Jackson County Courthouse, Scottsboro, Alabama photo by G. Morgan
Joint Statement from Scottsboro Mayor and Police Chief Regarding the Peaceful Protest ( Click on image to expand image.)
A peaceful protest scheduled earlier was cancelled, then rescheduled. City officials claim they were warned of possible violence would be started by an out of town element due to social media postings. I screened hundreds of social media postings on Facebook and Twitter and found no credible evidence of an imminent threat of violence that would occur during the scheduled peaceful First Amendment protest regarding concerns over racism and police violence. (reference George Floyd story on Wiki with references https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_George_Floyd ) I contacted law enforcement leadership, one call was not returned, one source indicated there were social media rumors of violence, this was later confirmed by a second law enforcement source.
OFF then ON PEACEFUL PROTEST SCHEDULED
A local citizen had scheduled the protest at 5 PM this afternoon then cancelled it claiming he had received information there were folks coming from out of town to cause harm and create a violent situation. Another involved citizen stated he was going to continue the protest, reference - https://www.facebook.com/events/548891852686656/ Quote: "Peaceful Protest - June 6, 2020 - Scottsboro, Alabama - 5 PM - Jackson County Courthouse Square - Hosted by Ryan Little"
WAFF-TV story concerning the original protest organizer, Anthony McCamey, quote: "Once outsiders learned about Anthony McCamey’s plans they sent violent threats to him. “Within 8 hours I received at least 20 messages from people sending screenshots saying out-of-towners and locals from Scottsboro, Stevenson, South Pittsburg, Florida, Atlanta were going to come down here and riot the town," said McCamey. As a safety precaution McCamey immediately canceled the protest." https://www.waff.com/2020/06/05/peaceful-protest-scheduled-scottsboro-canceled-due-violent-threats/?fbclid=IwAR2YgxzA-1NVjJCitXBxlxVG9y7jGFMDJk8tUBpaxQ1qhs3LiM_GuY2Ajsg
WAAY-TV story quote:"The Mountain Lakes
Chamber of Commerce says plans that started peaceful turned violent when an
outside group tried taking that protest over." - - - “Scottsboro is our
home and we can’t destroy it with riots, destruction and violence,” Shelton’s
statement says. “We are trying to be as proactive as possible to prevent any
damage coming to any individuals or businesses on the square on Saturday.” Link (with Mayors Letter advising business owners to close stores at 2 PM): https://www.waaytv.com/content/news/Scottsboro-mayor-recommends-businesses-close-Saturday-to-avoid-possible-violent-protest-571027791.html?fbclid=IwAR21612BvQlJmkDlS336QvO_UdqhbYFUgVd-VRAXMycKeO4bftC8LvbJp9w
This story raises concerns and a question - How does a planned protest turn violent before the protest occurs???
VIDEOS
Part 1, Boarded up businesses on the downtown square.
Part 2 video, full video 21 minutes.
A short version, approximately 12 minutes
Video Excerpt from protest
4 comments:
Attended the protest this afternoon. It was completely Peaceful. It is heartwarming to see peaople of variuos race religion and lives come together in solidarity. If we can protest peacefully here it can be done anywhere. One brave young lady who helped organize this was unfortunately transported via ambulance for heat related issues. Prayers and posituve vibes for a quick re overy
I'm sorry to hear that, prayers for a quick recovery. It was very hot today, 90 with high humidity.
Thank you, Mr Morgan, so glad to see this was peaceful and actually, sweet. Yes, there is a museum here, one block from Unclaimed Baggage that is about educating about our history and forgiveness and love. Education, recognize the awful history from the past, and move forward. That’s how our town can grow and finally move forward. Recognize what was WRONG and powered by hate. Stop trying to
Pretend it didn’t happen. It did now support that museum, include it, educate, and move on with an open heart and mind. God bless
So glad we have a citizen who cares enough to get this to all instead of listening to Fake News and being scared. Thank you
Thank you for your comment. The Scottsboro Boys Museum became a reality as a result of a few folks caring about our history and understanding that without the truth about our history we are doomed to repeat its' mistakes. Here are some links about the museum - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbmuseum News article about its opening: https://www.theledger.com/news/20100221/scottsboro-ala-museum-opens-to-mark-a-shameful-case and bit of history regarding the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Joyce Chapel: https://scottsborostories.blogspot.com/2010/04/historic-joyce-chapel-circa-1876.html (The links may not directly link so the reader may have to cut and paste, apologies if the links do not show directly.)
Post a Comment