Roberto E. Bryan Jr. says he is aware of the challenges ahead when he takes over as the 26th Fayetteville police chief on July 7. “There is much to do and I’m eager to begin.” Bryan, 56, said on May 30 at City Hall. “While we will focus on initiatives to reduce violent crime and strengthen recruitment and retention, I especially am looking forward to engaging with the community and building trust… The challenge definitely will be the violent crime that is going on in the city and the recruitment and retention.” Currently, there are 74 sworn officer vacancies, according to the city. As for the Youth Protection Safety Ordinance, which passed by a 6-4 Fayetteville City Council vote on May 27, Bryan said his “approach would be collaborating with the many nonprofit organizations that are in the community and leverage them to partner and engage in those youth to make sure that they don’t get into the areas and get into trouble that we’ve been seeing in the past.”
Bryan said he also will be working with the Cumberland County Department of Social Services and the Cumberland County Department of Juvenile Justice, aka Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. Bryan is a 30-year law-enforcement veteran and the current associate vice chancellor and chief of police at Fayetteville State University. He served with the FPD’s Specialized Services Bureau from 2019 to 2022, according to a news release, and spent 22 years with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, where he held multiple command assignments. A Pine Forest High School graduate, Bryan earned a B.S. in criminal justice from East Carolina University and a master’s in criminal justice from Fayetteville State University. Bryan, according to a city spokesperson, will earn an annual salary of $200,000. Bryan succeeds Kem Braden, who retired March 31 after a 29-year career with the Fayetteville Police Department to include 25 months as police chief.
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Chair Kirk deViere says the Cumberland Board of County Commissioners’ decision Wednesday evening to abandon the downtown Crown Event Center project along Gillespie Street came down to a matter of fiscal responsibility. “I think our county remains committed to a vibrant downtown,” deViere, 54, said after his vote along with Commissioners Henry Tyson, Pavan Patel, Marshall Faircloth and Jeannette Council … I don’t want the downtown community to believe that the county does not believe in the viability of downtown … I want the downtown business owners, property owners, champions and advocates for downtown to know that the county is not walking away from them.”
It was, deViere says, a matter of responsible governance over escalating costs for construction of the $152 million project. DeViere, Tyson, Patel, Faircloth and Council voted to authorize County Manager Clarence Grier to pursue costs of renovating the Crown Theater and Arena (circa 1968) on U.S. Business 301. Commissioners’ Vice Chair Veronica Jones and former commissioners’ chair Glenn Adams voted against both motions. It was an evening that became contentious when Jones accused deViere of being disrespectful of Commissioner Council, when deViere asked the longtime councilwoman if she was clear on a motion about the project, as well as when Jones abruptly excused herself for a restroom break during discussions. “I will not be disrespected,” Jones later said as she returned to the meeting. “I find it to be humiliating and embarrassing that if I have to use the restroom that a citizen, which I appreciate, has to come and tell me that this board does not have enough respect for me to wait.” Jones told deViere she was due an apology. Proper protocols are incumbent in governmental meetings, and Kirk deViere could not have been more respectful of Councilwoman Council.
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Fayetteville City Council Member Mario Benavente is dishing out his share of criticism toward Mayor Mitch Colvin, and while the 51-year-old four-term mayor usually tries not to let Benavente get under his skin, it wasn’t the case at the May 27 council meeting during discussion of the Youth Protection Safety Ordinance. “I know my gaslighting colleague down here wants to throw things out, you know, in a very bombastic way and make it about strongarming, but you know it’s evident who’s doing that,” Colvin said before the council’s 6-4 vote to pass the curfew from 11 p.m.-6 a.m. for youth aged 16 and under. Benavente indeed did suggest the mayor was “strongarming” other council members regarding the curfew.
“So, we’re going to keep this respectful,” Colvin told Benavente. “So, if you want to talk about my courage and guts, you can talk to me after the meeting, but until then, we’re going to conduct ourselves professionally, so get with that.” Benavente has announced he will bid for the mayor’s gavel. Colvin has not decided if he will seek a fifth term amid the snipping and sniping between the councilman and the mayor. Others who say they will bid for the mayoral seat are Mayor Pro Tem Kathe Keefe Jensen and Freddie de la Cruz.
