Raleigh mayor: Unemployment rate rises to 11.5% during pandemic

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin on Thursday spoke about two major issues in the city -- economic losses due to coronavirus pandemic, and racial inequity.

Posted 3:17 p.m. Jul 16, 2020 — Updated 7:00 p.m. Jul 16, 2020

Maggie Brown

and

Jessica Patrick, WRAL multiplatform producers

RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin on Thursday spoke about two major issues in the city -- economic losses due to coronavirus pandemic, and racial inequity.

"We have a moment to do something that no one has ever done before," Baldwin said. "And that is really to build on our equity issue and to build justice for all."

Baldwin said Raleigh can not overturn 200 years of racism in just a few weeks but that the city is "committed to action."

One step toward racial equity is appointing Stormie Denise Forte to the Raleigh City Council, Baldwin said. Forte, who fills the District D position vacated by Saige Martin, is the first African-American woman to serve on the council.

Raleigh City Council chooses first African-American woman to fill vacant District D seat

"While I'm proud of that, I'm not proud that it took this long," Baldwin said.

Baldwin listed several changes coming for Raleigh, including a police advisory board, which she said has been in the works in Raleigh for four years.

The recently-appointed board will aid in policy decisions, and their charge is to help build trust in the community. Raleigh has also called for an outside review of police response to riots. They will also look at how use-of-force policies can be improved.

Once the review is complete, the Raleigh Police Department will release a report.

Baldwin also said a new department will focus on assisting women and minority-owned businesses, and support the Latinx community, to ensure all business owners have the knowledge and opportunities to thrive.

Baldwin went on to address economic woes the pandemic has brought to the city, saying "the impacts of COVID are deep."

Some of those impacts, Baldwin said, are:

Downtown Raleigh's business revenue is down by 80%
Before the pandemic, Raleigh's unemployment rate was at 3.2%. Now it's at more than 11%.
Raleigh artists report $1.7 million in losses, and less than half of arts organizations believe they will survive the pandemic.

To help those suffering from losses, Raleigh is granting $5 million in federal funding for eviction protection, she said.

The City and the Chamber of Commerce are also reaching small businesses by offering webinars on unemployment aid, paycheck protection and other resources.

An $80 million housing bond has been approved and will appear on the November ballot. The money will go toward helping vulnerable residents and will providing public and private partnerships to build housing.

Local nonprofit provides affordable housing as pandemic causes households to miss payments

Funds will be allocated for a first-time home buyers program and a home repair program that keeps people in their homes.

Raleigh has created a small business relief fund. The city contributed $1 million, and the corporate community raised almost $700,000 for businesses. The fund has assisted 185 businesses and provided $1.7 million in assistance. The city also has relaxed its outdoor dining rules and expanded outdoor seating to help restaurants.

Suggest A Correction