Call to Action for Charles Mackey

A little over two weeks ago, I did an interview on Facebook Live with Traci Fant, the founder of Freedom Fighters, and the family of Charles Mackey, who was shot at his home last summer. The video of the interview was shared about 30 times and reached over 2000 people. Well over 1000 people watched the video.

If you haven’t watched the video, I want to encourage you to watch it. You will hear from the family what kind of a man Charles was. You will hear about the harassment that led up to the shooting. You will hear how the sheriff’s department responded to the conflict between Mackey and his neighbor and how it responded to the fatal shooting of Charles Mackey. You will hear about the progress that has been made with the help of the FBI and the new sheriff’s administration, and you will hear about the challenges that remain.

You will also hear about the reasons the family believes that racism played a role in the shooting and in the way the previous administration handled its responsibilities to Charles Mackey and his family. I don’t want you to miss this part. If you are concerned about allegations of racism being used to mainstream new ideologies than to uphold the law or do what is right, I don’t think you will find evidence of that kind of problem here. I have been in touch with the Mackey family and with Traci Fant since September of last year, and I can tell you there is nothing fake about them.

I am not trained in investigative journalism, but I think I know an important story when I see it. I believe you will find helpful information and perspective in the interview that you will not find in any conventional media coverage of this story. I am continuing to follow this story, and I am talking with more people who are involved in it. Soon, I will be talking with the new sheriff of Anderson County, Chad McBride. You will get an inside look at the sheriff’s department, and hopefully you will also learn more about the Mackey story.

I want to ask you to stay engaged with me here. Traci Fant and the family are hoping that I and you, my viewers, will be able to reach people they can not. I have gotten some significant response from new people, but I think most of the people who have commented, shared, and reacted to this video are people who watched because they already know Traci or the family. I don’t want to ask any of you to pull back on your advocacy for Charles Mackey and his family. What I do want to do is to encourage others to get involved.

I was at the Greenville County Republican Convention last week. I happened to sit next to someone at breakfast who was visiting from the Anderson County Republican Party. I mentioned this story to him, and I mentioned the different sheriff’s administrations involved. His answer was very politically correct, but he mentioned that the Anderson County Republican Party has heard from Sheriff McBride about the improvements he has made to the department as sheriff. If you are involved in the Anderson County Republican Party, I need your attention and your help. Find out what changes the sheriff’s office is making and what changes still need to be made. I want to hear from you, and I need you to advocate privately and publicly for justice.

If you are a Republican or even just a resident in Upstate South Carolina, I need you doing your research and getting involved. Some friends and family of Charles Mackey live in Greenville, where I live. The people and issues involved in this situation touch the entire surrounding area. Look for accountability in law enforcement. Be alert to evidence of racism or racially motivated hostility. Do what you can to encourage witnesses of crime to cooperate with law enforcement. Follow up on unsolved homicides. Traci Fant has been in contact with Sheriff Will Lewis of Greenville County to see progress made on homicide investigations. Follow Traci Fant or Freedom Fighters for updates on this and similar cases.

If you are an advocate for liberty, I need you involved. Charles Mackey felt unsafe at his own home, and he was ultimately shot there. The family has complained about his unequal treatment by law enforcement at every stage of this unfolding tragedy. We need your help to assure that legal rights translate into reality. We need you to advocate for equality of everyone before the law.

If you are politically pro-life, opposed to abortion and euthanasia, the chairman of the Democratic Party and the organizers of the Women’s March have told you that you are not welcome. Well, I want to tell you that I welcome your voice and your involvement in this case. Traci doesn’t have a problem with saying that All Lives Matter, and I believe that unborn lives matter. Black unborn lives matter. This case is not about unborn lives, but it is about life. This is a chance for you to shine.

If you are an advocate for minorities who are targets of violence, whether they are blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Muslims, or anyone else, I need your help. If we fail to protect one group, we put every group at risk.

If you are an advocate for the rule of law, I need you to be engaged. Law enforcement agencies need to be held accountable, and officers who do exceptional work should be praised. We should want communities where the FBI does not need to get involved in local matters. If they do have to get involved, we need to make it as easy as possible for them to do their job.

If you are an advocate for law enforcement reform, this is the kind of case you have to take an interest in. I would encourage you to watch the upcoming interview with Sheriff McBride and do your own research. Please promote this story.

