Personal account since 2008. Opinions are mine.
Columbia, SC
Joined December 2008
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Sound familiar South Carolina?
“The people who turned Wilmington into such a desirable place are the very ones who’ve been priced out, pushed aside, and told to get out of the way.”
You want to know why I hate North Carolina’s population boom? Look no further than my birthplace: Wilmington.
I was blessed to spend my adolescence in the Port City, back when it still felt like home.
Local culture was strong, the festivals along the riverfront were part of who we were, and you didn’t spend your day worrying about whether you were safe. You could get across town in twenty minutes. Kids played in the streets. Teenagers roamed the city without their parents fearing for their safety.
Then Wilmington started growing, and little by little, the place I loved began disappearing.
Outsiders took over city council. Housing prices skyrocketed, pushing the very people whose families built Wilmington into surrounding areas. Festivals were destroyed, landmarks lost the names generations had known, and statues came down to appease the woke mob. Wetlands were destroyed to squeeze in more housing, and historic oaks were ripped out to make room for palm trees. Traffic became as miserable as Raleigh or Charlotte. And now even the adults need to keep their heads on a swivel because there aren’t enough cops to keep up with rising crime.
All in the name of growth.
I watched a place that once felt like paradise turn into my idea of hell.
And the hardest part?
The people who turned Wilmington into such a desirable place are the very ones who’ve been priced out, pushed aside, and told to get out of the way.
This is what happens when a community prioritizes population growth over the people, history, and culture that made it worth living in.
So before you start cheering for more development and another boom in population, stop and think about what you’re actually asking for.
Growth isn’t progress, and a bigger population doesn’t equal a better place to live.
You can love North Carolina and still refuse to watch it be loved to death.
Trey Walker 🇺🇸 retweeted
You can save some money and just implement the @flynnbowie plan.
North Carolina must adapt to AI carolinajournal.com/opinion/…
Trey Walker 🇺🇸 retweeted
Before representing South Carolina in the U.S. Senate, I was the head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and prior to that, an optician. This morning, I had the opportunity to see the nexus of these three roles. I joined @officialsccb and @Meta at an event where they are donating AI-powered Meta glasses at no cost to blind veterans in our state.
I was particularly moved by one veteran who became emotional after being fitted for these glasses because he was able to read his church bulletin by himself.
This technology is a game changer for our blind veterans. There are so many everyday tasks that we take for granted, like being able to read a letter from a loved one, identify a household object or navigate unfamiliar surroundings independently. These Meta glasses will make a real difference in the lives of veterans living with blindness.
I’m grateful for this partnership between Meta and the South Carolina Commission for the Blind because it’s an ingenious example of how to better serve those who served our country.
If you’re an eligible veteran, you can register for upcoming Meta glasses donation events in our state: acbmedia.org/glasses/request…
My favorite!
Recommendation of the Week: Club sandwich at Columbia’s No Name Deli thestate.com/living/food-dri…
Trey Walker 🇺🇸 retweeted
We discovered and communicated with a Chinese AI agent fleet. We believe this is the first time that researchers have ever made contact with a rogue agent fleet in the wild.
Nearly all prior public agent incidents (like the HuggingFace hack) came from American labs. These agents were hosted by Tencent's evaluation research team, and they targeted Alibaba's Amap.
Texas has it figured out. South Carolina is next. youtu.be/TFALZvjm6_s?si=ihUz… via @YouTube
Trey Walker 🇺🇸 retweeted
Had a great time doing this project on my beloved South Carolina for @wsj. Check it out if you can.
Almost 70,000 students applied last year, and almost 80 percent of them are from out-of-state, @jdawsey1 says of @UofSC. wsj.com/politics/elections/i…
It’s common sense too. SC needs a uniform common sense framework for digital investment.
Guardrails. Local decisions. Enviro safety. Property tax relief. No special deals. Enforceable laws.
It's no surprise a new poll says more than 80 percent of SC residents don't want to live near data centers. But its suggestion for changing opinions is actually a good idea. postandcourier.com/opinion/e…
Trey Walker 🇺🇸 retweeted
New polling by a national industry group shows South Carolinians’ support for data centers is minimal unless regulations are place. They hope the findings will lead to regulations at the state level. postandcourier.com/politics/…
