Cleveland County is a “Crooked Place”!!! Commissioners Abusing Property Tax Collection Process to Discrimination and Retaliate Against Mr. Willie Green!!! Engineered by County Commissioners and Manager Brian Epley!!! They can do this to anybody they don’t like!!! Report, facts and obvious conclusions by Robert A. Williams

Folks, this is NOT about the 2021 property re-evaluation that is presently going on where almost everybody is being screwed with an average of a 35% increase. The county’s inflated assessments won’t actually become tax bills until sometime later. But I would advise you pay close attention to this article to see how the screws could be put to you if you or your wife complain about wasted tax dollars to suit the Cleveland County Commissioners, County Manager Brian Epley or former County Commissioner Jason Falls’ wife.

This particular article is about the other end of the tax spectrum, tax billing and enforced tax collection from the 2019 property tax year bill that just became due September 1, 2020 and began collecting interest Wednesday, January 6, 2021. This is what began to happen at 8:01 AM January 7th, 2021 when 7,770 properties whose taxes had not yet been paid. Properties that included the Cleveland country Club for around $11,000, Earl Owensby’s properties totaling around $150,000 (some of which was delinquent for 10 years) and one of Mr. Willie Green’s properties (on the corner of Main Street and East Dixon Boulevard) that had just become delinquent by one minute for around $4,100, and 7,767 other properties that were in various stages of delinquency.

Guess who Cleveland County decided to take “last-resort” tax collection enforcement on??? Mr. Willie Green. The first one, and the only one so far as I know, out of those 7,770 delinquencies. Mr. Willie Green. A former NFL player with two Superbowl Rings. Or should I say a “black” former NFL player with two Superbowl rings, who has been discriminated against and retaliated against numerous time on numerous occasions by both Cleveland County and the City of Shelby for daring to try to do business in Shelby and Cleveland County-just like any of the other “white” business men. Just like those other times and occasions when Mr. Willie Green was singled out for discrimination and retaliation, “I smelled a rat” this time too.

Let’s look at the facts here:

Editor’s Note: Since I have already published numerous articles regarding Mr. Green’s mistreatment and the various lawsuits that have come about as a result, I am only going to hit the highest of the high spots, otherwise this article could be 100 pages long! Most of you have already read my previous articles about this matter. This article focuses on a new low for the foul and likely illegal efforts of the City of Shelby and the Cleveland County Commissioners to racially discriminate and retaliate against Mr. Willie Green for his efforts as the FIRST and ONLY black man in Cleveland County to try to do business in the County on an equal basis with all the other local white businessmen!

Facts:

Over the past five years, the City of Shelby has denied only two zoning change requests. One presented by Mr. Scottie Webber and the latest presented by Mr. Willie Green. Both these men are black, Mr. Green’s Zoning Change Request was in regard to his planned housing development located at the intersection of Main Street and East Dixon Boulevard in Shelby, NC. Of particular interest is the Shelby City Council. Instead of making a motion to approve the zoning change request as happens every single time and then voting against the motion–this time the motion was made to disapprove Mr. Greens request and then vote FOR the motion to disapprove. A small but telling deviation from normal practice at Shelby City Council meetings. A deviation obviously reserved for racial discrimination and retaliation.

Mr. Green’s “Sports Complex” proposal that was designed to meet the specifications of a “private-public partnership” for a sports complex EXACTLY as it was spelled out in the Shelby 10-Year Master Plan. Even though NO “white” businessman has ever made such a proposal, Mr. Green proposal was denied by both the City of Shelby as well as the Cleveland County Commissioners. As such things always happen in Shelby and Cleveland County, leaders spread rumors that Willie Green is a Muslim, was “demonic” and wanted to bring a “million” niggers to Cleveland County in a “whispering campaign” to justify their denial of Mr. Green’s proposals. Even though a very sharp upsurge of teen violence in Shelby indicated that teens, especially black male teens, with something to do were less likely to commit crimes of violence. Murder even!

Mr. Green’s “Career Promise Program” to provide college scholarships to all eligible graduating Cleveland County High School Seniors, “black” and “white,” was also turned down because Mr. Green’s scholarships would allow students to pick their colleges-instead of Cleveland Community College being the only college available to students. Gaston County, upon hearing of such a project, initiated a Career Promise program for Gaston County’s graduating High School Seniors.

