Editor’s Note: I have published many articles regarding Mr. Willie Green, a Two Time NFL Super Bowl ring winner and now a local businessman, who has made an enticing offer to build a Sports Complex in Shelby in accordance with Shelby’s Ten-Year Masterplan. Only to be defamed, discriminated against and shunned and violated by the Shelby elected government and City Manager-resulting in a Federal Lawsuit. Mr. Green has generously offered to settle this federal lawsuit simply by Shelby returning to the negotiating table with a “good faith” attitude toward what they have already offered, but then rejected.
Shelby’s leadership has continued with their bad-faith ways and the black Community leaders and Preachers have strangely remained silent. Until now!!
I have provided below a series of messages from Mr. Green asking Black Community Leaders and Preachers why they have been silent for so long and providing specific details of why his Sports Complex would provide positive solutions to crime rates and even provide significant economic development potential to the City of Shelby and Cleveland Count at large.
Yesterday, a crack developed in the silence of the black community leaders, Today, the silence was blown wide open for all to see.
But hey, don’t believe me. I have provided the contents of the messages from Mr. Green and the explosive responses. Read them for yourselves. Perhaps there is Hope for Shelby and Cleveland County after all.
1. The First Message from Mr. Green to the Community Leadership and Preachers is shown below:
From: Willie Green-Monday, October 14, 2019:
Cleveland County Minority Community Leaders,
I continue to be amazed as to where some of our minority leaders’ priorities are when it comes to issues relating to the advancement of our community and Cleveland County in general. Not only are we fighting the wrong battles, but we are fighting amongst ourselves.
Over the last several years I, being an African American has attempted to meet with several minority leaders to get your support when I attempted to start The Cleveland County Promise, a program to provide our kids’ tuition for college and someone who is willing to invest millions of my personal dollars to build a sports facility to not only help our local student-athletes but to also bring revenue dollars to our local businesses with weekend and summer travel ball tournaments. But instead of getting the support from my own minority community leaders for my two programs that will help families in our community. I’m looked upon as some have described as a Republican Muslim terrorist who hates Christians, a person with criminal intentions and someone who is “not one of us.” By the way, The City of Kings Mtn and Gaston College now has a Promise Scholarship program like the one I was proposing 5-years ago.
Why am I looked upon with such disdain by my own people, when all I have done since I arrived in this community almost 25-years ago, is given to this community and have never asked anyone for anything?
Which one(s) of you on this email can explain to me why I don’t have the full support of every minority community leader, church and organization in support of the sports facility? And why is there no outrage from our community organizations, churches and minority leaders at how I am being demonized by our own local government agencies? Cleveland County has had its’ fair share of blacks who have gone on to prominence in sports, entertainment, and business, but you can’t name one of those people who have given back more to this community than I have. But yet you phrase them and defame me.In my hometown of Athens, GA, we as blacks were thought to never forget where you came from and always give back. Just recently several black former high school football teammates and I donated over $30,000 to our high school football team because the team is over 95% of minorities and kids from the low-income community. That $30,000 was raised in one week just by the head coach calling several of us black former players and letting us know we were needed and we answered the call because that’s what we promised we would do, give back to the community who gave to us. In Cleveland County, that’s not what is installed in our kids and now you see why we are not serving in any major roles or own any major businesses. Too much selling out, bitterness and enviously of our own people is the reason why we will never be taken seriously or respected. Why have you not realized, the more you empower your own, the more your own will empower others in the community?
I’m respectfully asking for the support of the minority community leaders for the sports facility. Specifically, ask the City of Shelby to come to the table and get this lawsuit resolved so I can proceed with the construction of the sports facility.
I look forward to your response.
Willie A. Green
2. Mr. Green, yesterday-October 15, 2019, issues his second message regarding the Shelby City Political Forum Questions and Answers.
Mr. Green writes:
The answers in last night Q&A forum from the people running for Mayor and City Council in Shelby on the topic of what our community and kids needs for sports activities, Mayor Anthony and Councilman David Causby answer is for our kids to use the Rail Trails when they are built and start playing soccer at Hanna Park.
David Causby bragged about how soccer is becoming the growing sport and how Shelby has benefited from having spent $8 million building Hanna Park, which is so far out that our kids don’t have easy access to and if they were able to get to Hanna Park, the only sport activity they can play is soccer. Mayor Anthony talked about the proposed $13 million rail trail. Mayor Anthony and David stated that the kids can go to the YMCA and City Park, did they not read what Pastor Littlejohn said about the YMCA and City Park, that “kids are being locked out of places such as the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, and even city park.”?
David Causby talked about the tremendous economic impact of soccer events at Hanna Park, for those who are not familiar with soccer. Soccer season runs from September – November for school and February – May for the travel soccer ball season. If soccer is having that huge of an economic impact in hotel stay, restaurants and shopping from people traveling to Shelby for the 4 months in the spring, can you imagine what would be the economic impact of hosting basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, martial arts, dance and cheerleading events throughout the entire 12-month calendar year at my proposed sports facility?
Come on minority leaders, please put aside our personal issues and let us start focusing on what other successful communities are doing across this country, working together to better our kids’ opportunity for success. Contact the City of Shelby Mayor and City Council and remind them that they passed a resolution in 2008 to partner with a private business to build a sports facility, and by partnering with my minority-owned company is proof they are serious about diversity and inclusion when it comes to minority businesses.
Willie Green