Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
6 <br /> 1 <br /> 2 WHEREAS, on March 16, 2019, persons associated with a white supremacist group carried <br /> 3 firearms and other weapons onto the UNC-Chapel Hill campus in violation of the North Carolina <br /> 4 General Statutes and campus policy; and an Alert Carolina emergency notification was not <br /> 5 issued; and no arrests were made and no citations or trespass notices were issued; and <br /> 6 <br /> 7 WHEREAS, on April 10, 2019 a statement was released by UNC Hillel that a number of anti- <br /> 8 Semitic flyers have been found in Davis Library with references to "an evil Jewish plot" and the <br /> 9 missive, "do everything you can to fight the silent covert Jewish attempt to enslave and kill good <br /> 10 Americans"; and <br /> 11 <br /> 12 WHEREAS, student anti-racist activists have been prohibited indefinitely from entering certain <br /> 13 areas of the campus, including McCorkle Place, despite having been found not guilty of the <br /> 14 criminal charges related to their trespass notices or having had those charges dismissed; and <br /> 15 <br /> 16 WHEREAS, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Branch of the National Association for the Advancement <br /> 17 of Colored People (NAACP), the Carolina Black Caucus, and others have called on UNC- <br /> 18 Chapel Hill to take bolder action in response to acts of racial and ethnic intimidation and threats <br /> 19 by white supremacists to the safety of the community; and <br /> 20 <br /> 21 WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners appreciates Interim Chancellor Kevin <br /> 22 Guskiewicz's statement that "we must nurture an environment where all people in our <br /> 23 community can live, learn and work without fear"; and the Board is encouraged by the arrests <br /> 24 on April 8 of the persons believed to have desecrated the Unsung Founders Memorial; <br /> 25 <br /> 26 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners urges its neighbor <br /> 27 and partner, UNC-Chapel Hill, to rescind trespass warnings against student anti-racist activists; <br /> 28 to press charges and issue trespass warnings against persons who on March 16 carried <br /> 29 firearms onto the campus; to clarify when the community may expect the presence of an armed <br /> 30 person on or near the campus to trigger an Alert Carolina emergency notification; and to invite <br /> 31 community members not necessarily affiliated with the University to participate in the campus <br /> 32 safety commission being convened by the interim chancellor. <br /> 33 <br /> 34 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County wishes to partner with UNC-Chapel Hill in a <br /> 35 shared commitment to helping students feel safe through better communications, education <br /> 36 about the Orange County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies, opportunities to <br /> 37 participate in County programming and advisory committees, continued participation in the <br /> 38 Good Neighbor Initiative, and other efforts. <br /> 39 <br /> 40 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board asks the Clerk to the Board to share this <br /> 41 resolution with the interim chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill and the members of the Chapel Hill <br /> 42 Town Council, the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners, and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. <br /> 43 <br /> 44 This the 16th day of April, 2019. <br /> 45 <br /> 46 A motion was made by Commissioner Greene, seconded by Commissioner Price for the <br /> 47 Board to adopt the attached draft resolution and authorize the Chair to sign the resolution. <br /> 48 <br />