Oct 03, 2024
Drive past an area near Farragut and Garfield avenues on any given day and it’s more than likely a black woman wielding a broom will catch your eye. On Wednesday, almost like every other day, Ms. Wilson, a proud member of the Jehovah Witness religion, wearing a bucket hat, sunglasses and a mouth mask, sweeps her sidewalk. “I have to clean. My dad taught me well, he let me know when I was five years old that it’s my responsibility to do my part in the community,” Ms. Wilson preached. The transplant from Dillon, S.C. said she honors her father, James “Pick” Bethea, a former popular barber who owned a shop on Jefferson St., and Jehovah for a devotion of cleanliness. Wilson said she’s lived in her home for nearly 50 years and has watched her neighborhood hold on. In July, this community suffered a tragedy when Yony Emmanuel Cruz-Rodriguez died while attempting to thwart a carjacking. The carjacker, jumped into Cruz-Rodriguez’ Dodge Durango likely not knowing two children were in the back seat. The father of two attempted to climb into the vehicle through a rear window. Shots were fired and Cruz-Rodriguez perished. Police eventually arrested and charged a 17-year-old from nearby Lawrence with numerous offenses, including first-degree felony murder. “I watched all of that happen right there, watched that car crash into a van. Watched them take that poor (father) out of his vehicle,” Wilson said. Ms. Wilson said her community needs more street lighting and a few more residents willing to clean near their homes. “You got to teach children early about cleaning up and faith. I read my Bible everyday and clean up just about as much,” she said.
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