At-large voting part of Jim Crow past

Tue, 07/08/2008 - 3:59pm
By: Letters to the ...

Contrary to popular belief, the NAACP seeks to promote equality and diversity, especially where none exists.

For almost 100 years, the NAACP has sought to improve the lives of people of color. Some believe that the NAACP goes around looking for racism, but we actually don’t have to look for it. Evidence of racism comes to the NAACP through numerous ongoing reports of cultural bias, inequality and injustices from citizens and from vicious attacks in the media by narrow-minded people.

Regardless, Fayette County has the potential to be the greatest place for persons of any race, creed or color to live and enjoy.

Our beloved county is especially attractive to black people because of the quality of education, low density population, relatively low crime rate and overall quality of life.

Progressive black people have a deep value for education, because there was a time in Georgia when blacks were overtly denied an education.

We are wise to remember that there was a time not so long ago here in Fayette County when the voting rights of black citizens were openly obstructed and running for office was unthinkable.

Fayette County’s at-large voting process is a carry-over from that time, and it has so far prevented any black person from having a fair chance of getting elected to the county commission or school board.

Hypothetically, we believe that if at-large voting had kept a white person from getting elected in the entire history of Fayette County, all of you would be fighting for district voting.

Rest assured that we would not sit idly by and let any person, white or black or otherwise, be denied the equal opportunity to serve as a commissioner or school board member. That is precisely why we believe that now is the right time to change to district voting.

It is understandable that sometimes citizens are unaware, unconcerned, afraid or reluctant to ask their county commissioners or school board members to do what is right. But we also understand that righteousness is a virtue that most Fayette County citizens desire.

We believe that most of you know without a doubt that district voting is the fairest way to elect county commissioners or school board members.

Nevertheless, we expect that your elected officials will continue to try to block any and all efforts to bring district voting to Fayette County until you speak up.

Write, call, email your commissioners and ask them to support district voting. You, the citizens of our county, can easily help to avoid the potential racial tensions that can surface when hundreds of protesters are forced to march, rally and demonstrate in Fayette County to protest the Jim Crow era at-large voting and other injustices in our county.

We certainly hope that we can avoid the embarrassing national media attention that would expose how Fayette County clings to the Old South practices of the bygone Jim Crow era.

Let’s face it, the demographics of Fayette County are changing due to the influx of people of color, recently reported to be around 26 percent. Ultimately, Fayette County taxpayers could be forced to pay enormous legal fees to defend the Jim Crow era at-large voting that has simply become indefensible in this diverse community.

With your help, much agony and hard feelings could be avoided if the Fayette County Commission and School Board, with your urging, found the courage and wisdom to vote for a change to district voting. Thank you.

John E. Jones, president

Fayette County (Ga.) Chapter NAACP

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stevens770's picture
Submitted by stevens770 on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 8:36am.

The NAACP here in Fayette County cares little or nothing about about justice or fairness. Our chapter cares only about securing power for its members and supporters. Another member/supporter ofthe NAACP, Marvin Arrington of Atlanta explained on the radio in years past how city wide representation for Atlanta councilpersons was better than district representation due to the fact that he opposed the ward-only attitude. He complaint was that would result from allowing wards to elect their oun councilpersons as opposed to electing them on a city wide basis. Off course he neglected to explain that in this instance city wide voting resulted in virtually no whites being elected to the council.
Please Mr Jones, quit being a hypocrit and admit what you want-power and control. Your candor would be a welcome change from the normal political rancor.

FED UP In Fayette


Submitted by The Shadow on Wed, 07/09/2008 - 10:05pm.

It is unfortunate that people of all races and ethnics backgrounds can’t live and work together for the betterment of all. But that’s just the way it is, always has been, and always will be. Some people can succeed on an individual basis but as a whole the American experiment of liberty and justice for all is a failure. It was destined to be so from the beginning.

The simple but over-riding fact is that people of same race have trouble living with each other peaceably. Being White, I have more trouble with other Whites than I do with Blacks or any other race or nationality.

The big difference is that people of the same culture can control each other through common laws, customs, morals, mores and behavioral expectations. People who don’t conform are subject to ostracism in the community, or severe punishment by juries of their peers. There is no such thing as a jury of your peers in a mixed race society. The system does not function properly.

Race mixing is the under-current that destroys great nations. Let’s look at Fayette County as a microcosm of the whole U.S. During the late 1950’s the Federal government, at gun point, forced integration on the White race. After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Blacks started moving into White communities in S. Atlanta, East Point, College Park and Hapeville, as they legally and rightfully should have done. Whites were forced to mix their culture and ways of living with Blacks. It didn’t work.

Whites started leaving these areas and populating the farming community of Fayette Co., building new schools and infrastructure. They moved for one major reason only, to live and be with their own race and culture and control their lifestyle, values, etc.