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Mayor Mitch Colvin is not alone in his concern about youth violence. It’s an issue, too, in Durham, where Mayor Leonardo Williams has announced an initiative for 15 nonprofits to share in more than $300,000 to address the problem, according to WRAL TV. Youth violence has doubled in Durham since 2024, according to the report, and the Bull City Future fund is a partnership with United Way of the Greater Triangle and the Triangle Community Foundation.
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An 18-year-old and a juvenile have been arrested in the May 21 shooting around 4:30 p.m. at the Wendy’s restaurant at 2070 Skibo Road, where a female suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, according to the Fayetteville Police Department. The older suspect is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm into occupied property. He was arrested on June 1, according to a news release, after a vehicle pursuit, which resulted in additional charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, felony flee to elude, careless and reckless driving, and operating a vehicle without an operator’s license. The juvenile, according to the release, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. And some in this city wonder why our leaders are concerned about youth violence.
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“The best way our residents can protect themselves and their families during a disaster is by being prepared,” Laura Smith, Fayetteville’s emergency management coordinator, says in a news release about the Ready Fay initiative in preparation for the Atlantic hurricane season from June 1 through Nov. 30. “Start with a plan that includes where to meet, how to stay in touch and how to let someone know you’re safe. Then, build an emergency kit with essentials like food, water, cash, a flashlight, a radio, batteries and any necessary medications to last at least three days.” Smith says the Ready Fay goal is to make sure every resident has the tools and information to confidently face any storm or emergency situation.” Visit FayettevilleNC.gov/ReadyFay to learn more.
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So, the scammers are out, texting folks they are from the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles and saying “Our records show that as of today, you still have an outstanding traffic ticket,” and if you don’t pay it by June 5 your vehicle registration will be suspended; your driving privilege suspended for 30 days; there will be a 35% service fee, you may face prosecution and your credit score will be affected. It’s a scam, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles says in a news release. The NCDMV says it does not and never will request payment via text messaging. Don’t take a bite of the phishing apple bait. It’s a scam. If you receive such a text, report the texts to your mobile carrier or the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/complaint.
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A touching moment Wednesday evening as Grayson Clark Pope was the last of 457 seniors to receive his diploma at the Crown Coliseum from his father, Scott Pope, the 63-year-old retiring principal at Jack Britt High School. “It was a great moment,” Grayson Pope, 18, said about commencement, where a teary-eyed father hugged his son as fellow seniors and parents gave both a standing ovation. “He always told me we were walking off that stage together.” And that’s just what a proud father and son did. “We don’t show a lot of emotion,” Scott Pope said. “But it was a lot of emotion.”
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“Loved that M.A.S.H. series and watched most of the shows,” Don Talbot remembers the television series that ran from 1972-1983 and starred Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, Gary Burghoff, Harry Morgan, Jamie Farr, William Christopher and Loretta Swit, who portrayed Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan. “It portrayed to the ‘T’ the real life in an actual M.A.S.H. unit. Loretta and the cast appeared to love each other, and it showed in their acting.” Talbot met Farr, Christopher and Swit when they visited Fayetteville in 2013 as part of the “Heroes Homecoming” commemorating the 60-year anniversary of the end of the Korean War. “It was a great experience to meet some of the cast and we had some great laughs with them.” Talbot recalls receiving a “big bear hug” from Swit, and probably a kiss on the cheek. Loretta Swit died at 87 on May 30 at her New York home.
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The Cumberland County Department of Social Services’ Care Center Family Violence Program is the recipient of a $15,600 grant from the Women’s Giving Circle of Cumberland County, a fund of the Cumberland Community Foundation. The grant, according to a news release, was given May 28 at Seabrook Auditorium of the Fayetteville State University campus. The Care Center Family Violence Program says it plans to use the grant toward its efforts to provide a safe haven for individuals who have suffered domestic violence and to support those seeking resources such as shelter operations through DSS.
Coming Sunday: Graduate: “Thinking about everybody who has helped me” along the way.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961
