Robert A. Williams to file a Public Deposition and Motion to be Heard in Federal Court In Rev. Dante Murphy’s SECOND Federal Lawsuit against Cleveland County, DSS and Commissioners Report, A History, Sworn Deposition and Motion to be Heard by Robert A. Williams

Public Deposition-Sworn and Sealed Editor’s Note: For those of us that pay attention to what goes on in governmental agencies; Depart6ments of Social Services in North Carolina and like agencies across the USA are full of corruption, waste, and inefficiencies. It is almost inevitable due to the large amount of “confidentiality” mixed in with the large amounts of taxpayers’ money flowing through DSS with little to no accountability; the temptations for staff to “skim off” a bit of the “free stuff” is overwhelming. Throw in the “rush” of power a social worker gets when dealing with those undereducated, needy, unconnected and powerless amongst us, DSS staff comes to believe they can do what they want to whom they want and be immune from discipline, discipline and most of all-prosecution. And, then add Human Nature and the fact that most citizens are glad to throw money at DSS so they won’t have to deal with the “poor and suffering” themselves, nobody much is watching over the DSS. Corruption just becomes a part of the game they play. And, if you are on the inside of DSS and try to be honest and do what is right, you get harassed and run off from your job. Those on the outside who speak up about DSS waste and wrongdoing get harassed too. All get retaliated against by the “DSS system” that has so much power and protection from those who benefit from DSS funding. Even drug-dealers and their financial enablers whose biggest profits come from laundering Foodstamps from the illegal drug trade through the financial markets who turn the Foodstamps into cash. Cold hard cash basically untraceable back to the drug trade. First-a little History: My biggest wake-up call (at that particular time) on just how low-down and dirty the Cleveland County Department of Social Services and it’s corruption at it’s top level of oversight-The DSS Board (and NOW the County Commissioners) was happened back in the mid 1990’s when I was actually appointed to the DSS Board. At my very first DSS Board Meeting, after being sworn in, I made a motion to add a Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag and also add a Prayer to our meeting agenda at the beginning of our DSS Board Meetings. I had been warned that the rest of the DSS Board had made their brags-around-town that anything I came up with; they would vote me down. I was flabbergasted when the DSS Board Chairman Joyce Cashion, Vice Chairman Dean Westmoreland, Member Rhonda Skorman and Member Stuart LeGrand all voted against the American Flag and Prayer. Cashion (a re-election candidate for County Commissioner) and Westmoreland (a candidate for the NC Senate) were themselves flabbergasted at the upcoming election results when both of them lost their election bids. In large part, I believe, because I wrote Letters to the Editor at the Shelby Daily Star (that were printed in those days) informing the voters about Cashion and Westmoreland’s vote against the Flag and Prayer. Things went down from there. Later, I received a personal telephone call from DSS Board Chairman Joyce Cashion that a 2 ½ year old black baby girl had died of natural causes while under family care of the Cleveland County DSS. Natural Causes, I wondered. Cashion would never have called me if that child had actually died of natural causes. I smelt a rat. And I was 100% right. This was the point where my actual involvement with Rev. Dante Murphy’s Federal Lawsuit against the Cleveland County DSS, (lawsuit 1 and lawsuit 2) actually began. The corruption and cover-up was and still is mindboggling. This is when my formation of my Newsprint publication Citizens For Good Government began in 1994. Later to become an internet blog. Without further description of the steps involved with me finding out what really happened in the death, murder, of that 2 ½ year old black baby, I will provide you with my first article I wrote for my first edition of my Citizens For Good Government (CGG) publication as Attachment 1 This Attachment 1 will also be included in my Deposition and Motion to Federal Court in regards to Rev. Dante Murphy’s First and Second Federal lawsuit against the CCDSS and the CC Commissioners. Twenty-Five years later and incredibly the same people at DSS that were involved in corruption and cover-up of the Murder of the 2 ½ year old black baby in the mid 1990’s and 25 years later with Rev. Murphy’s lawsuits. SEE ATTACHMENT 1. Published February 28, 2019 paraphrasing CGG Original Article (Note that the original CGG Article is being reconstituted