Staff Reports
Montgomery County officials and local remembrance groups spent part of this year installing markers and holding ceremonies to remember three men who were lynched in the county more than a century ago. James L. Stowe, the county’s Director of the Office of Human Rights, joined the programming and urged the county to reckon with that painful past. That’s their right — but it’s fair to ask whether paying staff time and public dollars for long-ago memorial pageantry is the best use of taxpayer money when everyday costs are crushing local families right now.
What Montgomery County actually did
The county and local partners staged a series of remembrance events tied to a new exhibit and historical markers documenting three documented lynchings: George W. Peck (1880), John Diggs‑Dorsey (1880) and Sidney Randolph (1896). The effort is part of a broader Remembrance & Reconciliation program that has worked with local groups to install markers and program memorial activities. County planning documents show a modest capital planning line for a Montgomery County Lynching Memorial to prepare a site in front of the Council Office Building — a small local appropriation was set aside for that planning.
Why many residents are right to be frustrated
Critics point out a simple comparison: Montgomery County’s median gross rent runs roughly $2,068, and many families face monthly utility bills that eat into that already high housing cost. Voters are asking why county leaders are prioritizing ceremonies and marker planning when renters are struggling, violent crime and public-safety complaints are on the public docket, and households want relief that helps them pay real bills. It’s not melodrama to ask for practical help now — not just remembrance of events that took place 130 years ago.
Context matters — and the context is twofold
Supporters say these ceremonies are about truth-telling and healing. The memorial work documents that the three men were taken from custody and killed by mobs — extrajudicial violence that local organizers argue deserves public acknowledgment. The county’s Remembrance & Reconciliation Commission, along with local memorial groups, have been working on this for years and frame the markers as part of long-term community work, not a sudden stunt.
So what should Montgomery County do?
Fine — remember the past. But don’t pretend that remembrance should crowd out basic budgeting priorities. County leaders can support memorials while also showing a plan to address rent pressure, homelessness, public safety and core services. Transparency matters: show the line items, explain staff time, and spell out why this memorial project advances the community in practical ways. Voters deserve both honesty about history and action on today’s problems.
At the end of the day, symbolism without substance is a spectator sport. If Montgomery County wants applause for moral clarity, it should first produce results for households drowning in bills. The public won’t be fooled by wreaths and speeches if their rent keeps rising and their streets feel less safe. Elected officials should remember that stewardship of taxpayer dollars includes dealing with the here and now — not just curating the past.
