Facing an audience filled with protesters, the Durham City Council convened Monday night to discuss an issue it has grappled with for weeks—whether to award a considerable construction bid to Hairston Enterprises, a Durham-based construction firm known for its employment of minorities.
During the meeting, council members faced accusations that they have failed to provide adequate employment and training opportunities for Durham’s low-income demographic and the black community.
Despite the protests of the group, the council voted four to three to award the contract to two competitors—Raleigh Durham Construction Company Inc. and Blue Ridge Enterprises.
The disputed contract concerns the redevelopment of 32 homes located on Barnes Avenue in Northeast Central Durham—a project worth an estimated $3.4 million. Hairston lost the contract on 16 of those homes earlier this year to lower-bidder Blue Ridge Enterprises, a company based in Mount Airy, N.C.
The protesters, who made up a majority of those present and claimed to be Durham’s jobless and homeless, held up neon posters with messages such as “Weak leadership makes weak communities” and “Blacks are being left out” before Mayor Bill Bell asked that they be removed in accordance with city council rules.
A majority of the council, including Bell, disagreed with the protesters’ conclusion that Hairston would provide a greater benefit to the community. City Manager Patrick Baker supported Blue Ridge Enterprises and Raleigh Durham Construction Company Inc. and cited commitments by the two contractors to hire more minorities and low-income workers.
Vincent Brown, Hairston’s principal partner, spoke to the council on behalf of many of the protesters.
“I am very saddened by our leadership in Durham,” he said.
Brown criticized the council for failing to address the city’s impoverished minorities, using the Barnes Avenue contract as the most recent example. Hairston would, he claimed, create much needed work for the jobless and homeless in the area.
“You cry out that you want to help homeless but your actions show you don’t,” Brown said near the conclusion of his speech.
Monday’s vote was the culmination of a discussion that has extended since last December when Hairston filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Although the city voted March 8 to delay a vote on the contract in order to further examine the issue, the final result mirrored the council’s earlier sentiments.
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