This might be Go Our Own Way - Phase 2. Long-time readers will recognize that Go Our Own Way - Phase 1 was when former City Manager Frank Stovall told the city council that, in order to attact industry, WE were going to have to build our own industrial park, and partnering with the Electric Co-ops of South Carolina, we were going to have to build our own spec buildings. No more just sitting back and waiting for the county and the state to throw us a few economic development crumbs - Victory Goes to the Bold.
And, it worked. Clinton built two spec buildings, selling them both - one to a subsidiary of General Electric and the other to a company that is expanding the existing building and, after expansion, likely will have a public announcement. We have one of the finest industrial areas with land available near the I-26 -- I-385 Split and, through the diligent work of former State Rep. and current Laurens County Council member David Tribble and others, we have property behind the SC DOT maintenance shed that was part of Whitten Center and now is in the city’s hands. Recognizing Clinton’s success, the LCDC is willing to be approached by us to seek roads funding for this, another massive industrial site - this development coming now as companies all over the world are looking at South Carolina because it is EV (electric vehicles) friendly and, let’s fact it, union free.
Now, Phase 2: one of our citizens was attacked by wild dogs and, while his life was saved, should we wait on Laurens County’s Animal Control office to “run off” the wild dogs that have attacked livestock in Laurens and now a human in Clinton? We say NO.
The Clinton City Council had its first opportunity to discuss the matter at a meeting that they call a work session Monday night (details too late for The Chronicle’s deadline) where they were set to talk about some other stuff. Here is the narrative of the dog attack from a GoFundMe that had raised $66,981, of a $10,000 goal, with 1.8K donations as of Feb. 21:
Headline: 11 year old boy attacked by a pack of dogs
Julia Jupie Bluford is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Amaryllis Lowe
Hi my name is Julia a friend of the family. On February 14th A’Rhyan Anderson also know as Red was heading to the bus stop. Upon approaching the bus stop he spotted a pack of dogs coming his way, he tried to run from them but they chased him down ripping through his body. As Red neighbor got to her home she seen a pack of dogs in the ditch which she thought they were digging through trash as she got closer she seen it was Red. She did everything she could to save his life. She bravely fought the dogs off call 911. Red was rushed to Laurens County hospital from there he was air lifted to Greenville Memorial Hospital where he was rushed into surgery, he will have another surgery Friday (Feb. 16). Red has 60 puncture wounds, One in his head and many others down his arms legs and back. His left hamstring has the most severe injury having to need a wound vac. He will have to go through physical therapy and has a long road to recovery. Emotional and mental support will also be required considering the trauma he’s going to go through. His mother’s name is Amy Lowe, she is a single mother of 5 wonderful children. Amy needs our help as she will be out of work through Red recovery no amount is to small and if you can’t give please share this post and keep them in your prayers. All donations will go to Amy. You can cash app her as well $Queen55 Thanks in advance
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One of the words of support: Donna Stolzenberg Poor little man. Our love and prayers are with you all the way from Melbourne Australia. Please let us know if we can send a Koala Bear or a Kangaroo toy for Red to cuddle as he recovers.
In our view, the City of Clinton and School District 56 should petition their insurance carriers to negotiate with the insurance of Prisma Health (manager of both hospitals mentioned above) to cover all bills for this young man’s recovery. Better legal minds than ours can figure out if this can be done without litigation. This does not admit liability on anyone’s part - it’s a tough sell because the attack happened on neither City of Clinton nor District 56 property.
Also, a commendation for the brave individual who saved his boy’s life, Natasha Mims, is not out of the question. Initially, Clinton Police killed two of the attacking dogs and two others ran off - we should not have to be subjected to a “shoot on sight” order to have our children safe at bus stops.
Laurens Police already have had well-documented cases of roaming dogs (coyotes?) killing livestock inside the city limits, and pushback on the “shoot to kill” order related to dogs whose owners cannot be documented. The former animal control leader for the Sheriff’s Office offered comments connected to The Chronicle’s Facebook share of a post about this latest animal attack. Should the City of Clinton - and Laurens, too, for that matter - continue to contract with the County through an office that it funds, the Sheriff’s Office which is the only entity at the county level that can “deputize” animal control officers, for COUNTYWIDE protection from wild dogs? That Question, we believe, requires from serious debate, in light of a dog attack that happened on Clinton’s North Livingston Street, on Valentine’s Day.
The wild dogs, and if they are domesticated, their owners, are responsible for this tragedy and, yes, this crime. Owners if there are any should be tracked down. However, in a larger sense, can we be surprised that wild animals come into our towns now, considering that WE have torn down their natural habitats with reckless abandoned. All in the name of “Progress.” The City needs to examine this neighborhood and realize that it is right by what’s left of Clinton Mill and determine if those ruins are providing safe-haven for wild dogs. Even things like throwing partly eaten food out of a car window can contribute to “roaming packs of wild dogs scrounging for food” - that goes for coyotes, too.
That is a wide-ranging topic - that is the 100 Miles in the Air view of what happened. The zoned in view is this, Let’s get this young man well. The Clinton Little Devils football and cheerleading organization shared a Facebook post about the GoFundMe and, certainly, that is a great start. Many times, “we take care of our own” - we hope that’s the case here.