from the original 1994 Print Issue and will be available soon.) Fast forward to June 21, 2016 at a County Commissioners meeting when Rev. Dante A. Murphy and Rev. Melvin Clark spoke during Citizen’s Recognition. I was present and siting in the front row as usual. I heard every word and took notes as I always do. Rev. Murphy spoke first informing the Commissioners about a long list of illegal false and retaliatory attacks launched against him. The Minutes of that meeting state: “Dante Murphy: 1000 Fredericks Street, Shelby: Mr. Murphy stated that he has lived in Cleveland County for more than 10 years and has been able to benefit from his time here academically, socially and spiritually. Mr. Murphy announced that he is formally submitting his resignation from the Department of Social Services effective July 5th, 2016. He stated that the Board was aware of his work situation and aware of the lawsuit that had been filed in federal court. He asked that Commissioners do their own independent investigation into his case. He hopes that consideration will be given to House Bill 438 and the implications it would have in giving power back to elected boards and not the appointed boards.” The Commissioners did NOT conduct an independent investigation, or any investigation at all. Or assign anyone else to investigate the matter. Otherwise they would have found that CCDSS employees deposed and under oath in Rev. Murphy’s first Federal Lawsuit admitted to unethical and illegal acts done at the direction of Director Karen Prichard, Jane Shooter and others. Nobody was disciplined or terminated. CCDSS agreed to pay Rev. Murphy $55,000 in compensation in that first lawsuit. The lack of Leadership on the Cleveland County Commissioner’s Board, the DSS Board and the related discrimination and retaliation against Rev. Murphy in this first lawsuit, would lead directly to the second of Rev. Murphy’s lawsuits against Cleveland County and the CCDSS. Now, Fast forward to late 2018 and early 2019. Around late 2018 and early 2019, I learned that CCDSS Director Karen Ellis-Prichard was retiring and Jane Shooter was appointed Interim Director by the Cleveland County Department of Social Services Board. I was immediately enraged and infuriated that Ellis-Prichard, Jane Shooter and others that were fully involved in the child abuse, murder and cover-up regarding the death of 2 ½ year old Jodice Peeler in the mid 1990’s as noted above and were now in very senior leadership positions at the Cleveland County Department of Social Services. I began writing a series of many Citizens For Good Government articles in February, 2019 reminding Citizens, County Commissioners, DSS Board members and others of the long history of unethical and illegal acts at the Cleveland County Department of Social Services. An article published February 28, 2019 condensed and paraphrased my original first article printed in 1994 regarding the murder of 2 ½ year old Jodice Peeler. That article is enclosed as Attachment No 1. The Title is “Digging Up Bones.” And, I am literally recommending digging up the bones of Jodice Peeler for a forensic autopsy for possible prosecution of those DSS employees who, I believe, covered up the child abuse and murder of young Jodice Peeler. Attachment 2 is an article where Rev. Dante Murphy speaks out about various injustices and lawsuits. See Paragraph 4 for information regarding Rev. Murphy’s first Lawsuit against Cleveland County DSS I published an article on March 13, 2019 titled Why I Recommend Rev. Dante Murphy for DSS Director that went into detail my reasoning for recommending the DSS director’s job be awarded to Rev. Murphy. That article is included as Attachment 3 to this document. Of immediate importance as to why I have written this particular article is this: 1. Rev. Murphy has filed a Second Lawsuit, Murphy V. Cleveland County that alleges job discrimination and Retaliation. 2. On the second page of Rev. Murphy’s Complaint are allegations against Commissioner Doug Bridges that developed from a conversation that I had with Commissioner Bridges on March 19, 2019 related to the organized retaliation against Rev. Murphy that I eventually relayed to Rev. Murphy. 3. The high dollar lawyer representing the Commissioners, DSS and Doug Bridges have filed Motion to “Seal” discovery documents as well as to Dismiss Rev. Murphy’s second Lawsuit. I consider such actions as a continuation of cover-ups coming out of the Cleveland County DSS, that includes the County Commissioners and the new DSS Advisory Board. An impediment to finding truth and justice in this matter. 