'Bolton Posse' Marches In Bolivia To Protest
Columbus Shooting Case
BY RAHN ADAMS
Calling themselves the "Rnlinn Pntw " arcrcx:
? ' r r *
matcly 75 Bolton area residents marched Saturday af
ternoon in Bolivia lo protest 13th District Attorney
Mike Easley 's handling of an investigation into the Feb
ruary shooting death of Bolton Mayor Sidney Bowen.
The 42-year-old Bowen was shot five times and kil
led Feb. 27 by N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper A.E. Mor
ris after after Bowen allegedly resisted arrest and beat
Morris with a flashlight during a suspected drunk-driv
ing slop in front of the victim's Bolton home. A Colum
bus County grand jury last month cleared Morris of any
wrongdoing.
Organized by the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference, Saturday's march began at Rutland Chapel
AME Church on Midway Road and proceeded to the
Brunswick County Courthouse. After an hour-long rally
in front of the courthouse, the group marched back to
Rutland Chapel. The event lasted from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Brunswick County Sheriff's Department officers in
cluding Sheriff John C. Davis stopped traffic and es
corted the marchers along the parade route. Marching
three abreast in one lane of travel, members of the
group waved green, black and red African National
Congress flags and carried placards with slogans such
as "SCLC Supports The Bolton Movement."
Other than slowing Easter weekend traffic on U.S.
17 from Midway Road to the county government cen
ter, the protesters attracted liule outside attention during
the rally at the courthouse, mainly due to the complex's
isolated locale and because it was closed for the long
holiday weekend. Davis said Monday that no problems
? other than the traffic slowdown ? occurred during the
protest.
SCLC Crisis Control Manager Golden Frinks, a Ta
bor City native, said most of the individuals participat
ing in the march and rally were Bolton area residents.
He added that the group has marched in several other
areas throughout the region and picked .Bolivia "be
cause Mr. Easley is here." The 13th District Attorney's
office covers Brunswick, Bladen and Columbus coun
ties.
Easley, who is running for the Democratic U.S.
STAF f- PHOTO BY HAHN ADAMS
THE "BOLTON POSSE" MARCHES on U.S. 17 in Bolivia Saturday to draw attention to a Columbus County controversy involving the Feb. 27 shoot
ing death of Bolton Mayor Sidney Bowen.
Senate nomination, could not be reachcd for a response
Monday or Tuesday as he was making campaign ap
pearances in the Piedmont and western sections of the
state, according to his family and staff.
Last month, the district attorney presented the
shooting case to the Columbus County grand jury for
review. After its investigation, the grand jury decided
March 15 not to indict Morris in connection with Bow
en's death.
"We're trying to raise the issue that it be known that
Mr. Easley and that the Highway Patrol and those did
not use the justice and the investigative power that they
had to investigate this thing," Frinks told the Deacon.
He added that the case remains under investigation by
the U.S. Justice Department, American Civil Liberties
Union and other civil rights organizations.
Local speakers at the rally included Jesse Bryant,
president of the Cedar Grove chapter of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
"This is a sad day for me," Bryant said. "1 have run and
not grown weary. Now I'm ready to walk and not get
tired."
In pledging the local NAACP's support, Bryant not
ed that he read a newspaper account last month about
three Bladen County men who were "tried and convict
ed for night-riding and shooting deer at night. About
seven days later I picked up the paper and I saw that
Sidney Bowen was nin down at night and shot, and
there wasn't a thing in the world said about it. How
sad... We in the NAACP arc in this fight to win."
Bowen's niece, Bolivia area resident Linda Hank
ins, also addressed the marchers. "I am for justice,"
Mrs. Hankins said. "I will not rest until I feel my uncle
has gotten justice. No one deserves to die just because
they got a can of beer."
She added that she felt racial issues influenced the
authorities' handling of the case. Bowen was black;
Morris is white. "I strongly believe that if it had been
reversed that I believe the people would have pulled to
gether and they would have done something," Mrs.
Hankins said. 'They're not going to stand up and let
justice and let the system do that to people."
