On June 10, 2020, I read a Facebook posting by Brunswick County Commissioner Mike Forte. In it, he described what he thought was wrong with the Black Lives Matter movement.
When subsequently asked, he replied there was nothing incorrect about his post. However, his views were in fact a racist dog whistle, with assertions like “All whites should give their homes and wealth to a black family” and “NFL, NASCAR allow kneeling during the National Anthem.”
My blood immediately began to boil. In a moment of rage, I accessed the Change.org website and started a petition calling for Forte’s resignation. We reached milestones for signatures relatively quickly. After getting approximately 1,000 signatures, other organizations took notice. They included the local chapter of the NAACP, which embraced the petition and began soliciting signatures. To date, Forte has failed to resign.
I have been asked by several people what am I going to do with this petition. Well, I finally have an answer! I’m going to present it to the Brunswick County Commissioners at their next meeting on August 17, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. All signatures will be printed and presented to the commissioners.
We want everyone to become involved. We’re planning a demonstration outside the meeting on August 17, 2020 at 5:30 pm scheduled to coincide with the meeting. Please join us for the demonstration at the Brunswick County Commissioners Office, Commissioners Chambers, Sandifer Administration Building, 30 Government Center Drive, Bolivia, NC 28422.
--Paula Clarity 3rd Vice Chair