Blacks moved into the former areas took over the governments and are now experiencing extreme difficulties with management of those communities. The same thing will happen in Fayette County as Whites are beginning to move farther out.

But something serious is happening to the American Dream for all races. The Federal government is functionally bankrupt . We’re all living on borrowed money that can never be repaid. The government is printing useless paper money hoping to inflate the nation out of bankruptcy. This has never worked in the history of nations.

All State and Local governments are cutting back. This means welfare, social programs and police protection is diminishing. With less safety protection crime will increase. The Federal government will lose control and won’t be able to force the races to live together anymore. Chaos, hunger, unemployment and lawlessness will prevail in America.

The U.S. will go the way of the old Soviet Union. Cultural areas will break away and become de facto separate governing communities down away with all the hated Federal laws. People of like heritage and living philosophies will flock together against those of different perspectives. Survival of the fittest will be the New America. Old hatreds kept intact by the Federal government will rise up just as in the Balkans and Russia, while food shortages will be here and worldwide. This is already happening in other areas of the world.

The value of the dollar is falling, the U.S. manufacturing base is already gone, 50% of the work force is either employed by governments or are living off government contracts. It is not unreasonable to predict that unemployment will rise above 50% when welfare is gone. We are no longer the world’s land of opportunity. We are a nation of consumers living off borrowed money on the edge of a long, long depression. With it all, the NAACP will fade into the annals of history.

The Shadow Knows.

Submitted by wildcat on Thu, 07/10/2008 - 8:33am.

I don't believe that "race mixing" destroys great nations. My thoughts are that it is the communities that house people of mixed values that are the problem. We live in Fayette County because we have certain values and standards. Like you, I don't want people here that have values and expectations that are significantly lower than mine. It interferes with the harmony that we are trying to maintain.

However, it is really unfair and hurtful to imply that black people don't have the same values/morals/standards that whites do. I think of my students and my colleagues and how they would feel if they were to read this. I'm embarrassed. It's really not about race and we've got to get beyond these type thoughts or we will end up as you predict.

Submitted by skyspy on Thu, 07/10/2008 - 8:00am.

It is hard to live in peace together when the Negative Angry Always Complaining People, are always threatening the white people.

They (the naacp) don't want to live in peace that is why they defend criminals. Of course they only defend black criminals. In Fayette County for at least the last 6 months with the exception of the bottle bomb kids in PTC, the crimes that have been committed here were committed by black suspects. I think we should sue the naacp for bringing crime here.

They(the naacp, not all blacks) have left a trail of destruction throughout the Atlanta metro area. First the left Fulton for Dekalb, then, they left DeKalb for Clayton. Clayton at one time was thriving and in fact the "it" place to live on the south side of Atlanta.

The naacp did't like all of the peace and prosperity. They wanted a piece of the pie. So they supported their criminals everytime they were convicted of a crime. They threatened that more crime would follow, if whitey didn't straighten up and give them more control. They wanted control of gov. the schools, the criminal justice system. They were being held back because the white man was in charge. So white flight took off and most of us moved to Fayette.

Now once again we have relativly low crime, and peace and harmony. They can't stand it they want to ruin another thriving community.

The irony of the this whole thing is that earlier this year when Clayton county was having a problem with their schools and their school board they wanted to complain again. In the AJC. in the clayton section one person had the unmitigated gall to complain that none of this would have happened to them if "white flight" hadn't taken off in the late 80s. So, thats right you guessed it.......it's the white mans fault once again because we moved. Because we moved away from crime. Shame on us.

It isn't their fault for poor management of a county,.....it's the white mans fault. You can't win with people who refuse to accept responsibilty for poor choices, behavior, and decisions.

We have already given them 3 counties in the Atlanta metro area, we don't need to abandon a 4th.

Submitted by PTC Avenger on Wed, 07/09/2008 - 11:09pm.

A soothsayer you indeed are

Cyclist's picture
Submitted by Cyclist on Wed, 07/09/2008 - 8:00am.

attractive to all people because of the quality of education, low density population, relatively low crime rate and overall quality of life.

I would suspect that everyone here wants to keep it that way.
-------------------------------------------
Caution - The Surgeon General has determined that constant blogging is an addiction that can cause a sedentary life style.


NUK_1's picture
Submitted by NUK_1 on Tue, 07/08/2008 - 9:49pm.

Well, Mr. Jones seems to have graduated from the racial-shakedown school that boasts of Jesse and Al as alumni, though I wonder why he thinks that making loads of noise("Old South") and a heaping dose of BS about Jim Crow and "enormous legal fees" is going to somehow persuade reasonable people to consider his opinions as having any merit whatsoever?

It's a lot easier to try and extort a tribute from public corporations who value PR than it is a county of taxpayers who don't really care about PR.

