George Rhynes (229-251-8645) 1 March
2004
605 ½ East Hill Ave
Valdosta, Georgia 31601
Dear Editor – Message Boards, and American Patriots of Free Speech!
Recently on C-Span the question was asked if our freedoms had been
curtailed under the present administration?
After submitting many opinion columns, and being published in the
Chicago Sun times, Albany Herald, Tallahassee Democrat, USA-Today and other
papers. I believe our rights are fading---even here in Valdosta, where
a framed copy of an 1860, City Charter is displayed near the Municipal
Courtroom of Judge Edwards.
This charter reads (Par 100, Section XI), “The Mayor and Council shall
pass all proper and necessary laws or ordinances for the control of
slaves, and free persons of color in said town and suppress, and abate all
nuisances arising from hogs, dogs, horses, or other stock straying at
large in said town, or from other causes.”
Apparently, our elected officials and local news media sees nothing
wrong or offensive in displaying this charter. However, many people of
conscious are very much offended and want it removed to the City Museum.
When I observed this document I wrote the Mayor, City Council, Valdosta
Daily Times, WCTV Channel 6, WALB TV Channel 10, Valdosta NAACP,
Peoples Tribunal, and other local news media outlets.
As of today, nothing has been published by any Local News Media in
South Georgia concerning this matter. Although, several web-sites have
published it on the Internet with a copy of the 1860 City Charter.
This lack of local coverage is nothing new in this area: For example,
the complete circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Willie James
Williams, and how eye witnesses of his arrest was never called as
witnesses, eleven incarcerated inmates in the county jail requesting help from
an outside agencies have been ignored by local media, and our County
Commissioners since 26 Aug 03.
Moreover, an alleged incident at the jail involving a deputy and a
weapon has been sweep under the rug----says eleven inmates, and that they
often have problems filing complaints and getting them notarized.
In addition, candidates running for City Council was not equally
represented at a news conference, valid election problems in the last City
Mayoral and Council race went unreported in the news, elderly citizens
are afraid to come out of their homes because of alleged gang activity,
protests and marches against war with Iraq, local school allegedly being
built on an unsafe land site.
Also, individual complaints are seldom reported from City and County
monthly meetings--unless they are in groups or represented by an
organization, hazardous railroad tracks in the black community, the Valdosta
Lowndes County Conference Center has only one Black employee in a
management position, while 100% of work-crews are black---with no job
benefits, applicants and people on staff speaks of unfair hiring practices.
However, there is little if any investigative reporting to try to rectify
these community problems.
Therefore, many citizens have turned to Message Boards, Blogs,
Internet, congress, senate and other means to ensure local citizens are
informed. Therefore, it appears that local citizens have no alternative but to
begin a newsletter in this South Georgia Town.
Yes! Freedom of Speech seems to have been curtailed in America at the
expense of the American people. Peace!
George Rhynes
A concerned citizen and brother of humanity!
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