Where is Kenly NC on the map? Demographics explored amid Justine Jones town manager controversy  

On Thursday, the entire Kenly Police Department resigned in protest against the newly hired town manager Justine Jones. The officers reportedly accused the manager of creating a "hostile work environment" and said it prevented them from performing their duties.

The official announcement of the drastic move was made in a Facebook post by Kenly Police Chief Josh Gibson. He shared that he has already submitted his two weeks' notice alongside the entire department, including assistant town manager Sharon Evans and utility clerk Christy Jones:

WRAL also obtained a copy of Gibson's official resignation letter presented to Jones. In the letter, the former, who served in the department for 21 years, referred to himself as the "longest running chief" in the region.

He also mentioned that his force made "substantial progress" in dealing with unspecified "ups and downs" in recent times but claimed that progress is no longer possible:

“However, due to the hostile work environment in the Town of Kenly, I do not believe progress is possible.”

Contrary to Gibson's social media posts, his letter did not directly mention Jones as the key reason behind the decision. The document also refrained from pointing out the specific grievances behind the action.

WRAL also reported that Gibson would reconsider his decision to exit the department if the town manager was dismissed from her position. The publication noted that other employees also cited a "hostile," "toxic," and stressful work environment as the reason behind their resignation.

Reports suggest that Kenly, a small town in North Carolina and home to roughly 2000 residents, is left with only three part-time officers in its police force. However, Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell reportedly assured his office would protect the region's residents.

Town Manager Justine Jones is yet to address the situation and told WRAL she is "not at liberty to talk because of a personnel matter." Meanwhile, attorney Chip Hewett said that the town has decided to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss matters of public safety.

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Exploring the location of the town of Kenly

The town of Kenly, North Carolina (Image via Map Quest)

Kenly is a town in the state of North Carolina, located in Johnston and Wilson counties, approximately 45 miles (72 km) southeast of Raleigh. The town mainly sits in eastern Johnston County, and a small portion extends into the southwest part of Wilson County.

Church Street or US Route 301 serves as the main road through the town center and leads northeast 15 miles to Wilson and southwest 14 miles to Smithfield. The second street or North Carolina Highway 222 crosses the US 301 and turns northwest 13 miles to Emit and southeast 9 miles to Fremont.

Interstate 95 runs along the northwest edge of the town and leads northeast 33 miles to Rocky Mount and southwest 58 miles to Fayetteville.

The town was named after John R. Kenly, who served as the Northern Division Superintendent of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and became the railroad president in 1913.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles, consisting of 1.609 acres of water. As per Data USA, the region had a population of 1.8K in 2019, with a median age of 39.6 and a median household income of $21,455.

The site notes that the five largest ethnic groups in the town are African-American (Non-Hispanic) (36.1%), White (Non-Hispanic) (35.7%), White (Hispanic) (9.88%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (7.4%), and Other (Hispanic) (6.61%).

It also reports that 94.3% of the residents in the town are US citizens, and no household speaks a non-English language at home as their primary language.