I can't think of a much more asinine or counter-productive approach than a letter like this in the newspaper. That isn't going to convince people of the argument he's trying to put forth in a terribly stupid manner. Then again, it's the NAACP of Fayette County who has been nothing but pathetic anyway and could care less about Fayette County itself. I guess this is their idea of a recruitment drive. We can't run candidates that can get elected on merit so we'll try calling ya'll a bunch of crackers or whatever.


Submitted by head_ragg on Wed, 07/09/2008 - 7:39am.

There is no way that the district voting could be misconstrued as Jim Crow. But Mr Jones does reek of bad sportsmanship. If he doesn't win, he wants to change the rules of the game. What is democratic about that?
"The Jim Crow laws, often referred to as a system or legal state as the Jim Crow or mainly Jim Crow, were state and local laws enacted primarily but not exclusively in the Southern and border states of the United States between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans and members of other non-white racial groups. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages.

Some examples of Jim Crow laws are the segregation of public schools, public places and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms and restaurants for whites and blacks. These Jim Crow Laws were separate from the 1800-66 Black Codes, which had also restricted the civil rights and civil liberties of African Americans. State-sponsored school segregation was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education. Generally, the remaining Jim Crow laws were overruled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965."

Submitted by PTC Avenger on Tue, 07/08/2008 - 9:21pm.

"You, the citizens of our county, can easily help to avoid the potential racial tensions that can surface when hundreds of protesters are forced to march, rally and demonstrate in Fayette County to protest the Jim Crow era at-large voting and other injustices in our county."

Are you somehow trying to scare or intimidate the citizens of Fayette County into bowing to your demands? Why don't you take a look at what's transpired in Fayette County over the past several months before you ride in to town on your high horse.

I love how you paint a picture of Fayette as an "Old South" bastion of pointed sheet wearing good ol' boys just aching for a lynching. It's almost as if you're convinced that Jim Crow is hiding behind every fire hydrant, street corner, and bush just waiting to jump out and oppress you.

I'm tired and will retire soon, but look for a more detailed and biting response to this very dangerous letter tomorrow.

Submitted by MYTMITE on Tue, 07/08/2008 - 9:19pm.

"Certainly hope we can avoid the embarassing media attention----".
"Fayette County can be made to pay enormous legal fees-----".
"Avoid potential racial tensions that can surface when hundreds of potential protesters are force to march,rally and demonstrate in Fayette County---."

With the community is as diverse as you say then why should at large voting be a problem?

Mr. Jones in so many areas around here all the politicians are African American. I haven't seen too many blond blue-eyed politicans in Atlanta or on the Clayton County School Board. The same is true for many other counties. Does this mean that all caucasians should rally, march and protest? Should we alert the media?

Submitted by skyspy on Tue, 07/08/2008 - 8:27pm.

Do you condone the recent violent crimes in Fayette County that have been committed by American blacks??

( the bathroom fight, the robbing of a store at the pavillion, the carjacking/kidnapping, the recent beating death)

How do you intend to fight this violent crime??

Why should any race of people see you and your group as a solution to a problem??

Submitted by Davids mom on Thu, 07/10/2008 - 10:17am.

"If you're not part of the solution - you may be the problem"

No one group should be held responsible for the growing crime problem in Fayette County. I have observed our law enforcement officers questioning any and all citizens who appear to be breaking the law. As a 'minority' living in Fayette County - it appears that some who participate on this blog have decided that "people who look like me" are responsible for ALL of the crime in our county. That is not true - and the statistics found in our own county records prove that. My experience is that the majority of citizens in Fayette County have a similar educational and economic background; similar family values, and a definite desire to maintain a safe and peaceful community where ALL citizens have respect for one another. Anytime you have a community that is growing as fast as Fayette County - you have 'growth'. . . growth in community educational responsibilities; growth in safety responsibilities; growth in retail areas; and growth in crime. I am pleased that the majority of citizens that I have come in contact with are not resorting to using the fear 'tactic' of race-mingling to recreate the America of yesteryear. I have observed integrated groups of young people shopping; conversing with one another at the movie; etc. Yes, those who have similar interests do 'stick together'. . . but that does not appear to be based solely on race. The blogger who calls him/herself Shadow is either over 55 or a student of 'white supremacy'. I compliment the churches in Fayette County who have opened their doors to everyone who cares to worship with them. There are cultural differences in ways/methods of worship - and in 2008 these differences are not always based on 'race'. The citizens of Fayette County WILL COME TOGETHER, regardless of race, to protect the environment that attracted them to move here in the first place.

Submitted by Dawn Hassel on Thu, 07/10/2008 - 8:56pm.

I'm not over 55 nor a white supremist. I’m an Asian minority and I agree with Sky. There is no hope for America as it now exists. I would never think that “all people who look like me would responsible for all crime” . Where I come from we handle crime. I get along fine with white people. Asians don’t need a National Assoc for the Advance of Asians (NAAA). We carry our own weight and I am very grateful for the opportunity to live in America, since I wasn’t born here.

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