Cumberland County Progressives

05/13/2026

04/26/2026

Donald J. Trump delivered a masterclass last night in the theory of "Never let a good crisis go to waste."

Following the active shooter event at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the President implied that the ballroom was needed to provide more space and a higher level of security. He claimed this was something the military and Secret Service have wanted for the last 150 years.

At best he was lying. At worst it was historically inaccurate. But well played Mr. President. Well played.

04/25/2026

Honor Jackie Blue Inside the Crown Complex

Cumberland County is renovating the Crown Theatre and Arena. Architects have been hired. Design decisions are being made right now. Those decisions will determine what this space looks like for the next generation.

Someone needs to be remembered inside those walls.

Her name is Jackie Blue.

Jackie Blue was a Fayetteville resident who used a wheelchair. She tried to fully participate in public life at the Crown Complex. What she encountered instead were inaccessible restrooms, inadequate accessible seating, and barriers throughout the property and buildings that made full participation impossible.

She did not accept that.

In February 2014, Jackie Blue filed a federal lawsuit against Cumberland County under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In December 2015, the county settled. They promised full ADA compliance across all Crown facilities within seven years. That deadline was December 2022. The county missed it. An extension was granted. Years continued to pass.

In June 2025, after a proposed $145 million downtown replacement venue collapsed under the weight of escalating costs, the county voted to renovate the existing Crown Theatre and Arena instead. In January 2026, architects were hired. The work that Jackie Blue's lawsuit made inevitable is finally underway.

Jackie Blue did not live to see it.

We are not asking Cumberland County to name this facility after Jackie Blue. We understand that funding structures and public naming conventions make that impossible.

We are asking for something more personal and more lasting. A dedicated space inside the renovated Crown Theatre and Arena that honors her legacy. A permanent acknowledgment that this renovation exists because one woman in a wheelchair refused to be excluded from her own community.

Architects are designing this building right now. Once those plans are finalized, this moment is gone.

Contact Commissioner Kirk deViere today. Tell him Cumberland County must dedicate a space inside the renovated Crown Complex to honor the legacy of Jackie Blue.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 910-678-7771

Share this post. Tag someone who knew her. Tag someone who believes that when ordinary people change history, history should remember them.

Accessibility should never require a lawsuit.

But it did. And her name is Jackie Blue.

Honor her legacy.

Cumberland County Progressives

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