RALEIGH – If you’re losing track of all the ‘Trump Signs Vandalized’ stories across towns in North Carolina, that’s understandable. There have been A LOT of said stories.
One story in Wilmington is actually getting to the point of accountability, fortunately, as multiple individuals turns themselves in to police for destroying a Trump billboard there.
What’s more; the ring leader of the vandals is a prominent Leftist activist and local media darling.
From WECT:
“[…] Nicole Nichelle Nelson (who is known as Lily Nicole), 33, Marion Timothy Joyner, 34, Joshua Gordon Zieseniss, 21, and James Earl Frazier, 27, surrendered to law enforcement on Tuesday and each charged with injury to personal property and injury to real property, according to a spokesperson for the Wilmington Police Department.
Frazier, Joyner, and Zieseniss are facing an additional charge of injury to personal property and second-degree trespass. […]”
Nicole Nelson recently rose to prominence in the Port City protest scene, getting fawning media coverage for billing herself as a ‘liaison’ between protesters and law enforcement. She, along with Joyner and Zieseniss, head up a organization called Lowercase Leaders. Nelson is listed as ‘Madam Chair.’
From June on WECT:
“[…] Nicole is biracial. Her mother is white, her father is black. And, her stepfather is in law enforcement.
It’s that unique set of experiences that gives her a remarkable ability to see the current situation facing all corners of America with an open mind.
Nicole said she had no plans to get involved in Sunday’s protest, but after learning a lot of teens and younger people would be there, she felt the need to protect them. […]
Nicole says a big part of change will come in November but, before people vote, she says there needs to be more voting awareness.
“I think those are two, really good, tangible and reasonable requests that can happen within the next few weeks,” said Nicole. “I think that’s something that can begin. I am talking with organizations trying to get voter awareness because that is a huge thing. We have to fix the system. We can’t fix the system unless the right people are in play. So unfortunately, there’s a lot of people to go but for them to go, we’ve got to get the votes.” […]”
Nothing screams ‘Increasing Voter Awareness’ by destroying political candidate’s billboards, right? Her ‘unique mind’ was ‘so open’ that she felt compelled to destroy political messages she disagrees with, afraid other people might see them…and like it.
In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of people like it. Donald Trump is quite popular in eastern North Carolina, and his recent visits to the Wilmington area were complete with hordes of MAGA fans lining the streets to catch a glimpse of his motorcade.
So now Nelson’s and the other activists’ most direct outreach initiatives with police has been to turn themselves in after committing crimes.
The New Hanover County Republican Party chairman, Will Knecht, had this to say:
“We condemn this brazen attack on the First Amendment not as Republicans, but as Americans. We condemn the attempt to stamp out opposing political beliefs and viewpoints by bullying, intimidation, theft, and defacing of property…by anyone be they Democrat or Republican. We believe the individuals charged today are innocent until proven guilty and look forward to the due process of law playing out. We call on other members of the community to clearly condemn this act of vandalism to send a clear message that these actions will not be tolerated in New Hanover County.”
Hopefully the vandals are held accountable, instead of getting off on account of a sympathetic DA. This is Wilmington, though, not Portland, Oregon, so that seems less likely than these activists would hope for.
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