Marina Decision Delayed Again
A decision on whether to allow construction of a controversial mari
na on the Lockwood Folly River ? originally expected nearly two years
ago ? has been delayed again and is still at least a month away.
Plans for a marina at the Ixxkwood Folly golf community near
Holdcn Beach submitted in February were incomplete and new plans
and a permit application were submitted this week, said Jim Hcrstinc,
head of the state Division of Coastal Management's Wilmington ofTicc.
After receiving the plans in February, Hcrstinc said a decision on
whether to grant or deny the permit could be made before the end of
April. But since that application was incomplete. Hcrstine said this week
that a decision is still more than a month away.
Channel Side Corp. submitted its original major CAMA permit ap
plication in April 1988 with plans to build a private SO-slip marina and
dry storage area near some of the richest shellfish beds in lower Lock
wood Folly River.
Plans submitted about two months ago for the Genoa Point Boat
R:?cin were scaled down in response to concern from local fishermen
who harvest oysters and clams in Lockwood Folly River. They called for
26 slips, one boat ramp arid no dry stofagft area. '
Hcrstine said the application and plans received Monday arc similar
to the set of plans submitted two months ago and appear to be complete.
He said a decision on the permit application, which will have to be re
viewed by 14 state and federal agencies, will probably be made at the
end of May or in early June.
Visitors Center Operation
Agreement 'Signing' Today
A state visitors center to be built
on the U.S. 17 Shallotte bypass
comes a step closer to reality today
(Thursday), when State Transporta
tion Secretary Tommy Harrclson
and local tourism promoters are
scheduled to sign a joint agreement
regarding the facility.
Harrelson was expected to also
unveil final design plans for the
center during the 11 a.m. press con
ference at the South Brunswick
Islands Chamber of Commerce of
fice in Shallotte, chamber executive
Susanne Sartelle said Tuesday, add
ing, "We don't really know a whole
lot more."
Harrelson could not be reached
for comment.
The center will be built by the
N.C. Department of Transportation
and furnished and operated by
Southeastern Welcome Center Inc.
The organization was formed by
the South Brunswick Islands,
Soulhport-Oak Island and Greater
Wilmington Chambers of Com
merce and the Cape Fear Conven
tion & Visitors Bureau for the pur
pose of operating the welcome cen
ter. Its representatives are, respec
tively, Susanne Sartelle, Douglas
Kerr, Joseph Augustine and Jane
Peterson.
In a campaign backed by the lo
cal chamber, Rep. E. David Red
wine helped obtain state approval
and funding for the center, which is
to be built in conjunction with the
bypass now under construction.
However, last year Redwine ran
afoul of the N.C. Department of
Transportation when he co-spon
sorcd a bill that would have taken a
portion of the profits from personal
license tag sales for operation of
this and two other planned regional
visitors centers. Proceeds from the
tags financc the state's popular
roadside bcautification fund. At one
point the future of the centers ap
peared threatened; however, the
transportation department and back
ers of the centers reached an
agreement in which the former
would build the centers and their lo
cal communities would operate
them, as was the original intent
when the centers were approved.
As planned the visitors' center
will provide a rest area and infor
mation point for visitors entering
the state from South Carolina and
for those visiting the coastal area.
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Sunset Wants County And Towns Involved In Recycling Project
BY SUSAN USHKR
Sunset Beach town officials and
members of the Volunteers for Re
cycling organization spent 1 1/2
hours Tuesday evening looking at
alternatives for operating the com
munity's recycling center but
reached no solutions.
However, the town council will
discuss at its May 7 meeting a pro
posal by Councilman Ed Gore to
seek a joint work session with coun
ty commissioners, to which other
towns would be invited. "I don't
want to lose the momentum of what
we've got started here," he said,
"but inevitably there is a point
where the county has to do some
thing." One possibility would be a
collection or receiving center to
handle rccycleables collected in in
dividual communities.
Both the town and volunteers are
concerned about maintaining the
quality of the site, and about gain
ing support for its operation from
Brunswick County and adjacent
communities.
