Charlotte’s State of Emergency Has Just Ended

Charlotte Stories
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Charlotte’s State of Emergency Has Just Ended

state-of-emergency-endedToday the State of North Carolina has just lifted the ‘State of Emergency’ that was put in place last Thursday after riots and looting ensued after the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.

After almost a week of military vehicles and National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Uptown Charlotte, they will finally be leaving our city.

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory originally made the emergency declaration on Sept. 21 after CMPD Cheif Kerr Putney requested emergency assistance.

National Guard have been deactivated from Charlotte’s streets, McCrory spokesman Graham Wilson said Wednesday night.

Governor McCrory commented today, “I want to thank the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, State Highway Patrol and North Carolina National Guard for working together to restore order over the past week. We will continue working with local law enforcement and officials to offer any further assistance needed.”

The Loudest Person Heard During The Keith Scott Protests Had 1 Simple Message – ‘Jesus Saves’

Steve
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The Loudest Person Heard During The Keith Scott Protests Had 1 Simple Message – ‘Jesus Saves’

jesus-saves-in-uptown-charlotteLast week’s protests following the death of Keith Lamont Scott included a wide range of groups and goals, some people wanted to peacefully protest against injustice, others wanted to pray for the hurting, and some, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, wanted to protest through rioting, looting, and violence – but one voice was heard above them all – Sam Bethea.

Sam is a staple at the corner of Trade and Tryon with a unique approach to street preaching. While many street preachers will focus on people sins and talk about going to hell, Sam simply wants to tell people that “Jesus Saves”.

During several nights of the protests Sam could be seen and heard marching with the crowd, chanting ‘Jesus Saved’ with impressive consistency and longevity. His large size and booming voice caused him to be both seen and heard above almost every other protester that offered comparatively short chants of “Release the tapes!” and “No Justice, No Peace”.

I recorded him for about 20 minutes during Saturday night’s protests:

 

Sam was recently interviewed by Esquire, where he told them he was only steps from Wednesday night’s shooting. The shooting caused him to pause for a moment, then he quickly resumed his chant of hope.

Although a few people found him annoying, I came to realize that he was actually brining peace to many people around him. When asked why people stay calm around him, Sam replied, “It wasn’t me. It was the Holy Spirit through me.”

Sam told the Esquire that he was handing out “I love Jesus” lanyards on Thursday afternoon, one such man approached. “He was kicking in windows last night. I saw him on the news,” Bethea commented. “Let’s see what he says.”

“I had to go savage,” the man told Bethea, laughing.

“Don’t do savage,” Bethea responded. “Do love.”

 

All-American Dog Show Coming To Lake Norman

Steve
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All-American Dog Show Coming To Lake Norman

lake-norman-all-american-dog-showThis coming Saturday afternoon, the 16th annual All-American Dog Show will be returning to Cornelius at the at Bailey Road Park track (11900 Bailey Road).

The event is free and there will be plenty of on-site parking available.

The schedule is as follows;

4 p.m.         On-site Registration Begins
4:45 p.m.   Shelter Strut Kick-Off Parade
5 p.m.         Contests Begin

Concessions and children’s activities will be available during the event.

On-site registration will be available on October 1, beginning at 4 p.m., for $8 per dog. Registration fee includes entry into two contests plus the All-American Dog contest. Additional contests are:

Best Dressed Best Kisser
Best Trick (Amateur) Most Ear-Resistible Ears
Best “Puppy Dog” Eyes Best Coat (Natural)
Cutest Puppy (Under 1 year) Cutest Senior (7+ years)
Best Spots Most Unique Tail

 

If you’d like more information, you can contact Jody Clark at jclark@cornelius.org or call 704-892-6031, ext 192.

Bomb Robot Removes Suspicious Package From CMPD Headquarters After Evacuation

Steve
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Bomb Robot Removes Suspicious Package From CMPD Headquarters After Evacuation

cmpd-headquartersYesterday afternoon, at around 4pm, a CMPD employee noticed a suspicious package that was delivered via FedEx to police headquarters. The package was not addressed to any specific name – it simply read ‘CMPD’.

When officers had their bomb-sniffing K9 examine the package, he gave the signal for a positive alert. The package was x-rayed on scene to reveal what looked like a cell phone, flashlight and a bulb.

The CMPD headquarters building was then evacuated at around 4:30pm

Their ‘bomb robot’ was sent in to retrieve the package, and it was then placed on a transport which took the package to a safe location to be examined further.

There’s still no word on exactly what’s in the package or how long it will take for CMPD to confirm if it did in fact contain explosives.

We will update this article when new information becomes available.

11 Year Old Girl Now Missing in Catawba County

Steve
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11 Year Old Girl Now Missing in Catawba County

emily-dowdle-lake-norman-missing-girl1An 11 year old girl just went missing today after getting off her school bus.

Search crews are now searching Catawba County and the Lake Norman area for the girl.

Emily Dowdle was last seen getting off her Catawba Elementary School bus at 2:40pm this afternoon.

She is about 4’11” tall with long light brown hair, hazel eyes, and wears dark framed glasses. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and capri jeans.

