BENNETTSVILLE — During last week’s two-part Bennettsville City Council meeting, council members heard public comments highlighting neighborhood safety concerns for both man and beast, leading council to shift the proposed Marlboro County Humane Society agreement to a workshop. Council expressed a desire to learn more about how certain aspects of the agreement would be implemented.
Humane Society Agreement
Making a motion to table discussions until a workshop can be held, Councilman Cy’Heim McCrae says he has questions surrounding the agreement’s implementation.
He asked if the Humane Society item be taken up during the same workshop planned for other city businesses, so representatives could attend and answer questions.
“I would just ask if we could discuss this at the same workshop,” McCrae said, adding that he wanted “both parties [there] so it won’t be kind of a one-sided thing.”
McCrae said he had questions about requirements placed on the city and wanted to better understand “how we implement that program that they’re talking about.”
Council then agreed to table contract discussions until the next workshop, which is expected within about two weeks.
Public comment tackles animal control and neighborhood conditions
Repeat speaker and local resident, Pamela Best, urged council members to observe conditions in some Bennettsville neighborhoods for themselves. Citing her profession as a U.S. Postal Service worker, Best says she has a front row seat to areas where she says the city is failing.
“You could ride around and look and see what the neighborhoods look like and imagine how you would feel if it was your neighborhood,” Best said, before touching on animal control issues city-wide.
Highlighting the issue as an intensely public one, Best read from statements made across social media platforms referencing the local issue. According to her, many residents are going online to share their fear of the stray dogs.
Describing a city under siege, Best revealed online complaints about loose dogs, attacks on pets and the mounting frustration she says is felt by residents who contact animal control only to continuously see a lack of satisfactory results.
According to Best, social media commentary about the issue states, “There are violent dogs going around our neighborhood,” and she also claimed another commentor stated, “We’ve contacted animal control multiple times and nothing has been done.”
Best read, “The amount of feral animals here is a big problem. I’m not a fan of the circle of life argument when it comes to my pets being harmed in their own yard, minding their business by stray animals. It has been 10 months since my 12-year-old beloved cat was attacked in his own yard,” she continued, “The city was going to have workshops on this problem and try to solve it. That has never happened in 10 months. It’s a shame that more precious cats have been killed by vicious dogs since mine was attacked. This should be a top priority for the city to find and hire someone to take care of the serious problem we have in Bennettsville. The next time it can be a human.”
She concluded by expressing her dismay the issue persists, saying, “I came here three years ago. It sounds insane.”
Best also asked to be included in the Humane Society workshop, saying she viewed the matter as one of animal population control and community oversight.
“If I could be included in the Humane Society workshop, I would like that. You said that like last year you would include me. You never did. I would like to be included if that’s possible,” Best requested.
Mayor Abraham responds
Returning to the issue later in the meeting, Bennettsville Mayor Tyron Abraham said officials did not respond during public comments because they wanted to gather information before giving an answer.
He added, “We want to try to do the best that we can. I have a dog and I love it. I know that if anyone has animals, I know that they’re part of the family. Mine sure is part of my family. We don’t want to mistreat them is what I’m saying.”
Mayor Abraham closed by acknowledging Best’s persistence on the issue saying, “I respect Miss Best being consistent because she’s consistent in what she believes in,” he said.