Sited on town-owned property,
the collection center is operated by
volunteers and serves all of south
western Brunswick County. Since
its opening the facility has handled
approximately 58 tons of household
recyleables.
Areas are set aside at the former
town maintenance shed for clear,
green and brown glass, plastics, alu
minnm inH K puAronA rone anH
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newspapers. Most items are unload
ed directly into green boxes, while
newspapers are stacked in the shed
and then loaded and hauled by
flatbed truck to a Florence, S.C.,
processing center.
Volunteers for Recycling Coordi
nator Chance Scrantom told council
members Tuesday that the recycler
wants to switch to a closed trailer,
to eliminate hauling the green boxes
to and from Florence.
Both the town and volunteers
don't like the idea, but say it ap
pears to be a necessary move, at
least until some other arrangements
can be worked out. Councilman
Bud Scrantom recommended ob
taining a second flatbed and addi
tional green boxes, so as to elimi
nate the need for turn-around haul
ing of the empty boxes. The volun
teers would also like to acquire an
enclosed trailer for paper storage,
and a compactor for reducing the
volume of waste stored.
"We've got a super system ? bet
ter than anyone else around ? and I
don't want to lose it," he added.
The Scrantoms and other Volun
teers for Recycling workers arc pre
dicting that the recycler will quickly
find that it will take more trips to
and from Florence to empty an en
closed 40-foot than arc now re
quired to empty the green boxes.
The center will be closed through
May 7 to allow for emptying of the
existing containers and for siting of
the closed trailer.
Meanwhile, both the volunteers
and the towns have other concerns
about the recycling center, particu
larly the need for support, both fi
nancial and otherwise. from
Brunswick County and surrounding
communities whose residents use
the facility, indicated Councilman
Julia Thomas.
Presently, Sunset Beach is the on
ly government that supports its op
eration.
"There's the question of money
and there are people expressing the
concern that they don't want Sunset
Beach to become a dumping ground
for the entire county," said Mayor
Mason Barber. Scrantom indicated
questions are also being raised as to
when the county is going to get in
volved in local recycling and other
waste reduction efforts, as mandat
ed by Senate Bill 111.
"The county hasn't even started
talking about how they're going to
handle it," said Barber. "But most
of the towns are waiting to see what
the county's going to do."
Since it is being operated on
town property, the recycling center
is expected to be turned over to the
town shortly, though it will continue
to operate with volunteers. Also, the
town must obtain a state permit re
quired of recyling centers.
Planning Board Chairman Rich
ard Good said that he thought area
residents would voluntarily support
the cost of equipping the recycling
center, in addition to or instead of
any support from the county or area
towns.
Public Hearings Set
In a special meeting held imme
diately before the workshop, town
council set public hearings for 7:30
p.m. May 7 on the proposed cre
ation of a new mobile home resi
dential zoning district and re/.oning
of a portion of Bonaparte's Retreat
from MH-1 to the new zone, MH-2.
The board also approved prelimi
nary and final plats of a subdivision
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Beach area office. The 210-foot by
210-foot tract is located at the inter
section of N.C. 179 and N.C. 904 at
Seaside, on the west side of N.C.
904 across from Seaside Plaza.
A large number of lots in Section
F of Bonaparte's Rereat subdivision
do not conform to town zoning reg
ulations, according to Good. The
zoning code amendments are de
signed to help minimize problems
with the code. Good said they will
permit properly owners to make
reasonable use of their properly
while protecting adjacent proper
ties.
Eight lots, however, would re
main nonconforming.
The new district would not allow
commercial or industrial uses, but
would allow certain home occupa
tions.
Double-wide mobile homes
would be permitted, but none older
than eight years from the date of
manufacture. The minimum size for
homes moved into the subdivision
would be not less than 24 feel in
width and 36 feet in length.
Accessory buildings will be al
lowed for residential-related uses.
Such buildings, as well as patios
and decks arc to be allowed so long
as they are "neatly constructed,
maintained and fit into a plan to en
hance the beauty and value of the
premises on which they are placed."
The amendments also cover at
tached structures, underpinning and
tie-downs. Sot placement, comer
visibility, off-street parking and sig
nage.
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