If you have any information regarding Emily’s whereabouts, you are asked to call the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office at 828-464-3112.

Please help spread the word:

2 Large Charlotte Churches, 1 Black, 1 White, Are Canceling Services To March Together For Unity

Steve
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2 Large Charlotte Churches, 1 Black, 1 White, Are Canceling Services To March Together For Unity

In light of the recent shooting in Charlotte and the protests that followed, two Charlotte area churches have now decided to cancel their Sunday morning services in order to march around Uptown Charlotte in unity.

Renovatus Church is a large, predominantly white church that gathers on Charlotte’s west side, and The Exchange is a predominately black church that also gathers on Charlotte’s west side.

In their video, pastor John comments, “it’s no secret that Sunday morning is one of the most segregated hours in our society…”

Renovatus’ Facebook page notes:

“We are closing the doors of our church in order to open the doors of our hearts. This coming Sunday, October 2nd we are cancelling our normal Sunday morning service in order to participate with The Exchange Church and others in a peace rally at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. We will meet in Marshall Park at 9:00 am. The Exchange and Renovatus have organized the event, but anyone is invited. Please feel free to bring the whole family and invite your friends. We will be wearing plain white shirts, joining in prayer and song, and walking together around the courthouse seven times.”

Charlotte Man Arrested For Trying to Organize ISIS Attacks Across America

Charlotte Stories
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Charlotte Man Arrested For Trying to Organize ISIS Attacks Across America

Erick Jamal Hendricks from charlotte isis attacksA local Charlotte resident has been arrested by the FBI for plotting several ISIS coordinated attacks on US soil, and for trying to recruit others into the terrorist network.

Erick Jamal Hendricks, 35, was just arrested by an undercover FBI agent after discussing his plans with several people online, according to the Justice Department‘s announcement.

He stated that he wanted to create a sleeper cell inside the United States, and claimed to have had 10 people already signed up for the group.

He allegedly told one undercover agent online, “It’s hard to sift through brothers,” but, “everyday I do this day in and day out.”

The arrest comes one day after the FBI arrested a transit police officer in Washington, D.C., for allegedly trying to support ISIS.

The case officially marks the first time a law enforcement officer has been arrested on federal charges related to ISIS.

If you notice any suspicious activity online or around Charlotte, don’t hesitate to call (toll-free): 855-TELL-FBI  or 855-835-5324.

Please help spread the word:

Mayor Roberts Lifts Charlotte’s Curfew After 6 Days of Protesting

Charlotte Stories
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Mayor Roberts Lifts Charlotte’s Curfew After 6 Days of Protesting

Mayor Jennifer Roberts and Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners Trevor M. Fuller announce the City of Charlotte has lifted its curfew, effective immediately.

The 12am-6am curfew was initially put in place on September 22nd, the day after the riots and looting took place in Uptown Charlotte. The curfew was put in place the same time that Governor McCrory called a state of emergency for Charlotte and deployed the National Guard to patrol Charlotte’s streets.

Since the curfew was put in place and the national guard came to town on Thursday, the daily protests have remained peaceful.

The latest protest happened yesterday at the Panther’s game in Uptown Charlotte. A little over 100 people took a knee outside Bank of America Stadium as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played and police in riot gear looked on.

160925-panthers-stadium-1451_27c83813af5d1eded245fe7972f8ce36-nbcnews-ux-2880-1000

Mayor Roberts continues to urge the community to come together and show their unity in a peaceful and legal manner.

Charlotte Man Arrested At Panther’s Game With A Gun

Steve
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Charlotte Man Arrested At Panther’s Game With A Gun

30 year old Bruce Garmon was arrested yesterday afternoon outside the Bank of America Stadium after police discovered he was carrying a concealed weapon with a full magazine, without a concealed weapon permit.

CMPD officers found the gun as they were checking backpacks near the east side of the stadium as part of the Charlotte’s new Extraordinary Event protocol.

A photo was captured of Garmon being zip-tied by police as they searched the man’s bag.

Garmon also attended several other rallies this past week and he even was interviewed by WBTV during Saturday’s protests.

His Facebook page includes several #BlackLivesMatter posts and this quote by Malcolm X:

At this point CMPD has not released any additional information about Bruce Garmon’s charges.

Irrefutable Proof Why Keith Scott Should Not Have Been Killed – Op-Ed

Steve
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Irrefutable Proof Why Keith Scott Should Not Have Been Killed – Op-Ed

This past Tuesday night a CMPD officer shot and killed Keith Lamont Scott while serving a warrant for a different man at an apartment complex on Old Concord Rd.

The killing was not only unjust and unnecessary – it also highlighted what might be the biggest flaw in our current police system.

Here’s why:

After this past week’s events, I sincerely hope that the CMPD will do a full examination of how they train their officers, especially when it comes to using lethal force – perhaps they could implement a device like this into their arsenal:

One of our authors recently wrote a piece about “Why The Black Lives Matter Movement is Important,” that goes into much more detail about the systemic racism that exists in our nation, and other problems with our police force training.

Do you think there is a problem in our policing system? How do you think it could be solved?

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