Agenda 05-21-19 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 1 Commissioner Price said this resolution actually was developed at the NAACP meeting, 2 and while this happened at UNC, it affects the entire County. She said she is in full support of 3 this resolution, and working together to insure the safety of the community. 4 Commissioner Marcoplos said he presumed this resolution will be sent to UNC, and 5 asked if the Board is going request an answer to its questions in this resolution: to rescind 6 trespass warnings against student anti-racist activists; to press charges and issue trespass 7 warnings against persons who on March 16 carried firearms onto the campus; to clarify when 8 the community may expect the presence of an armed person on or near the campus to trigger 9 an Alert Carolina emergency notification. 10 Chair Rich said yes, the Board can do this. 11 12 PUBLIC COMMENT: 13 Riley Ruske said, as a Veteran, he is a strong believer in the rule of law, but this 14 resolution is an example of blatant hypocrisy and bias of local government. He said it was not 15 long ago that mobs were damaging property on the UNC campus, but the Board supported and 16 condoned these actions, even when the historical monument Silent Sam was destroyed by 17 these same mobs. He said now other mobs are harassing other individuals and property, and 18 the BOCC is condemning the actions and calling for prosecution. He said he agrees with this 19 call, but feels the BOCC should have done the same thing for the other mobs. He said the 20 BOCC needs to advocate for equal justice under the law for all members of the community 21 when laws are broken, regardless of the ideology of the lawbreakers. He said if this evening's 22 resolution must be passed, he would ask that the BOCC modify it to condemn the actions of all 23 thugs and mobs that break the law. He asked if there is a reason this same resolution was not 24 passed when the mobs broke the law during the Silent Sam protests. 25 Seamus O' Neill suggested adding two additional whereas statements to the resolution: 26 1. After the first whereas, to add, "whereas on August 20, 2018 a mob of certain students, 27 faculty, and persons known and unknown tore down the Silent Sam statue at risk to 28 themselves, police officers and others, in violation of State law and UNC rules" 29 2. After the third whereas, to add, "whereas on March 22-24 Duke-UNC sponsored the 30 conference on Gaza, many parts of which degenerated into an anti-Semitic rant and 31 mockery" 32 Jamie Paulen said she is a local attorney, was a magistrate for two years, and knows a 33 lot of law enforcement officers. She said she left that office and is now involved in anti-racist 34 issues. She said through her work she was present at two events at UNC, the night when the 35 smoke bombs went off and the night of the dance/can party. She said she was shocked to see 36 police officers that she knew basically attacking students. She said some of this is born out of 37 the criminal proceedings that have occurred in the interim, and there is a request for 38 reconsideration for one of the young people that was convicted because the evidence shows 39 that the young person was shown to have not been able to do that which she was convicted of 40 doing. She said she comes to her work with no anti-police bias, but what she saw was 41 shocking. She said she is grateful for this proclamation and holding UNC accountable. She 42 said there is video of evidence of a UNC police officer telling those carrying the firearms that 43 these people were on campus, and UNC can take out an arrest warrant against these people 44 today. 45 Ashley Harris said when she went to UNC she was a part of the Silent Sam coalition, 46 and it is very interesting that people equate the active practicing of hate speech and crimes with 47 people of color addressing something that has been historically racist. She said she would like 48 people of color to feel comfortable in this County, and she supports the resolution. 49 Commissioner Dorosin echoed the last speakers' comments, and said the assertion that 50 the Board's previous resolution and this resolution are inconsistent makes no sense to him. He