Gastonia council agrees to make Juneteenth a city-sponsored event after months of community complaints about in-kind fees

The Gastonia City Council voted this week to designate the city's Juneteenth celebration a city-sponsored event and asked staff to begin work on a broader review of the city's policy for in-kind services to festivals and community events.

The action came after a wave of public comments by event organizers and community leaders who said the city's recent change in handling in-kind services had left long-running grassroots events with large bills. "We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking to be treated like we matter," said Tasha White, founder of HealthCarolina and organizer of Gastonia's EbonyFest Juneteenth celebration, referring to a staff estimate she said charged the festival $15,630 for police and other staffing.

The council first heard public testimony that evening from a long list of speakers including community organizers and representatives of events such as Highland Festival and Toys for Tots. Speakers said Juneteenth previously received in-kind staffing and public-safety support and argued that the new…