June 20, 2009,
George Boston Rhynes
Valdosta, Georgia 31605
TO: Valdosta City Mayor, Council Members, Citizens, and Beyond…
A RECAP FROM JUNE 12, 2009, VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND MY ORIGINAL QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL FROM LAST MONTH COUNCIL MEETING THAT COUNCIL MEETINGS BE TELEVISED ON LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL CITIZENS.
Mr. Mayor and Council. I thank you all for answering my questions put before you a few weeks ago. Your timely response represents our government at its best. However, I never received an answer to my question that Valdosta City Council Meetings be televised. I would like to see our council meetings televised, as the Rev. Martin L. King Jr. Corridor Program was recently. This program gave the general public a golden opportunity to see their elected officials working to move our city forward towards change and inclusion.
I believe the citizens have a right to know what is going on during these meetings, and not be hoodwinked. If these meetings had been televised, Rev. Rose would NOT be here today, asking Councilman Yost to explain a comment he made at the last meeting. We the people would already know. Then Mayor Fretti Interrupted, “George if you will send me an e-mail, I will take care of that part of your concerns?” Yes Sir! Thank you sir, I will do that.
Mr. Mayor and Council allow me to explain what I mean: On May 16, 2009, a Commemoration Program was held in Hahira for Mary Turner. She was a Black female that was lynched upside down, in her eight months pregnancy, her baby was ripped from her womb with a pocket knife, the baby gave out two screams her head fell to the ground, and crushed beneath a white mob member boot.
a. Mary Turner the mother of three, was then doused in gasoline, motor oil, burned to a crisp, her body was riddled with bullets, and they marked her grave with a whisky bottle, near the Little Bridge Bride---in May 1918 in Brooks County Georgia just outside the city limits of Hahira.
b. This sad and disgraceful day has become known in Georgia, and World History the world over as “A Week of Terror” in Brooks and Lowndes County Georgia. People came from around the country to pay respect during this historical event. There were Black and White Citizens who came together with other Civil and Human Rights organizations to honor the untimely death of Mary Turner and the other twelve murders committed in May 1918.
c. As my comments from last week’s meeting were not published to the general public about having these meetings published for all to see. And the comments by another citizen that spoke of carrying a concealed pistol in his back pocket without a permit to protect him from potential criminals. In fact he patted his back pocket as if though he might have had it in his pocket at the time. However the general public knows absolutely nothing about this happening at last weeks meeting.
So with the increase in shootings and home invasions among other crimes in Valdosta citizens have a need to know. And in my opinion Valdosta cannot be called a Metropolitan City in truth when local television stations and newspapers refuse to inform the general public of news worthy events in our community or pretend that no historical event took place in South Georgia that consisted of:
a. Over 300 people from across the nation including Mary Turner’s own family members came together at the Hahira Community Center.
b. With these 300 citizens sitting down eating breakfast, giving speeches, laughing, crying as they citizens reflected upon the death of Mary Turner and her husband Hayes Turner. Along with many other murdered victims in Brooks and Lowndes County Georgia back in May 1918.
c. A 105 Vehicle Motorcade, escorted by the Hahira Police Department from the City of Hahira to the Little River Bridge in Brooks County. As they traveled on to the official site where Mary Turner was murdered in May 1918.
d. A program with citizens from all nationalities, religious persuasions, Valdosta State University, Moody Air Force Base including retired military veterans from near and far spoke from the back of a pickup truck while other citizens stopped and joined in the commemoration service of Mary Turner after arriving at the site.
e. Then a temporary cross was erected where she was murdered, until an official slab and historical marker will be placed later on this year. While members of the family spoke of a possible big screen movie being done concerning “the week of terror” in Brooks and Lowndes County in the near future.
It seems that our local television stations and newspaper are bent on keeping the citizens in our community deaf, dumb, and blind to the times, and that our local media had no known justifiable reason for ignoring the commemoration program on May 16, 2009. This historical period “A Week of Terror” has been documented and this omission is nothing new to our area. Moreover, I believe our local media has done a great disservice to our beloved community in 2009.
a. How many of you ----read anything in our local newspaper, or saw the event on our local TV Stations, covering this event in Hahira on May 16, 2009? A long pause…none of you, no not one. Because our local controlled mass media-----did not report it to the general public, but like Mary Turner many citizens are getting sick and tired of being--- sick and tired of being ignored for whatever reason.
b. We must understand that ignoring certain segments of our community is nothing new. This problem has existed for decades but for some reason it continues but the citizens of Georgia still have a right o know. Instead of being kept deaf, dumb, and blind to the times. So citizens will not be able to make intelligent decisions based on facts.
Mr. Mayor and Council, I am not criticizing the council, but as long as we are seen--- as a small backwoods town with outdated news media outlets. Then our children will always be at a great lost and their parents will be unable to vote the right people into office and the Valdosta City Council will be at a great lost.
This is my letter to your June 12, 2009 request at the last council meeting. My question: Why can’t Valdosta City Council Meetings be televised like many other Metropolitan cites as many others in the State of Georgia? We must insure that our citizens are properly informed, and when truth comes, falsehood must vanish, and falsehood is forever a vanishing thing. Over and over again history tells us that truth, right, and justice will eventually win in the end---without exception. (Galatians 6; 7, Luke 4-18).
GEORGE BOSTON RHYNES
Retired United States Armed Forces
A concerned citizen and brother of all humanity
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