Politics among issues on table at Durham barbershop, senior center

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- If you ask Dre and the guy whose hair he was cutting Thursday night, the barbershop is the place to have a political conversation.

"If we had the barbershop be a little bit more of a political stronghold in the country, maybe we could get somewhere great," he said.

ABC11 went inside Rivals Barbershop on North Mangum Street to talk about politics and just about everything as it continues to be center stage.

"It feels like we shouldn't have a relationship with any president right now," said Shaquille Barksdale, whose hair was being cut by Dre. "Nobody should be making decisions, it should just be us making decisions from within."

Shaquille is ex-military and just moved back to Durham.

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"We can find words that make us meet in the middle and understand this side and that side," Dre said. "That's why I like the barbershop because it's a safe place for men to have an opinion about life."

Just down the road, we found a different sort of lively chatter around Pinochle the Durham Center for Senior Life.

"I am a Democrat, I'm going to vote Democrat," said Frankie Peace. "Joe is good, he's a little old but he has good ideas."

These folks are less focused on the daily politics than the camaraderie which they say might be a lesson for the whole country this election season.

"We hope everything comes out positively and we can all come together for the unity of our country," said Gwendolyn Riggins.

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