There is a war being waged for the sanity and survival of a section of Dillon County that is dear to me. Much of my history and upbringing can be traced to this little community in South Dillon called New Town, as I share in a soon to be released book entitled “Growing Old in New Town:  What Marked Me, What Marred Me, and What Made Me.”
As I have been fortunate and privileged to traverse and travel throughout this nation and many parts of the world, I almost always tell people that I am not just from America, South Carolina, or Dillon, but that I am from New Town. There is something about New Town that will always remain in me and accompany me, regardless of where I go. I consider myself a New Town original who owes a debt of gratitude to this impoverished place, this Nazareth out of which many good things and people have come.
My New Town Connections
Sometime in March of 1951, I was conceived in the womb of my mother, Marie Smith Goings, through the seed of Nathaniel Jim Goings while they were living in New Town.  I was birthed at Saint Eugene Community Hospital on December 11, 1951, and from there I was brought home to Calhoun Street in New Town.  
At the age of two, we moved to 210 Lucius Road in New Town. When I was in the ninth grade, we moved again to 211 Townsend Street in New Town. When I purchased my first home in 1973, it was a mobile home that I lived in until 1987 on 210 Hyatt Street in New Town.
I went to school at Gordon Elementary and Gordon High School respectively from first through twelfth grade in New Town. I attended a little Pentecostal Holiness Church on Dargan Street in New Town from a toddler until my early twenties. Five of my brothers, as well as my best friend, still reside in New Town. So now you know my New Town connections and why New Town, as sluggish and slummy as it perhaps may seem, is truly special and dear to my heart.
Old and Familiar Foes
In the battle for New Town, like in any war if you are going to fight and win, you must first know who your enemy is. The foes that we are contending with are old and very familiar ones. Though they have taken on a fresh face and a new guise, they are still the same old enemies that we battled years ago.
At the very top of our list of foes are the twins of illiteracy and poverty. This evil duo has always worked together against the people of New Town to keep them suppressed and stagnated.
Then there is their close kin idleness, which is busy and having its way on many of the young people in New Town. You can easily see its strategy and influence about any day of the week by just cruising through certain streets and areas in New Town that are under its sway. You will most likely see about any time of the day young men who are bent on mischief and criminal activity just hanging out without any sense of purpose or direction. I am not attempting to bring an indictment or any degree of judgment on these misguided young men, but in order to help them, as well as New Town, the truth must be told.
The next and perhaps the most dangerous and debilitating foe or problem that has attacked New Town is drug trafficking and crime which are interrelated and consequential. As flies and buzzards are attracted to dead carcasses, so too are crimes such as stealing, breaking-in, robbing, and even murdering associated with drug use, addiction, and trafficking.  
Finally on our list of foes that hinders both the healing and growth of New Town is fear and apathy. One very wise man once stated, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Far too many residents of New Town have adopted an attitude and policy of not wanting to speak out or get involved in the battle while the drug dealers and other criminals are taking over without any serious opposition or outcry. This idiotic response of silence and not blowing the whistle is an old concoction conceived by criminals that was called squealing. It was reinforced by intimidation, threats, and bribes.
Citizens of New Town, it is time to stop living in fear and apathy while the thugs continue to contaminate and desecrate what is yet decent and desirous about New Town, a place that is still worthy to rear our children and to be called home.
The Main Battlefield
In every war, there are important and strategic battlefields that are essential to winning the war. The Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Battle of Midway are just three of many significant battles in American history that helped to turn the tide of battle and became precursors to total victory.
What about this war that is being waged for New Town? Is there currently an area of greater concern that needs more attention and effort in order to defeat the enemy?
Through much inquiry and observation, I have come to believe that it is a little stretch on Dargan Street that runs from Lockemy’s Highway to Mr. Daniel’s Drive. It is very unfortunate that this section of Dargan Street, that was undeniably at one time during my upbringing one of the showcase areas of New Town, has now become inundated with drug dealers, addicts, and a drug house or two.
I believe that if the citizens of New Town can rise up with the help of law enforcement, this encroachment and invasive criminal activity can be nipped in the bud and crushed. Stop the activity on Dargan Street, then the dealers, users, and those who harbor and host it in their homes will get the message!
A Bold New Initiative
In the battle to rid New Town or any community of drug traffickers, undesirables, and any criminal element, there must be cooperation between those in law enforcement and the community. Neither without the help of the other can ever hope to get the job done.
It has come to my attention that a newly formed citizens group, primarily comprised of people who live in New Town, has come together with a Dillon County Sheriff’s Department Task Force spearheaded by Officer Brenda Campbell.  This crime watch and prevention group, which has seen some success in working with the citizens of certain other communities in the county, is indeed a necessary element in the battle.
As I conclude my comments, I would like to say that the time for idle talk and playing politics is up. It is not about who the sheriff is or who the sheriff is not. It is about winning the battle for New Town and letting the riff-raff and lewd folk know that they must go! We are taking back our community, one street at a time, by any means necessary.