Commentary: Rep. Gibson (D-Anson), Tell The Truth!

In 1965, in Swann vs. the Charlotte Mecklenburg, NC Public Schools, a suit over desegregation was brought into US District Court in Charlotte, NC. In 1969 after many battles in the Democrat Party controlled NC General Assembly, the NC Democrat Party controlled NC Courts, and US Federal Courts, US District Judge James McMillan, Jr. ruled there was a dual system, based on race, in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC Public Schools system. With the assistance of Dr. John Finger from Rhode Island, a new plan was ordered to desegregate Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The plan became known as the “Finger Plan”, not only based on the assistance of Dr. Finger, but because of the geographical layout of an open hand. Should you place your own hand onto the map of the downtown City of Charlotte and extend your fingers outward, the picture would very much look like your hand palm representing predominately black school students in the intercity. Each of the extended fingers would represent predominately white students; each finger reaching into the communities and busing white students into the intercity previous predominantly all black city schools. I present this as an analogy that Rep. Pryor Gibson’s (D-Anson) plan with his supporting map looks somewhat like another different “Finger Plan”. Rep. Gibson is proposing legislation in the NC General Assembly for the Union County, NC Commissioners to be elected by districts as he, himself chooses, regardless of the fact that the UC Commissioners nor any of the three UC members of the NC General Assembly has ask him for this legislation. They unanimously oppose his legislation. By my description of “geography only”, you could place your hand palm on the downtown City of Monroe, NC and extend your middle finger East down US Highway 74 through the town of Wingate, NC and with two smaller takeoffs to the left. The map then appears to continue to represent US Highway 74 East, to the Town of Marshville, NC. There, and with one of a snake’s forked tongue takes off to the left side which appears to represent the Marshville-Olive Branch Road area. The right fork of the tongue appears to go to the right side going outside of the south Town of Marshville city limits area. Nothing in Rep. Gibson’s legislation will present more elected representation from Marshville or any other on the East side of Union County. Mr. Gibson, how will your new plan prevent a representative from being elected from downtown Monroe? If you want representation from Marshville, why not include the entire Town of Marshville in your new legislation? Huh? I hope the NC General Assembly and/or Union County voters will reject the “Finger Plan” as Rep. Gibson is presenting. Just as Rep. Gibson’s map appears to represent the extended middle finger of a hand to the citizens of Union County, NC, do not be surprised that he may present you with an extended middle finger at any time his aspiration may advance his personal objective. Tell the truth! "It is not honorable to take mere legal advantage, when it happens to be contrary to justice." --Thomas Jefferson Oscar Y. Harward - oharward@carolina.rr.com