Letter to the Editor: By the Daughter of a Resident at Roland Paylor Apartments

When the systems meant to protect us fail, where do we go? When those in power choose silence over service, who steps in? For the residents of Roland Paylor Apartments — a senior community in Kinston — the answer was painfully clear: no one in authority was listening. Not the housing authority. Not city officials. Not the mayor.

So we turned to someone who would. And that someone was Kareem Moore.

For three months — three months — my mother and dozens of her elderly neighbors lived without hot water. Forty-five units, filled with seniors, many in their 70s and 80s, many disabled, were left to boil water in pots just to bathe. But the lack of hot water was just the tipping point in a building plagued by safety hazards, health violations, and an administration that offered excuses instead of answers.

We’re talking about floors held together with duct tape. Failing elevators trapping people who use walkers and wheelchairs. A locked recreation room that was supposed to build community but instead gathered dust. Cockroaches. Bedbugs. A laundry room that was often inaccessible. 

This wasn’t a temporary lapse — it was systemic neglect. And many of these residents, my mother included, did what they were told to do. They filed complaints. They called property managers. They reached out to officials. They waited for change that never came.

Some of the seniors didn’t even know they had rights — basic human rights to safe, dignified living conditions. And instead of receiving answers, they received silence... or smart remarks. They received fear. They were told not to complain or they could be held responsible. That’s not housing — that’s intimidation.

We went to the housing authority. We went to City Hall. We sent emails, placed calls, and submitted formal complaints. Nothing happened.

Then I contacted Kareem Moore — someone who, at that point, had no title or position that obligated him to act. He simply cared.

He didn’t send a staffer. He didn’t make a vague promise or ask us to “be patient.” He showed up. In person. He listened to the residents individually. He heard their voices and their stories. And he responded like a leader should — with action.

Once Kareem and his team began shining light on the state of Roland Paylor Apartments and connected social services to the residents, suddenly the housing authority started paying attention. Suddenly, management had the capacity to move the seniors into temporary hotel rooms — but even then, only those who agreed to hand over the keys to their apartments.

Yes. You read that right. Keys. To their own leased homes.

If they wanted temporary housing due to unsafe conditions they didn’t create, they had to surrender their ability to even access their apartment. They were told “you can’t live in two places at once.” As if they were trying to double up on beachfront condos. As if a hotel room and a subsidized senior apartment were somehow the same thing. Forcing seniors to choose between safety and access to their belongings — how is that not retaliation?

It shouldn’t have taken a mayoral candidate showing up at the building to get attention. It shouldn’t have taken media coverage or direct pressure to get elderly residents hot water and temporary relief. And yet, here we are — with a clear picture of how the current administration responds to crisis unless they’re backed into responding.

This isn’t politics. This is humanity.

Kareem Moore didn’t just hear us. He acted. He stood beside people who’d been ignored, dismissed, and neglected — then used his voice and platform to force accountability where there was none. That’s leadership. That’s what a public servant should look like — even before they’re in office.

So I say this clearly: If this city wants better, we need better leaders. Leaders who care. Leaders who show up. Leaders like Kareem Moore.

My mom and I wholeheartedly support Kareem. Not because of a slogan or signs, but because when my mother needed help, and when our most vulnerable neighbors were being failed, Kareem didn’t wait for power — he used his voice to protect theirs.

This isn’t just a campaign. It’s a chance for Kinston to turn the page. Let’s choose leadership that stands with the people — especially those who can’t stand alone.

Khadija Letitia Davis