Gesturing above his head to a rusty cannonball lodged in the wall of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, a long-time shop owner continued his “State of the Mall” address. “This hostile projectile fired by Lord Dunmore’s ships aiming to destroy our city is celebrated as the namesake of the ‘Cannonball Trail,’ connecting historic sites and public attractions in downtown Norfolk.
“What about the brick-and-mortar that defended our community from its impact? It’s the only substantial structure that survived the burning of Norfolk during the Revolutionary War, when the rest of the city succumbed to flames. Is that not significant enough alone to replace ‘Cannonball Trail’ with ‘Brick-and-Mortar Trail?’ “Besides, honoring ill-intended round shot — courtesy of a past governor of Virginia — when gun violence has escalated to a national public health emergency, could be off target. Let alone fired at a place of worship.
” Eyeing city leaders, the speaker added, “Now that the city owns MacArthur Center, how many of you deciding its fate — right across the street — have shopped there lately? Are mall shops promoted on the city’s website? Any cross-promotion between the center and nearby MacArthur Memorial? Is there a ‘shop local’ campaign offering city employees and the military mall discounts to encourage foot traffic?” The above scenario never unfolded but it makes a point. After attending the mayor’s State of the City address in April, I imagi.