Finally, I want to say a word to those of you who are overloaded with information and appeals for help. You have plenty of responsibilities with your church, family, and friends. Some of you are busy students and working at the same time. Perhaps you prefer to keep politics at a distance. You carefully limit your involvement in activism or social work like this. You don’t want to get involved in controversial issues without having all of the relevant facts, and you often don’t feel you have time to search out the relevant facts. You want to hear all sides of the story, and you don’t always have all sides of the story. I know how you feel.

I am not going to ask you to give time you don’t have. I am not going to ask you to say things you don’t believe. What I do ask is for you to take time to learn something about this situation. If you are not African American, try to understand why so many African Americans feel so strongly about this situation. Have some empathy for the family. Recognize that there are unanswered questions here. Pick up on the known issues that we are highlighting, like respect for life, government accountability, respect for Second Amendment rights, and giving law enforcement what they need to do their job. Find an angle that works for you, and promote this story from that angle.

Thank you for taking the time to watch. Please stay tuned and help us promote this search for justice. Follow my Facebook page, OwenCrewblog. For more information on this story, go to the Facebook page Justice for Charles “Snake” Mackey. Thank you.

The Republican Party Needs to Embrace Liberty: Thoughts on the GCGOP Convention

I attended the Greenville County Republican Convention as a delegate on Saturday, April 22. This was my first time serving as a delegate. I am grateful to the only other officer of my precinct for electing me delegate and to the party for allowing me to serve.

Why I went to the Convention

I went to the convention expecting to learn, but I also went to advocate for a party independent of our non-ideological and untrustworthy president. This is a time when President Trump is already campaigning for reelection. The 2018 elections will be a test of strength not only of the Republican Party, but of the various elements of the Republican Party. The President has threatened to primary the House Freedom Caucus for nothing more than making a serious effort to keep campaign promises to repeal Obamacare—an effort that President Trump should have supported, not opposed. Now is the time to support conservatives in the Republican Party and to build momentum for a presidential primary challenge to Donald Trump in 2020.

Do not suppose that I am unhappy or ungrateful for the victories against Planned Parenthood, for the successful nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, for the rollback of usurped government power, or for the other good things that have come out of Donald Trump’s presidency. These are significant policy gains, and I commend the president for all he has done. He is often a co-belligerent, and it is better to have the president as an ally than as an opponent. However, none of this can compensate for the serious doubts that President Trump continues to arouse of his loyalty to the conservative movement and to the Republican Party.

Positive Signs

There were encouraging signals that came out of the county convention. Jeff Duncan and Jim Bridenstine of the House Freedom Caucus were keynote speakers. Bridenstine gave encouraging updates on negotiations on Obamacare repeal, and he gave four reasons that he supports the current version of the repeal bill being discussed. Both men talked about liberty and advocating for Constitutional government. Both expressed a desire to help Donald Trump achieve his agenda, and neither criticized the president. It was not the time or the place for them to criticize him, and I think they knew it.

The election for party chairman was illuminating. One candidate whom I had concerns about finally came out in favor of closed primaries. His earlier failure to support protecting the free association of Republicans by restricting primary voting to registered Republicans was a major weakness in his campaign. I was glad to see him make that change.

Both candidates talked about the need for increased openness to diverse people who subscribe to the Republican platform. There seemed to be hints from Nathan Leupp and the outgoing chairman, who endorsed him, that Leupp would take a different direction than the previous administration on this. This is an important issue to watch.

Cause for Concern: Racism and Xenophobia

Something that no one wanted to talk about is the ignorant and inflammatory rhetoric on foreign religions and minority groups that comes from some in the county party, including from Mr. Leupp’s opponent. There was a draft resolution against Islam that was circulated among the delegates by someone running for state delegate. The party leadership chose to ignore this rather than address its ideas. There was only a vague reference to some proposed resolutions that did not follow the correct form or would have been illegal.

The party will not be able to ignore this kind of thing indefinitely. Islam and race relations are delicate subjects that require careful handling, and the Republican Party does not need bomb-throwers in its ranks undermining its commitment to religious liberty and equal rights for all before the law.

Measure of Opposition to President Trump: State EC Race

No one speaking at the convention explicitly addressed my concerns that I laid out in a campaign video and in a flyer that I distributed at the convention. The closest thing to a test of strength was in the race for State Executive Committeeman. Doug Wavle was the only candidate for any office to praise my state delegate campaign video before the convention. He did this enthusiastically in a comment on YouTube.

In his campaign speech, he never once mentioned President Trump. Instead, he spoke about how to hold leaders accountable and about who in particular needs to be held accountable in the state government. He talked about the ideals that should motivate us to be involved in politics, with religious liberty being first among them. He only briefly spoke about his very adequate qualifications for the office. His opponent, on the other hand, talked only about her record of service and her support for President Trump.

