Letter: Town not even-handed in response to protesters of Confederate monument (copy)

When it seems like journalistic integrity has hit an all-time low, we see being published in The Daily Advance and Chowan Herald op-ed letters from Rod Phillips that hit a new all-time low, surprising even for your publications.

Phillips called out the Edenton town manager and a leading citizen of Edenton as liars. At least that it how it appeared.

The town has actually been a little less even-handed when dealing with the pros and cons of the picketers downtown on Saturdays. The anti-memorial group is in violation of multiple town ordinances every week and our complaints have fallen on deaf ears. We have abided by them as much as possible.

Every week we have “those people” taunt an 82-year-old man who has more integrity in his pinky as their whole cadre. I suppose the staff at the paper condone the display of burning crosses, references to the Ku Klux Klan and images of a man swinging from a noose by those who call for the destruction of the memorial. Everyone should be thoroughly disgusted by that.

Recently, there was a group of visiting riders who came to town to do nothing more than sit and observe the protests. The other side complained of being intimidated and it actually got the chief of police involved.

I truly feel for the law enforcement officers who respond as they play babysitter to these people, as if they don’t have more important things to do like curb gang violence and drug dealing.

MIKE DEAN

Edenton

Editor’s note: The author is commander of the new Bell Battery Chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which is based in Edenton.