A Craven County man will get his coffin back.
Former county commissioner Bill Harper said deputies removed his coffin, a political tool he’s been using since 1992, from the early voting site at the Number Seven Township Fire Station on Old Cherry Point Road Oct. 31.
Harper had been camped out at the site for the past few days with his coffin dressed with signs relating to Joe the Plumber, being “Taxed to Death” and anti-Obama signs.
The Board of Elections said earlier this week that Harper and his coffin were fine as long as he stayed within the designated cut-off area for political material at the site.
Haper said the deputies had asked him to remove it because of “enormous complaints.” He thought about it…and decided not to and told them to “do what you have to do.”
Around 4 p.m., Harper said four deputies pulled up to the site. Shortly after, an unmarked van with a trailer came and deputies loaded the coffin up and hauled it off. Harper said the driver of the van had even threatened to handcuff him.
Craven County GOP Chairman Michael Speciale promptly called the sheriff’s office to ask what legal ground deputies had for taking the coffin.
“I feel that having that coffin removed was against our First Amendment freedom of speech,” said Lucille Thomas of the local Republican Women’s Club. “It wasn’t doing any harm. Anything that had to do with Obama was removed.”
Speciale later reported to Newschannel 12 that the coffin would be returned to the site Saturday morning.
Apparently, Jerry Monette’s “Secret Police” (as called by former Vanceboro Voice publisher Art Manning) realized they had not only violated Harper’s First Amendment rights, but also his Fourth Amendment rights by seizing his property without a warrant.
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What do you expect from the likes of Monette, the current head county Gestapo. He is in favor of the DINO’s they are the one who will bring the police state a little bit faster than the RINO’s.
Sheriff Monette is not a man of his word when it comes to the Constitution for the united States. I know first hand. He has been made graphically aware of Treason , high crimes and misdemeanors.
He has not so much as started to investigate. Making him guilty of violation of sworn oath, malfeasance, dereliction of duty, conflict of interest,
racketeering and the BIG’T’. Now what?
P S
I know both Bill Harper, and Richard Evey
….when it comes to Liberty and being an American….jerry monette couldn’t even look them in the eyes as he shined their shoes, which he can’t do anyway because it is obvious to me he is too busy licking boots.
yes, its well known that jerry monette is not a man of his word and neither is jerry waddell , so who keeps voting them into office? and the clerk jan cahoon is just as bad… and please dont get me started on the naacp……because back in april 2008 there was a african american deputy clerk of craven county that was arrested …. while she sat at her desk working in craven county courthouse…by monette’s deputies and fired from her position not because she did something wrong , but instead because she reported her then supervisor tami cahoon thomas for mistreating her while on the job. the great naacp did nothing to help …..and get this …the woman is a member of the naacp….no one stepped in to help this woman and jan cahoon, jerry monette, and the great jerry waddell made sure the story never hit the local news
so with that said i do think that the naacp is over reacting about bill harper…the naacp needs to help the community on the real issues and leave bill alone…….
i am african american and i still voted and so did all of the members of my family along with our close friends. … and we all support bill harper !
OMG.All this still happens in Craven County? Leave Bill and his coffin alone…. He’s used this coffin to demonstrate his First Amendment Rights for years. Bill wouldnt hurt a fly, I’ve known him since I was a child. He has the right to demonstrate peacefully in America and state his opinion. This only happened because he was a white man in America. he doesnt care who the president is, it’s what he believes in and supports that is important to Mr. Harper . Turning the meaning of a symbol into a race thing is ridiculous. Grow up haters and ask yourself what your angry about… Lets pray for President Obama, his family and all Americans, including Mr Harper.
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