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Residents accuse county of censoring public comments during meeting
Summary
During public comment, David French and others accused county officials and the public information officer of censoring and removing recordings of prior public comments, demanded restoration of recordings and apologies, and asked that public comments be posted and moved to the start of meetings.
Three residents used the public-comment period on July 6 to raise concerns about access to and recording of public comments at Craven County meetings.
David French opened with a forceful set of accusations about the county's handling of public comments and alleged that officials had stopped recording and publicly sharing comments. "We, the people, demand that you all start recording and sharing the public comments via YouTube," French said, listing several people he said were censored and calling for a written apology and a meeting where public comments are restored to the beginning of the agenda.
French also criticized what he described as broader civic failings, referenced hurricane survivors still in travel trailers and accused county staff of lying about the reasons for stopping recordings. The board did not respond to his demands during the allotted time beyond time-management reminders; when French asked whether the session was being recorded he was told his time was up.
Ray Griffin, another commenter, asked for information about a lawsuit he said had been discussed and framed his concerns in religious terms: "I just asked for information, what's going on, why the lawsuit, who brought it up," Griffin said. He also criticized partisan motives and urged a Christian approach to public life.
Damien King used his three minutes to say he had been told he would not be allowed to speak and expressed appreciation that he had been permitted to address the board.
The public comments did not prompt immediate policy votes or staff commitments at the meeting. Several citizens asked for changes to how the county records and posts public comments; the board did not announce next steps on those requests during the meeting.
