Media representatives are invited to attend a news conference held by the Royal Oak Concerned Citizens Association of Brunswick County and the Center for Civil Rights of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law on Friday (June 3).
Media representatives are invited to attend a news conference held by the Royal Oak Concerned Citizens Association of Brunswick County and the Center for Civil Rights of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law on Friday (June 3).
Friday (June 3)
12:30 p.m.
Brunswick County Government Center
310 Government Center Drive, Bolivia
Community members and their representatives will speak about the environmental threats and hazards facing the Royal Oak neighborhood and propose strategic solutions.
Background: Royal Oak, a historically black community just north of Supply, is the location of numerous environmental hazards either owned or permitted by Brunswick County, including the county’s only landfill, a sewage treatment center, a waste transfer station, the animal shelter and many sand mines. These hazards, compounded with a high water table and shallow wells, place the Royal Oak community’s drinking water at risk.
Brunswick County has not provided Royal Oak with water and sewer service. Though county sewer and water lines reach the sewage treatment plant, the lines end right outside the Royal Oak community. The county also plans to triple the size of the landfill.
The center is the legal representative of the citizens association. Both organizations have been working for several months, along with the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, in partnership to address environmental justice issues facing African American-majority communities and communities of color across the state.
News conference: Media representatives who plan to attend the news conference should RSVP today to Lewis Dozier, president of the Royal Oak Concerned Citizens Association, (910) 617-1057, or John Hankins, vice president, (910) 393-7272.
The news conference will be held outside on the courthouse steps. A news release will be available at that time.
UNC Center for Civil Rights contact: Elizabeth Haddix, (919) 843-9807.