Enfield mayor calls on Gov. Cooper to investigate messages of racism: 'We need our governor to lock arms with this community'
Enfield Mayor Mondale Robinson called for the governor and attorney general to come to the town to investigate recent messages of racism.
Robinson, Emancipate Executive Director and attorney Dawn Blagrove and Blackacre CEO Jeremy Collins spoke Tuesday morning at a news conference to call for Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein to take action.
“As we stand firm on our constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we need our governor to lock arms with this community, ensuring that our solemn way of life isn’t interrupted by white supremacists,” Robinson said.
Tuesday’s news conference came as WRAL News learned that Enfield Police Chief James Ayers plans to resign from his position over Robinson’s destruction of the town’s Confederate monument. Ayers last day is set for Sept. 17. He declined to comment when asked why he is resigning.
“We found ourselves in this office, in this space asking the governor of the great state of North Carolina to move beyond political quietism, and act boldly and swiftly to ensure that every resource at his disposal is made available to Enfield to ensure that the sentiments of white nationalism that is on the rise … in this country understands clearly that it is not welcome in our state, and definitely not in our town,” Robinson said.
Robinson acknowledged how his opponents view him as a radical or an extremist due to his stance on Black equity.
“These are the same voices who sat and sit mute as little Black kids are exposed to the symbols and tactics of white supremacy daily,” Robinson said.
Watch Tuesday's news conference in its entirety: Click or tap here
Robinson said the letters his residents received are "domestic terror threats" and should be grounds for a state of emergency.
Residents received letters in a plastic bag with a racial slur, calling on the "white people of Enfield" to do something after someone “stomped down a piece of their white heritage.”
"The source of these threats needs to be fully investigated," Cooper's Deputy Communications Director Mary Winstead wrote in a statement provided to WRAL News.
One letter referenced the town's decision to take down a Confederate statue in a local park. Two weeks ago, Robinson posted a Facebook livestream of the moment a bulldozer brought down the monument. The town council had previously voted to remove the monument, which began as a Confederate memorial in the 1920s. It later added plaques to honor veterans of other wars, causing some people in the community to protest Robinson's decision to knock it down.
On Aug. 22, the day after the Confederate monument was destroyed, Ayers and the Halifax County district attorney asked the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to investigate the destruction of the monument.
The SBI said in a statement it would investigate the property damage and will send its findings to the Halifax County district attorney, who could pursue criminal charges. The investigation is ongoing.
WRAL News asked the Attorney General's Office if it had a comment on Robinson's request for a visit from Stein. North Carolina Department of Justice Press Secretary Nazneen Ahmed provided a written response to WRAL News.
"Every North Carolinian deserves to live in a community free from violence and hate, and Attorney General Stein and the Department of Justice are committed to keeping the people of North Carolina safe, including from white supremacist threats of violence,"Ahmed wrote. "Although we do not have the authority to investigate this matter directly, we encourage a full law enforcement investigation into all threats that undermine the security and wellness of Enfield’s residents.
"We are continuing to monitor this issue and are committed to doing everything in our power so every person can feel safe in their own communities."
On Tuesday, Blagrove called on Cooper and Stein to take action.
“Gov. Cooper and Attorney General Stein are actively enabling white domestic terrorism by turning a blind eye to the threat against the life of a Black elected official,” Blagrove said.
