THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 1, 1994 TAG: 9412010475
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN JOLLY DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUNSET BEACH LENGTH: Long : 102 lines
Not on the seaside. Not on the bayside. Not anywhere inside the boundaries of the Eastern Shore.
That was the message that more than 200 people want Gov. George Allen to hear about the 1,267-inmate maximum security prison the state is planning to build outside Cape Charles.
Citizens Opposing the Prison met at the Sunset Beach Inn on Tuesday night to plan an assault against the prison proposal. It began with pens, paper, and the addresses of elected officials.
The new group wants to stop the state Department of Corrections from turning their community into a ``warehouse for desperate and dangerous men.'' They fear the prison will stigmatize Northampton County and prevent it from developing industries that capitalize on its natural beauty.
``They're talking about turning Northampton County into a penal colony,'' said Bill Parr, a local real estate agent.
``Actions have been taken and decisions made by a very few individuals that will change the Eastern Shore forever,'' Parr said. ``Your elected officials didn't ask you what you wanted, and they didn't give you an opportunity to debate. That is a very big deal.''
The meeting was the second in eight days organized by Citizens Opposing the Prison. About 150 people attended the first.
Those who turned out Tuesday night included black and white residents, real estate agents, restaurateurs, bed and breakfast owners, farmers, retirees, bankers, members of the county Planning Commission and the Sustainable Development Task Force.
Organizers hope the snowballing movement will convince Allen not to invoke the state's right to locate prisons without the consent of local residents.
``If they use the right of eminent domain, it will be killing the spirit of democracy,'' said the Rev. Anthony Ruffin, a speaker at Tuesday's rally.
Tom Harris, the county administrator, asked to speak near the end of the meeting. He said it was critical for locals to get accurate information about the impact of correctional institutions.
Harris said the county is contacting 13 areas where correctional facilities have been located by the state since 1981 to ask about the impact on real estate values and public services. Members of the Board of Supervisors are going to Greensville County on Dec. 14 to look at a maximum-security prison community.
``All I can say is, believe it or not, we are doing as much as we can as quickly as we can,'' said Harris.
But for many people at the rally, the board's efforts are too little, too late. Why, they asked, did the supervisors contact the Department of Corrections in the first place and offer Northampton as a possible prison site?
``Who in their right mind has ever asked for a prison to be put in their community?'' asked one woman at the rally.
The economic impact of the prison may be one reason. The facility could generate 425 jobs and pump $18 million a year in salaries into the poorest county of Virginia.
But even this doesn't impress the prison's opponents.
``If a maximum-security prison is such a gem for the area, why are Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Hampton not lobbying for the state's business?'' asked Stuart Buckle.
Citizens Opposing the Prison has eight committees. Rather than depend on the Department of Corrections for information, it plans on doing its own research. Members want to study the social, environmental and economic effects of prisons. There are committees for political and legal action, and for fund raising.
At Tuesday night's meeting, tables were placed around the perimeter of the room and stocked with paper, envelopes and the addresses of state officials. The group is planning at least two rallies. And it will encourage citizens to wear purple ribbons on Dec. 10 as symbols of protest.
``The hour is much too late to play politics with this issue,'' said Frank Wendell, a member of the Cape Charles Town Council.
``What kind of leadership hides behind the thin excuse of eminent domain as a reason not to make their positions known?'' he said. ``To the prison I say, `Hell No!' '' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/
Mary Miller of the group Citizens Opposing the Prison drops off a
load of anti-prison letters at the post office in Eastville.
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EVENTS INVOLVING PRISON
Upcoming events regarding the prison in Northampton County:
Dec. 7 - Department of Corrections officials visit Kiptopeke
Elementary School to answer questions.
Dec. 10 - Purple Ribbon Day protesters distribute purple ribbons
as symbols of opposition.
Dec. 12 - Rally at Northampton High School at 6 p.m. and protest
at the Board of Supervisors meeting at 7 p.m.
Dec. 13 - Rally at Cape Charles Beach at 6:30 p.m. and march to
the Town Council meeting.
Dec. 14 - Board of Supervisors visits Greensville County to
research effects of prison on that community.
KEYWORDS: PRISON JAIL CORRECTIONAL CENTER EASTERN SHORE by CNB