4. The high dollar lawyer representing the DSS, Commissioners and Doug Bridges has included in her “reasons” for the Judge to dismiss Rev. Murphy’s lawsuit a statement that Rev. Murphy did not include the exact time and date of my conversation with Doug Bridges. I intend to provide that information as well as a detailed and accurate description of the words that were said. 5. My information may become critical in allowing the Judge sufficient information to deny the Motion to Dismiss and to continue the process of finding the truth and justice in this matter. Now let’s go to the evening of March 19th, 2019, right after the Commissioners Meeting and in front of the Commissioners Chambers on East Marion Street in Shelby, North Carolina. That Commissioner’s Meeting started at 6:00 PM and was relatively long as the agenda was full. And also included a closed session. As previously stated, I had published an article just days before (March 13, 2019) recommending that Rev. Dante Murphy be selected as the next Director of the Cleveland County Depart of Social Services. My March 13, 2019 article had been personally sent by email to ALL the Cleveland County Commissioners, The County Manager, County HR Director Allison Mauney, Assistant County Manager as well as to DSS Advisory Board members that I had Email addresses for--Danny Blanton and Mary Accor. AND Interim DSS Director Jane Shooter. The article was also sent to the Shelby Star Editor and Political Smackdown media members. It was no secret who I recommended for the CCDSS Director’s position. After the DSS Meeting was adjourned I spoke to various persons and just happened to go down the steps and out the front door with Commissioner Doug Bridges. As always in such a situation, I am discussing the matters at hand, the qualifications of Rev. Dante Murphy for the CCDSS Director’s position. As we walked through the front door and took a couple steps outside, Commissioner Bridges stopped and turned directly toward me. Commissioner Bridges stated, “I want to ask YOU one question. Would YOU hire a person that had sued you?” My response was immediate. I said to Commissioner Bridges in no uncertain terms “Rev. Murphy won that lawsuit. Rev. Murphy was in the ‘right.’ He had sworn depositions from CCDSS employees that they had been directed to do unethical and illegal acts by DSS leadership against Rev. Murphy and NOBODY was disciplined over the matter.” I went on to remind Commissioner Bridges that such an idea as NOT hiring someone that had sued you “especially when they were in the ‘right’ was “unethical and illegal and retaliation.” I suggested that such retaliation “better not happen or YOU could get into trouble over it.” Others came along and our short conversation between Commissioner Bridges and myself ended. And we all went our separate ways. I expected Commissioner Bridges to heed that good advice and see to it that there was no element of retaliation included in the coming selection of the CCDSS Director. Therefore, I said nothing more about this to anyone for a long while. However, in several passing conversations with new CCDSS Advisory Board Member Danny Blanton “wondering” how the CCDSS Director’s selection process was coming along and also knowing that Danny Blanton was fully aware that I recommended Rev. Murphy for that position, Blanton would only say “They don’t like him. He sued them.” As Danny Blanton was a new member of the DSS Advisory Board and new to their ways, I didn’t think much of his comments stated above. However, as the retaliation and smear campaign progressed against Rev. Murphy and my articles reminding the public of the sordid past history of Jane Shooter and her CCDSS partners, support for Shooter waned and the search for a CCDSS Director widened. I concluded that Rev. Murphy was being ostracized and retaliated against to the point that he was not ever going to be fairly considered for the Director’s position. Or, any other position, no matter what. When I learned that Rev. Murphy was seriously considering a second lawsuit against the Commissioners and CCDSS, I decided to tell Rev. Murphy about my March 19th, 2019 conversation with Commissioner Doug Bridges. Rev. Murphy ended up adding my conversation with Commissioner Doug Bridges into his lawsuit. May 24, 2021 This article, to my information and belief is true and accurate in every detail. Upon Penalty of Perjury. Subscribed to the Public as my witnesses. Robert A. Williams www.citizensforgoodgovernment.org Please excuse any typos or misspelling. Editor’s Note: Folks, This article got to be a little on the long side. I will draft another article regarding my Motion to Be Heard in Federal Court in short order. Attachment 1-Digging Up Bones-Jodice Peeler 2-19-2019 Attachment 2 Rev Murphy speaks out about lawsuits 3-24-2019 Attachment 3--Why I recommend Rev Murphy for DSS Director 3-13-2019

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