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BY GARY GRESCO

When I first poured my heart and soul into the Warnersville bench installation, I had no idea this art project would have such a profound impact.

How could steel and stone be responsible for the ills of this community? Especially when there are so many other benches throughout Greensboro. This question was a major topic of conversation at the Tri-State Sculptors' annual conference at Elon University last weekend.

I have reached some conclusions. The Warnersville bench was removed to thwart the very words inscribed on each segment. They are:

-- Remove Endurance and replace it with surrender.

-- Remove Triumph and replace it with failure.

-- Remove Faith and replace it with apathy.

-- Remove Strength and replace it with weakness.

-- Remove Hope and replace it with despair.

This City Council did not remove steel and rocks, it removed these very concepts from the community.

These words were not mine. They came from a series of community discussions. They represent the thoughts, feelings and hopes of the people of this community. These words were those that they wanted to use to describe themselves. Now, even that has been taken away.

Otis Hairston Jr., once a supporter of this project, has flip-flopped for political gain. In the past he has criticized the city for not following through on plans to revitalize the Warnersville neighborhood and to bring back what once was there. Now he is blocking that very effort.

The Downtown Greenway project was intended to join all the communities, lead to improvements, create dialogue and, hopefully, prosperity. But there are some who wish Warnersville to remain on the other side of the tracks. It is a lot easier to control people in this way and make yourself seem important.

My reputation has been damaged and my concept destroyed. The image of Greensboro certainly has been tainted. The hard work of Action Greensboro has also been impaired by this irrational act.

I understand that during the slavery era it was against the law for a slave to read. The punishment was 39 lashes. Today you were offered words of inspiration in a memorial to the heritage of this first planned black community. You tore it down and treated it with indignity.

While many of you do nothing, the thugs and the derelicts are deciding the fate of your community. Politicians with a personal agenda are continuing this failure. The bench may be gone, but the very same problems that have plagued this neighborhood still exist.

When people don't see the big picture, they blind themselves with small ideas.

Sculptor Gary Gresko, who was paid $5,000 by the nonprofit Action Greensboro to create the Warnersville bench, lives in Oriental.