Wilmington officials remove more than 30 unauthorized DSA benches from city bus stops

City and state officials in Wilmington, North Carolina, pulled more than 30 illegal bus stop benches built by Democratic Socialists of America activists, and the group is now pressuring local leaders to let them put the propaganda back.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation removed 20 of the benches on August 6, and the City of Wilmington hauled away the rest the following day. The benches had been installed at city bus stops starting in April without approval from the city, the local transit authority, or the state. They carried political slogans, "We Must Have Mass Social Housing!" and "Liberation for All," among others, and sat on public rights-of-way where political messaging is prohibited.

Wilmington City Attorney Meredith Everhart laid out the violations in a statement first reported by WECT-TV on July 6. The benches, she said, "were not approved by the city or WAVE, aren't the correct type of bench, aren't ADA compliant, didn't go through the required permitting process and carry political messaging, which isn't allowed in public right-of-ways." WAVE is Wilmington's transit system.

The DSA chapter ignored the city's requests to take the benches down. Instead, the group launched a pressure campaign, posting a petition on its website and framing the project as an act of civic virtue.

Scalise forced the state's hand after weeks of city inaction

New Hanover County Commissioner Dane Scalise, who is also running for a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives, announced on August 1 that he had initiated a review with the state's transportation department. His social media post made clear he viewed the city's handling of the situation as unacceptable.

Scalise wrote:

"The city is working with the DSA, an organization whose platform calls for replacing capitalism with socialism as well as abolishing the US Senate, Electoral College, and Supreme Court? Apparently so, I'm afraid. In case you don't know, New Hanover County contributes a substantial amount of money to Wave every year. We also have numerous appointees to its board of directors. Let me make something very clear: I will do everything I can to ensure that New Hanover County plays no role in this apparent partnership with the DSA. Enough is enough. I am tired of waiting for others to act."

Five days later, NCDOT acted. Spokesperson Veronica Scott explained the rationale in an email: "We were recently made aware of new bus benches placed on the state right-of-way. Because these benches are not in compliance with the NCDOT Bus Shelter & Bus Stop Guidelines and are a safety hazard and liability for the state, they are being removed from state property."

The city followed on August 7, removing the remaining benches. A Port City Daily report indicated the benches were being stored while the city and the DSA chapter work toward an agreement about their "continued temporary use."

That phrase alone should raise questions. The benches violated permitting rules, failed ADA standards, and carried political propaganda on public land. What kind of "agreement" could put them back?

DSA called the benches "the product of Democratic Socialism"

The Wilmington DSA chapter did not treat its project as a simple act of charity. The group's own website statement made its ideological purpose explicit:

"The benches exist because we believe socialism means working together to give everyone the means to secure their own agency and dignity. This means a right to housing, medical care, education, fast and reliable public transit and yes, the right to a place to sit and rest in public. The benches are not a secret advertisement for Democratic Socialism; the benches themselves are the product of Democratic Socialism."

So the benches were not just benches. They were, by the group's own admission, ideological infrastructure, placed without permission on public property, branded with socialist slogans, and defended as a demonstration of what DSA governance would look like. The group also displayed images on its petition page showing slogans like "Fruits of Community Labor" alongside rainbow and transgender flags painted on the bench surfaces.

The DSA's broader national platform has drawn increasing scrutiny. The organization's growing influence within Democratic Party ranks has unsettled even some party leaders, who see DSA-backed candidates as liabilities in competitive races.

On August 1, the same day Scalise announced his review, the Cape Fear Proud Boys took credit for removing one of the benches and repainting it with the message "Socialism is slavery." S1 does not provide a direct statement from the group or specify where the claim was posted.

Months of defiance before officials finally acted

The timeline tells the real story of how slowly Wilmington moved. DSA activists began building benches in April. By July 6, the city attorney had publicly catalogued the violations. The city sent follow-up emails asking DSA to remove the benches. DSA refused and organized a letter-writing campaign instead.

It took until August 1 for a county commissioner to escalate the matter to the state level. NCDOT did not act until August 6. And the city did not remove its share until August 7, more than four months after the first benches appeared.

During those months, the benches sat in public rights-of-way, failing ADA compliance standards, lacking permits, and broadcasting political messages that no other group would have been allowed to post on government property. Imagine a conservative organization bolting unapproved benches to city bus stops with slogans about the Second Amendment or border security. The response time would not have been measured in months.

Scalise's frustration with the pace was evident. He pointed out that New Hanover County funds the WAVE transit system and holds board appointments, leverage the county had not used. His willingness to act when the city would not is the kind of accountability that voters increasingly expect from elected officials confronting socialist overreach.

Permitting rules exist for everyone, or no one

Strip away the politics and the case is straightforward. A private organization installed structures on public property without permits, without ADA compliance, and without approval from the transit authority that manages the bus stops. The structures carried political advertising in spaces where political messaging is prohibited. Every one of those facts, standing alone, would justify removal.

But the DSA chapter did not treat the removal as a code enforcement matter. It treated it as political persecution, launching a petition drive and framing the benches as a moral cause. The group's website urged supporters to pressure county commissioners into backing the project.

That framing collapses under its own weight. The benches were not removed because they were socialist. They were removed because they were illegal. No permit. Wrong bench type. No ADA compliance. Political slogans on public land. The city attorney said so. The state transportation department said so. The guidelines said so.

The broader pattern is familiar. Across the country, left-leaning groups and officials have grown accustomed to treating rules as optional when the cause feels righteous. When the rules are finally enforced, the enforcement itself is cast as the injustice.

Several questions remain unanswered. How many benches did the city remove on August 7 after NCDOT pulled its 20? What specific ordinances were violated beyond those Everhart described? And what exactly does the city mean when it says it is working toward an "agreement" for "continued temporary use" of structures that failed every applicable standard?

That last question matters most. If Wilmington allows the DSA to reinstall benches that violated permitting, ADA, and political-messaging rules, it will have established a precedent: break the rules loudly enough, organize enough political pressure, and the city will negotiate rather than enforce. Every other activist group in North Carolina will take note.

Officials at every level, from county commissioners to state and federal leaders, face a version of the same test. Do the rules apply equally, or do they bend for groups with the right politics and enough volume?

Wilmington's bus riders deserved benches. They did not deserve to be drafted into someone else's political campaign without being asked, and taxpayers did not deserve to foot the liability for structures no one approved.