From Reid Rushing to Malcolm Thomas:
Mr. Thomas,
I wanted to let you know as a business owner and resident of Escambia County, I support the Friendship Missionary’s vision for the Brownsville Middle School. I believe the Citizens of District 3 (which is one of the poorest districts in Florida) should be provided a place in their community where they can worship and learn. To make the people who support Friendship pay for a building that will better their lives is in some way taking food and other essential supplies out of their hands.
These people in District 3 have very little, yet they are the ones pledging to help pay for this purchase by providing gifts of $5-$10 to Friendship whenever they can. Yes, they will have a bank funding the purchase, but the bank will need repayment of the loan. Who do you think is going to pay the loan? The people Friendship serves. So in reality, you are taking away from the people we are suppose to be serving by forcing them to pay for a building that is in their neighborhood that will probably do nothing more than sit there for years to come. This of course will just encourage more crime and poverty.
OK, maybe the county has someone else that will purchase the building for over $1M dollars. Great! What will be their use of the building? Typically, it would be something that is self-serving to the purchaser. They will do something in the building to provide a profit to their pockets. What would the likelihood that any of those monies will ever filter back down to District 3 residents? Maybe from the inhabitants of the building going to eat at a nearby fast food restaurant where some of the District 3 residents may work (I guess this could be called “trickling downâ€).
My thought would be allowing the residents of District 3 to have the school for Free, and allow the $1M pledged to go back to the community in programs and other things that will directly impact the residents of the district and the community Friendship serves.
I hope you will consider this in the next meeting this comes up for a vote. We believe in you Mr. Thomas, you have done wonderful things for the Schools in Escambia County. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by and do something Huge for one of the poorest districts in Florida.
-Reid Rushing, AAI
