Part I: Willie Green Speaks Out: Federal Lawsuit–Sports Complex!! Offer to Resolve!!! And Help Troubled and Violent Teens in the Process!!! Report and Arguendo by Robert A. Williams
Editor’s Note: Mr. Willie A. Green has sent the following message to the Community Leaders, Elected Officials and Taxpayers of Cleveland County, thusly making this message a public document/record under the laws of North Carolina. As such, it is highly worthy of being seriously considered and discussed by ALL the people of Shelby and Cleveland County. Especially the last paragraph.
For all the citizens of Cleveland County to know, I have followed Mr. Green’s Federal Lawsuit against the foolish leadership presently running the City of Shelby that generated Mr. Green’s lawsuit to begin with. Mr. Green’s lawsuit complaint has merit and, if there is any justice, Mr. Green will eventually prevail and win a major judgement against the City of Shelby and City Manager Rick Howell personally. I have so stated my conclusion on this on multiple occasions.
But, in the meantime bad things are happening in the City of Shelby. Teenage violence, injury and death fill the pages of the Shelby Star almost every day. Even, as Mr. Green reports below, the Rev. Lamont Littlejohn has stated that “kids are being locked out of places such as the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, and even city park.” Rev. Littlejohn’s statement is 100% accurate, but telling as Rev. Littlejohn is on the Board of the YMCA.
But, while Rev. Lamont Littlejohn is talking, Mr. Willie Green has been taking action to actually do something about the problems–kids being locked out of places to go and constructive things for them to do. Rev. Littlejohn has suggested, according to statements in the Shelby Star, that somebody “give” the kids an “abandoned building.” Mr. Green has proposed building, with his own finances, a state-of-the-art sports complex with free memberships to those kids who cannot afford to pay. Something NOBODY else has offered. As for Mr. Greens credentials, his TWO Super-Bowl rings speak to that. Much less his Masters Degree in Sports Administration. As for the problem, dead bodies on the street, killed by teenagers.
The bottom line is this. Go to the last full paragraph of Mr. Green’s message below. For your convenience, I have made them into Bold Print. Mr. Green is offering to resolve the issues related to the Federal Lawsuit in fair and honest negotiations, build the proposed sports complex and help the kids–all at the same time.
I think it is time for all of us, and especially the residents of Shelby, to open a dialog with the foolish (so far) City of Shelby leadership and our other elected leaders and tell them what you think!!! Also, remember, Mr. Green’s way does not require a county-wide sales tax increase.
It begins HERE. Send me your comments!!! Hey, Send them to the Shelby Star too!!
From: Willie A. Green
To: The Community Leaders, Elected Officials, and Taxpayers in Cleveland County,
I want to thank those who have reached out to me since my last email, asking questions specifically about my federal lawsuit against the City of Shelby, City Manager Rick Howell and the status of the case. Since filing the litigation in Dec. 2018, the City and Rick has asked the courts on two requests to dismiss the case. The first motion to dismiss was denied, the City and Rick Howell filed the second motion to dismiss in February, the judge’s decision is still pending.
The City and Rick Howell is not refuting in any of their filings that the City denied me the right to make a public-private partnership proposal to the City Council. Nor are they denying in any of their filings that Rick Howell did not make derogatory and false comments about my financial situation and my criminal intents. What the City of Shelby and Rick Howell is claiming is that they can’t be sued because they are protected under the “public official immunity” provision.
The Court of Appeals of North Carolina stated in a recent ruling of White v. Trew, 720 S.E.2d 713 (2011) that “Public officials are only protected from liability when they act without “malice or corruption.” If a person acts maliciously or beyond the scope of their official duties, they may be sued in their individual capacities for such actions. After Rick made those comments in a public email about my financial situation and my criminal intent, my attorney requested from the City any written documents they had to justify Rick’s “personal assessment” of my finances and criminal history. The City of Shelby responded to my attorney’s request for those documents by saying, “To my knowledge, no such documents exist.”
For more proof of Rick Howell’s malicious intent to destroy my reputation and prevent any partnership with the city. In a meeting with myself, Mayor Stan Anthony, then County Commissioner Chairman Eddie Holbrook and several pastors, Mayor Anthony stated the City never intended on partnering with me and no proposal was ever given to me from anyone with the City. After Mayor Anthony completed his statement, I provided him and the pastors a copy of the email proposal Rick sent me in 2016, the Mayor was speechless and refused to issue an apology to me for accusing me of lying to the respected pastors in the meeting.
If what Mayor Anthony stated in that meeting is correct, that he nor the other members knew Rick made me a proposal. Then the question is why has Rick Howell not been fired from his job based on his defaming comments about my finances and criminal intents and the fact that he never told his boss he made me an offer back in 2016? Or is the Mayor not being truthful with the pastors about what he knew and when he knew it?
As I have stated in prior emails and other means of communication, I have offered the city an opportunity to resolve this matter so that I can commence with the construction of the sports facility to help our community. Dejectedly, the City has refused to engage in any discussions for a resolution. While at the same time we see stories in the Shelby Star about the increase in teen violence, due to the fact that the kids in our community have nowhere they can go, as Rev. Lamont Littlejohn of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church rightfully stated, our “kids are being locked out of places such as the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, and even city park.” It’s time for the city to come to the table and help me help our kids, by coming to an agreement on a partnership to build the sports facility.
I will continue to keep the public updated on this case.
Willie A. Green