Despite al these good ideas and good business proposals offered by Mr. Willie Green; the City of Shelby and Cleveland County turned them down. Now the Cleveland County Commissioners have tasked the County Manager to discriminate and retaliate against Mr. Green by selectively (and likely illegal) enforcing a punitive “enforced tax collection effort against Mr. Willie Green. It goes like this:

Mr. Green’s property on the corner of Main Street and East Dixon Boulevard, along with 7,769 other properties went past the tax payment due date of January 6, 2021.
The county tax collector allegedly “served” a “Notice” to Mr. Green’s Company on February 8, 2021 that stated that Mr. Green had 30 days from the date of the letter to pay the $4,100 tax bill OR file an appeal of the assessment.
Mr. Green alleges he never received such a “Notice” at that time.
On February 19, 2021 (only eleven days into that 30 days) Mr. Green receives a notice from Sun Trust Bank that the Cleveland County’s Tax Collection Bill had been garnished out of Mr. Green’s 401(k) retirement account instead of other accounts Mr. Green had at that bank to pay the county’s tax collector’s bill. Since early withdrawal from a 401(k) incurs a 10% penalty as well as additional income taxes being paid, Mr. Green’s actual cost would greatly exceed the $4100 tax bill. Indicating a planned scheme by the Commissioners and County Manager to discriminate and retaliate against Mr. Green.
Mr. Green demanded that Sun Trust Bank send him the paperwork that the County Tax Collector used to “garnish” Mr. Greens 401(k) account and received his first glimpse of the letter the tax collector was supposed to have “served” on him. Such Paperwork contained no conclusive evidence that Mr. Green or anybody else had actually “signed” for the “served” notice.
Mr. Green sent a message to County Attorney Tim Moore requesting information about why he had been singled out for discriminatory and retaliatory enforced tax collection efforts and Attorney Tim Moore referred Mr. Green to a clerk in the tax collector’s office. The clerk, of course, was only doing what her supervisors, County Manager Brian Epley and the Commissioners Doug Bridges, Deb Hardin, Kevin Gordon, Johnny Hutchins and Ronnie Whetstine had instructed her to do. Against Mr. Willie Green and apparently nobody else among the other 7,769 property owners whose property taxes were delinquent. Some for 10 years.

Additional research indicates that 401(k) retirement accounts are exempted by Federal Law from forced tax collections as the County levied on Mr. Willie Green thru Sun Trust Bank. So, if NC Law allowed such garnishments and Federal Law prohibits it, Federal Law prevails. However, the burden of proof and any legal actions to right such a wrong would fall upon Mr. Willie Green. Just another way for the County, in league with the City of Shelby, to add harassment on top of discrimination and retaliation against Mr. Willie Green, and to suppress any black citizen from complaining about anything illegal and unethical the City of Shelby and the Cleveland County Commissioners wants to do against them.

It has always been this way against the black community. And white individuals too that “rocks the boat” for the self-proclaimed “elite” white leaders in Cleveland County. The “good ole boys” as I have called them.

Now, if you were confused about my statement about a commissioner’s “wife” being offended in the early parts of this article, this is what I meant. Several years ago, the Cleveland Commissioners, County Manager their wives and others all took a taxpayer paid junket to Washington, DC. The County Coroner’s (Robbie Morgan) wife posted a simple statement of complaint on Facebook to Commissioner Jason Falls’ wife’s Facebook page. Mrs. Falls told Mr. Falls. Then Mr. Falls and the rest of the pissed-off Commissioners eliminated the Office of Coroner of Cleveland County in retaliation. Much to the expense of county taxpayers.

But, hey! This is how Cleveland County and the City of Shelby operates. If you don’t like it-LEAVE IT!!! is their MO. And, if you expect the District Attorney or anybody down at the Courthouse, especially the Judges, to do anything about it, YOU will be sorely disappointed. YOU will find no justice. And YOU will soon find yourself being discriminated and retaliated against. YOU will be called a Muslim and Demonic! A Liar! An agitator. Uppity Nigger and such. YOU and ME have no Civil Rights and it is about time WE learned OUR lesson. Keep OUR mouths SHUT-No matter what!!!!

And another of YOUR lessons is to ALWAYS deny reading anything that Robert A. Williams writes and subscribe to the Shelby Star for their fake news straight from the mouths of the Commissioners and the phony school board.

Stay tuned!!! Folks, keep reading if you want to hear the truth of the matter!!