Of the two experienced candidates, Doug Wavle and Suzette Jordan, Jordan had the full support of the chairman and of the newly elected 1^st Vice Chairman. Jordan was singled out for special honor with the Chairman’s award for her service. She was the incumbent. Jordan won by only two votes, 114 to 112. While there was better messaging by Mr. Wavle, and there may have been other factors I am unaware of, this should cause the state and county GOP to sit up and take notice that opposition to President Trump in the party is already strong. The time to protect the party and the nation is now, not later.

Stifled Debate

There was a policy matter put to the convention that I want to make a public statement on. A resolution was proposed to commend our Republican legislators for their service. One of the delegates proposed an amendment to the resolution that would have removed mention of Lindsey Graham. She did not feel it was appropriate for the convention to give a general commendation of Graham in view of a prior censure of Graham for positions he had taken. The chairman, speaking as chairman of the previous convention, said that it would be a mistake to not commend Graham.

A motion was made by opponents of the amendment to end debate. A vote was taken, although it became immediately clear that some of the delegates did not understand what they were voting for. The motion carried, and its supporters never had the opportunity to defend their motion against the criticisms that the chairman and Nate Leupp made. The motion was voted on, and it lost the vote.

So to be clear, there were two things that the convention voted on: it voted to shut down debate, and it voted to keep the commendation of Lindsey Graham in its resolution, which also passed. I voted against shutting down the debate, but I also voted against the motion to remove Graham from the resolution. I actually do not remember whether I voted for the Convention’s resolution itself or not. The key for me is that, though I was not persuaded by the argument for removing Graham from the list of commendations, I would have supported further debate. I will not say how others voted, because that is for them to say if they choose to. That is all that I have on that at this time.

Extraordinary Challenges in the Race for State Delegate

The last issue I want to tell you about has to do with the freedom of ordinary citizens to have a voice in a Republican Party convention. One of the primary reasons I went to the county convention was to run for delegate to the state convention. I went into the convention with few connections. I had refused to endorse either candidate for chairman, so I was not going to receive support from either of them. That was a consequence I willingly accepted. The few I met who already knew and agreed with my message had other business to conduct than to distribute my flyers or to ask people to vote for me. They did help as they were able, and for that I am grateful.

Beyond the expected disadvantages, however, I had to contend with the publicity given to candidates who had signed a statement I never had the opportunity to consider. Doug Wavle was on the list of signees along with others he was able to personally recommend to me, but it was not his list. Others whose names I knew were not on the list.

The sheet of signees was handed to every delegate before he or she entered the room.  At the top, it said “GCGOP/SCGOP Unity Delegates: The following State Delegate Candidates ask for your vote. These Candidates desire to have a good working relationship with the SCGOP for the benefit of Greenville County as well as the Conservative Cause.” There were 74 names on the list, and we were allowed to nominate as many as 79 state delegates.

Would I have signed this statement? Well, I certainly do not want to have a bad working relationship with the SCGOP. But I know very little about the SCGOP, and some of what I know is reason for concern. I am unsure of the state party’s commitment to obtaining closed primaries to keep Democrats and other non-Republicans from interfering in family business. I would be hesitant to sign a statement like that. But again, I was not asked.

This was the only list of candidates that we received with information about their positions. Every delegate in the room received the names on this list. In contrast, I was only able to distribute flyers to fewer than half the delegates at the convention. As a new delegate, I was not given the opportunity that at least 74 others had to have my name put before the convention. If I had received that opportunity, the statement I would have had to sign was arguably inappropriate to ask of a new delegate unfamiliar with the state party.

I would argue that the right to free speech, particularly for new delegates, is impaired by an arrangement like this. If there is only going to be one list of candidates for the Convention to consider, there should at least be equal opportunity for all delegates to gain a place on that list. Ideally, there should be multiple lists for groups with different interests and priorities, with every eligible delegate having the opportunity to be on at least one of the lists.

I did not make state delegate, but I was elected as one of 79 alternates to the convention. I received 31 votes. I am happy to say that Mr. Wavle did very well, and that others I supported were chosen as delegates or alternates, as well. I look forward to reporting on and perhaps participating in the state convention.

