Dear New York City,
The first time I saw you, I was caught in complete astonishment. One of the best feelings I find pleasure in is seeing a city’s skyline for the first time. It was the summer of 2017 when I first laid eyes on yours. The sheer scale and architectural brilliance of hundreds of years were as intimidating as they were beautiful. The sun shimmering on One World Trade Center as it set was beyond words when viewed from Exchange Place in Jersey. Walking your streets for days, I felt what makes this place like no other. The hustle, the creativity, the chaos, the diversity, the new experiences on every street… so many things that, overwhelmingly like so many others, made me decide to call you home.
I packed up my life and headed back no longer as a tourist, but on a journey that only calling you home would take me on. In my time here I’ve worked a few jobs, volunteered in your parks, stayed out all night on your streets, smiled, frowned, succeeded and failed. I’ve heard negative things here and there about you from others, and have seen your flaws for myself. You’re expensive, not sanitary to put it nicely, and seemingly always tend to get yourself into trouble. Nothing in life is perfect anyway. However, there is one flaw that, if left unchecked, can destroy you and all that call you their home—your politics.
Your politics have poisoned you. You neglect your own for the sake of those who don’t share your values of hard work and grit. You are controlled by people whose ideologies crush those they were intended to help. You turn your nose to logic and act on virtue. You forget your place as the symbol of a free nation by forcing your politics on your people. You have prioritized the downfall of one man above the safety of millions. You allow those who cause harm to others to walk free in the name of equity. I could go on, but you get the point…
I believe your politics can be changed. Those who control your politics are the people who have poisoned you. I don’t think that New Yorkers who placed these politicians in power are beyond repair from the stupor they’ve been in for decades that have allowed your politics to become what it is today. I believe knowledge is power, and those that call New York home can open their eyes when they discover it. Unfortunately, in our democracy, these politicians prey on the ignorance of their constituents. They understand that the voting public overall does not possess the political acumen to see the ramifications of their virtuous words. Your politicians spew these words regardless, to gain power over you, at the expense of all that has made you.
Trying to fix a person in any relationship is often a losing battle… However, this is a battle that is too important not just for New Yorkers but for the United States. You are the face of a nation, the first thing many throughout history saw when they arrived in this amazing country. You are a world power, a symbol of human evolution, a light that literally outshines the stars. I will not allow your politics to destroy you. This is a battle to save you from your politics, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this fight…
Sincerely,
Novaughn Miller