communities and neighborhoods.

We know that we are fighting institutionalized racism that is fueled and fed by the supporters of President Trump right here in Rocky Mount. It’s happening all over the country, we saw some of them in Greenville a few weeks ago and those same forces are trying to destroy the progress we have all made working together in Rocky Mount. We all have eyes to see and ears to hear. We lived through Jesse Helms’ tactics and we’ll make it through Donald Trump strategies.  Our candidate has a brain to think independently and a mouth to speak TRUTH TO POWER. Andre’ Knight is UNBOUGHT AND UNBOSSED. Now that is documented history and that is why we support Andre’ Knight as our candidate for City Council for Ward 1!

THE COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT ANDRE’ KNIGHT

See Tarrick’s Pittman post https://www.facebook.com/tarrickpittmanward1/