In Conclusion

In summary, the Greenville County Republican Party is doing some things to promote liberty, particularly at the national level. However, there is still work to be done. I congratulate the winning candidates on their success, and I hope they will use the opportunity they have been given to repair and protect the liberty that is the right of every American. I commend all of the candidates who ran, and I can assure Doug Wavle that if he runs again, he will have my vote as he did this time. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the civic life of our nation and our county in this way. I hope to gain more friends and partners in the party and to be able to work with the Republican Party in the future for the cause of liberty. I will continue following the activities of other political parties with interest, as well.

NEW! Weekly Twitter Polls

I came out with something different today, just for fun! I am going to be doing polls every week on Twitter on various topics. Follow me on Twitter to see and vote in the polls each week! I would love to hear from you on this: what questions would you like to see polls on?

Here are the polls from today:

First weekly polls: For special elections and the midterm (2018) elections, would you prefer:

— Owen Crew (@crewowen) April 21, 2017

Weekly poll (2 of 2): in midterm and special election, would you prefer:

— Owen Crew (@crewowen) April 21, 2017

Thoughts on an Illegal Immigration Advocacy Workshop Part 1: Rule of Law

"Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house." - Proverbs 6:30-31

This is part one of a three part series giving my thoughts on a workshop I attended in Clemson a week ago. The workshop was designed to train people to advocate for illegal immigrants on issues ranging from access to healthcare to a path to citizenship. The other two parts will focus on character and on social cohesion. My goal in this series is to bring conservative principles to bear on the discussion while actively listening to the concerns of non-conservatives on immigration.

This workshop, held in a Catholic church, was designed to promote principles and practices of faith-based advocacy. An organization called NETWORK produced the workshop. NETWORK is a group founded by nuns, and the proof texts for the speaker's arguments were intended to be adaptable to any religious group's purposes in advocating for illegal immigrants.

A range of views were represented among attendees at the workshop. One of the attendees argued for the abolition of borders. Though the speaker and others did not support that argument, they did not attempt to refute it, either. Workshop materials talk about justice to the earth (as distinguished from people), which is the idea that the no-borders argument is based on.

The arguments that the speaker presented had more to do with providing opportunities and creating an immigration system that is fair and efficient. The speaker argued for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, including those who have committed minor crimes. She did not offer considerations on what to do with those who commit major crimes. There seemed to be an acknowledgement of people who come illegally to flee violence, but it was clear that that was not the main concern.

One of the main goals along the way to a path to citizenship is codifying the provisions of the DACA executive order, which largely suspends enforcement of immigration law with respect to children who are brought into the US illegally. Lindsey Graham's BRIDGE act would extend the provisions of DACA to recipients for three years while Congress decides what to do about immigration law and enforcement. One of the attendees was of Puerto Rican origin, and he identified as a Republican. He acknowledged that the DACA order was illegal (which no one else mentioned), and he voiced support for legislation like the BRIDGE act. The speaker mentioned some other proposed legislation that would, taken together or separately, move the amnesty agenda along.

One of the attendees asked the speaker whether it was better to appeal mainly to justice or to compassion when advocating for illegal immigrants. The speaker came down clearly on the justice side, although she said advocates should appeal as well to people's compassion.

I spoke at the workshop on the priority placed by conservatives on the rule of law. I mentioned that the rule of law is usually used as an argument for stricter immigration enforcement, but I said that reining in out of control bureaucracy and creating a simpler, more effective legal system might require some leniency. This article from the Witherspoon Institute gives the pros and cons of some kind of amnesty from a perspective that highly values the rule of law. I think the best conservative argument can be summarized by saying that some kind of amnesty may be needed, but a blanket, unlimited amnesty would be extremely harmful to the rule of law. The rule of law is necessary for personal and national security and to secure human rights.

While the Witherspoon Institute article gives the pros and cons of amnesty, the Hillsdale College publication Imprimis published an article in February 2015 making a good argument for prioritizing enforcement of existing law. What the former article argues for on the con side from a theoretical perspective, the Imprimis article reinforces with empirical evidence.

I would say that while the social justice perspective (represented at the workshop) has some valid concerns, the burden it places on the government and people of the United States is unjust and does damage to respect for the law. In the following articles, I will discuss how to address the legitimate concerns of advocates for illegal immigrants without compromising the rule of law. Just as in the gospel, grace confirms the law of God (Romans 3:21), so in civil society, leniency must uphold the law of the land.

Status update on first immigration post

This is just to inform anyone who is expecting the release of my first post on the illegal immigration workshop that something else has come up. I will not be able to complete the post tonight. I hope to be able to finish it tomorrow. Thank you for your patience!

