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Vineland resident urges city help after court order limits access at Carr Arthur Center
Summary
Kathy Williamson of the Vineland African American Community Development Corporation told the City Council she expects repeated conflicts between a father and his daughter at the Carr Arthur Center after a temporary no-contact order expires and said she is seeking legal help because she does not feel the city has enforced prior agreements.
Kathy Williamson, chief executive officer of the Vineland African American Community Development Corporation, told the Vineland City Council during public comment that court action involving the Boys & Girls Club at the Carr Arthur Center has left her organization worried about ongoing conflicts and enforcement. Williamson said a no‑contact order issued after a Sept. 3 hearing is temporary and, "once that ... expires, which it'll expire in March 2026 from my calculations, that we're gonna have to repeat this cycle over because we're gonna have problems with the father and the daughter all over again." She said she is preparing to retain an attorney and arrange for staff or family to accompany her when she is in the building. The comment came in the council's general public comment period; Williamson said she raised the issue in court and was told by a prosecutor and others that the father's presence at the facility is limited by the judge’s order. Williamson also said she has letters from Anthony Scott that, she said, document agreements among VAACDC, the Boys & Girls Club and city officials that she believes are not being honored. Williamson did not ask the council for a specific ordinance or motion during her remarks, and no council action followed at the meeting. She said she was "not understanding why we're not getting that support" from the city and that she needs legal assistance so she can continue work in the building. The council did not respond substantively during the public comment period. The matters Williamson described—court orders and any enforcement of private agreements—appear to involve actions outside the council’s routine agenda. Williamson identified the parties involved in the dispute and said the no‑contact order will lapse in March 2026 unless replaced or extended by a court. The council’s agenda that night proceeded to consider multiple ordinances and appointments; council members did not take further public action on Williamson’s comments during this meeting.
