Dear fellow residents of old Wilmington,
I am sitting in my office in my apartment at 513 Orange Street, on “house arrest” once again, having spent the better part of 7 years being ruthlessly persecuted by the tyrant Ben David. I write in search of solidarity and assistance from the concerned citizens with whom I share this place, which as you know, is the finest place on the planet to live a life of purpose and beauty. It will not always be that way if we do not confront the political realities which encroach upon our way of life.
I joined ROW in the spring of 2022, but the organization has been with me all my life since I was born to the parents who renovated 116 Castle St and 117 Nun St into their current condition. But it was my grandmother, Mary Cox Gage, who made for me my current place, when she purchased this property with two of her sons as “tenants in common”. I know from my friend Jan Brewington that questions of inheritance are a common problem downtown, though it’s hard to say how to avoid such disputes. Because my family refuse to acknowledge my ownership of 515 Orange Street, which is rightfully mine by the law of “adverse possession”, I am in a very precarious position.
These questions of “rightful ownership” as well as the role of “inheritance” in the scheme of historic residential architecture, preservation, and the community proper to our district, are obviously very complicated. But they cannot be avoided, and the truth is that other forces have seized control of downtown Wilmington.
The organization known as Historic Wilmington Foundation, while it purports to honor similar principles and values as the Residents of Old Wilmington, in fact has been fashioned to serve a very different function, that of a propaganda organ for a certain idea of Wilmington, an idea which is not my own, and which I regard as a threat to my existence and to the future of my beloved home city.
Having said these things, let me be more specific and concrete. Property rights disappear when they are not asserted and defended, and so I wish to declare, in lawful and formal fashion, that I am the rightful owner of the house and property at 515 Orange Street, Wilmington. This is over and against the claims of my father and uncles, who effectively falsified a new deed sometime back in 2020. That deed is on file with the Register, but I intend to repudiate it and submit a new deed when I am able to do so.
Next, a concrete point. There are people in the historic district who are no longer able to speak to me, and who threaten to call the police should I be so foolish as to wander near their blocks. Among these, I wish to name only one, who I have no choice but to denounce. She is the owner and occupant of 401 S. 4th St. and our representative in the NC General Assembly, and to my mind she deserves neither her office, nor her property, having forfeited these through wrongdoing and contempt for humanity, that is to say, for me. I refer to Deborah Armfield Butler, who should not be allowed to go on living in our midst. If I am mistaken as to her misconduct, I will retract this statement, but for now let it stand as my word.
Another thing. I do not know what the rules are as for “dues” or “support” for ROW members, and while I am somewhat strapped for cash at the moment, I do wish to maintain my good standing if there is any such requirement. I can be reached at my residence or at the phone or email given above. With a tiny prayer for old Wilmington, I conclude this bulletin.
Warm regards,
Dawson Gage
orangestreetlawschool.org
freestyleking.info
soundcloud.com/dawson-gage