Mackey Family Interview, Afternoon of Thursday, April 13 (VIDEO)

Today, I met with Traci Fant of Freedom Fighters and members of the Mackey family to discuss the case of Charles Mackey, who was shot on his property last summer. The video contains updates on the progress of the search for justice and information on how you can help. We also talked about the meaning of the phrases "Black Lives Matter" and "All Lives Matter." Keeping this story in the public eye and staying up to date on it are currently the top priorities on this blog.

Agenda for the week ahead

Hello everyone,

I was at a workshop Saturday on advocacy for illegal immigrants. As a conservative, I was not part of their normal clientele, but they were happy to have me. One of the attendees was very eager to know when I was going to write about the workshop. This post is for him and for anyone else who is curious what I am up to.

First, I should say that all plans are contingent on the needs of my wife and soon-to-be-born son. If I don't write on schedule, it is likely because there is a baby on the way. The due date is the 23rd, so it could be any day now.

However, today I hope to make a YouTube video addressing the candidates to the Greenville County Republican Party Convention and the precinct officers. This will not be posted on the blog, but I mention it here because it is important political activity. It arises from some emails I received yesterday and over the last couple of weeks.

Throughout the week, as I have opportunity, I will be following up with contacts I made at a minority non-profit leaders meeting Friday and at the workshop Saturday.

On Thursday, I will be blogging. There will be a video interview with the Mackey family, and I will be writing the first of at least three posts on the workshop Saturday. I hope to discuss illegal immigration from the three perspectives that drive this blog: character, social cohesion, and the rule of law.

Early next week, I will be announcing an exciting new project. You won't want to miss it!

Stay tuned. If you don't check in for or share anything else, be sure you do not miss the interview Thursday. This is dealing with an explosive issue in our society that is very painfully close to home for a family in our community.

Interview with the family of Charles Mackey

I have a time set for an interview with the Mackey family and with Traci Fant, founder of Freedom Fighters, who is representing them. Charles Mackey was shot to death on his own property last summer by his next door neighbor. Mackey was armed, and the shooting was declared self-defense. The family believes the decision was wrong, and they have asked the FBI to investigate the shooting as a hate crime.

I will be interviewing the family around 2 pm on Thursday, April 13th. Check my Facebook page, OwenCrewblog, for updates.

Event tonight!

I am pleased to announce that we will be having a panel discussion tonight on race in the Church. I spoke this afternoon on WPJM (Greer) with Dr. Ronald Barton, who is helping to organize the panel. The discussion grows out of my interviews with Pastor Darian Blue, and the event will be at his church, Nicholtown Missionary Baptist, at 7 pm tonight.

Please join us! The event will be live streamed on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/OwenCrewblog/ . I will interview the participants for an hour to an hour and a half, and then we will open it up for questions from the audience.

*****Update: unfortunately, no one showed up except Dr. Barton. Dr. Barton did not want to do an interview without the others. This failure on my part was a learning experience for me. However, we are in much better shape now for rescheduling the panel discussion.

After saying goodbye to Dr. Barton, I crashed a meeting at the Phillis Wheatley Center that Pastor Blue was having with some non-profit leaders. I was able to meet Darian Blue's executive assistant, with whom I had not had the pleasure of working previously. She is handling the scheduling for the panel, and I have been assured that she is very reliable. I also met two black pastors who were not aware of the planned panel discussion, and they expressed an interest in participating. I met several of the non-profit leaders, and I expect much to come from our networking tonight.

Though my hastily planned event tonight did not go according to plan, once more I had the opportunity of seeing God in His Providence work things out better than I could have planned. I know some people were praying, and I believe those prayers were answered.

I had one final bit of encouragement: Serena Yates, from Nicholtown Baptist, was leaving just as I arrived at the center. She did not hear about the panel discussion until too late, but she is very excited. She promised that with more notice next time, she will aggressively promote the event. I hope others will do the same.

I am very encouraged. Have a fantastic evening!

Darian Blue Interview on Race in the Church, Part 1

Yesterday, I began my second interview with Pastor Darian Blue of Nicholtown Baptist Church. In the last interview, we focused on his experience and knowledge about social work, because of his work in the role of executive director of the Phillis Wheatley Center. Yesterday, we focused on the life of the church, specifically the separation between people of different races into different churches.

We only had time to get to a few of the questions, so we are going to continue at another time. Dr. Ronald Barton should be joining us, and at some point there will be other pastors joining the discussion as well. Dr. Barton was a part of the Civil Rights Movement, and both he and Pastor Blue feel that this is an important conversation we are having. The response to the last interview encouraged us, and we hope the interview on race in the church will meet a need in our churches and our communities.