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Here in America’s Can Do City, we start this week with remembrance and resolve. As we reflect on the events of September 11, 2001, we honor the lives lost and the courage of the families, first responders, and service members who carry that memory forward. One meaningful way to pause and reflect is by visiting the Field of Honor—hundreds of U.S. flags on display downtown from September 11 through November 11 at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum and Veterans Park. It’s a powerful reminder of service, sacrifice, and unity.
That unity is something we can choose every day. Fayetteville’s “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” values call us to disagree without being disagreeable—to listen well, lean into facts, and reject violence as a shortcut to solving hard problems. That’s what a Can Do community looks like in practice: we show up, we speak up, and we keep it civil.
Looking towards next week, Monday, Sept. 15, we look forward to celebrating progress and partnerships at the Joint City-County Liaison Committee meets at noon in the Cumberland County Courthouse and FTCC’s groundbreaking at 1:30 p.m. on Raeford Road.
I’d love to see you at Doug in the District on Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. for a relaxed, come-as-you-are conversation where neighbors, business owners, and City staff sit down together to share ideas, ask questions, and talk through what matters to you. Bring your best suggestions (and even your disagreements); we’ll listen with respect, look for common ground, and focus on practical next steps because that’s the “Can Do” way. Whether you want to chat about public safety, streets and sidewalks, parks, permitting, or the big picture of where Fayetteville is headed, your voice helps shape the work. Drop in anytime that evening before 7:30 p.m., say hello, and let’s keep building a safer, kinder, more connected community—one honest conversation at a time.
On Thursday, Sept. 18, compassion meets action at the Community Homeless Veterans Stand Down in Festival Park at 10 a.m. I encourage you to join our Police “Faith in Action” gathering at 5 p.m., Massey Hill Classical High School parking lot) and the Fayetteville NEXT Commission (6:30 p.m.) underscore how dialogue, service, and shared purpose move us forward.
As we move through these days of remembrance and service, let’s keep choosing the Can Do way: show up for each other, speak with respect, debate the issue—not the person—and build a safer, kinder Fayetteville together with solutions-oriented options. That’s how we honor the past and shape the future—one conversation, one event, one good decision at a time.
Best,
Dr. Douglas J. Hewett
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