South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News Bulletin – 12-19-17 – 11:22 a.m. ET
Fleeing cops while drunk with kid in car, fighting with police, a $10,000 plus heist in North Augusta, drugs and more drugs, elderly man jailed in domestic violence case, and huge “chop shop” busted by the South Carolina Highway Patrol
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
By Greg Peterson South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News Co-Owner, News Director 906-273-2433
Major $10,000 plus grand larceny charge filed against North Augusta woman – but who got ripped off
A North Augusta woman has been arrested and jailed for an alleged big heist. 30-year-old Jennifer Owens was arrested by North Augusta Department of Public Safety at 3 a.m. this morning, Tues., Dec. 19, 2017 Owens is charged with grand larceny value $10,000 or more
—
Aiken County teen held on 8 major drugs charges involving the distribution of methamphetamine including several enhanced charges for allegedly dealing near a school
17-year old Denzell Jackson of New Ellenton, SC was arrested about 11 a.m. Sunday morning, Dec. 17, 2017 Charges: Drugs/trafficking in methamphetamine or cocaine base -100 grams or more Drugs/trafficking methamphetamine > 100 grams w/in 1/2 mile of school Drugs/ possession with intent to distribute (PWID) schedule II controlled substance Drugs/ PWID schedule IV controlled substance Drugs/PWID schedule IV controlled substance w/in mile of school Drugs/ PWID schedule IV controlled substance Drugs/ PWID schedule IV controlled substance w/in 1/2 mile of a school Drugs/ PWID schedule II controlled substance w/in 1/2 mile of a school
—
South Carolina Highway Patrol busts major “chop shop” operation out of towing business
41-year-old David Quarles of Windsor, SC was arrested about 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017 Charges: Improper towing Driving under suspension 3rd Chop shop, unlawfully own, operate, conduct, or to transport Chop shop, unlawfully own, operate, conduct, or to transport A breach of trust with fraudulent intent value $2000 or less
—
Trafficking and Traffic charges
24 -year-old Markale Simpkins of Aiken, SC was arrested Saturday night on numerous traffic charges and meth/cocaine trafficking charges Offenses: Giving false info to public safety officer Driving under suspension 2nd Failure to yield Drugs/trafficking in meth, or cocaine base-10 grams or more Plus a hold for Columbia County Sheriff’s Department in Appling, GA.
—
Augusta, GA man busted for drunk driving and fleeing from police allegedly with his child in the vehicle
30-year-old Jack Maddox of Augusta, GA was arrested Sunday night and booked into the Aiken County Detention Center Charges: Failure to stop for blue lights Child/child endangerment, commit certain vehicular offenses Driving under influence alcohol/substance 2nd Failure to pay
—
Elderly man charged in domestic attack
64-year-old Willie Scurry, Jr. of Pelion, SC was arrested Monday evening around 5:20 p.m. Charge: 3rd degree domestic violence
—-
Beech Island man busted for allegedly dealing pot including allegedly selling marijuana near a school
21-year-old Dominique Beal of Beech Island, SC was arrested about 9 p.m. Monday by the North Augusta Department of Public Safety. Charges: Hold for North Augusta Department of Public Safety Possession with intent to distribute (PWID) marijuana within proximity to school or park PWID marijuana
—
It’s not nice to fight the cops – and get hurt
26-year-old Quarrentin Schoultz of Jackson, SC was busted about 7 p.m. Monday for allegedly fighting with police while drunk Charges: Hold for South Carolina Parole and Probation Services Open container, beer/wine Resisting arrest
South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News Bulletin – 12-16-17 11:11 a.m. ET
The feds this week charged a Fort Gordon soldier with two counts drunken driving and charged the spouse of a soldier with punching another soldier’s wife in a crazy incident in November 2016
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
By Greg Peterson South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News Co-owner, News Director 906-273-2433
The spouse of a Fort Gordon soldier and a soldier were charged in federal court this week in separate misdemeanor cases.
Daymon Hall is charged with two counts of “DUI on a military reservation,” according to a criminal information complaint, a charging tool used by the feds.
30-year-old Tapria Russell is charged with simple assault, according to her criminal information complaint.
Federal prosecutors have one of their own working at Fort Gordon.
Federal Prosecutor on Base: Special Assistant United States Attorney Candace R. Cunningham, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate at Fort Gordon
The charges against both soldiers were filed in Augusta federal courthouse on Wed., Dec. 13, 2017.
The prosecutor in both cases is Special Assistant United States Attorney Candace R. Cunningham, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate at Fort Gordon, GA.
Spouse of Fort Gordon soldier charged with assault; soldier charged with DUI in another case
Soldier’s wife Ashley Taylor – who was the victim of an attack on Base
The spouse of a soldier, Russell is accused of assaulting 29-year-old Ashley Taylor – the spouse of another soldier – “by hitting her in the face with her hand,” on Nov. 16, 2016 at Fort Gordon, the federal information states. Taylor was 28 at the time of the attack.
Taylor says there had been a problem with people not picking up after their dogs in the neighborhood. Taylor spotted the Russell’s son with the family dog and offered him a baggie.
“After the dog did it’s business .. (Taylor noticed) he had a large leaf in his hand.”
“Trying to be a good neighbor, I offered him a baggy,” Taylor told S.E. Social Justice Breaking News this morning.
“He said ‘no’. I offered again and pointed out community guidelines. He said no again and became aggressive.”
A short time later, Russell and her solder spouse allegedly showed up at Taylor’s door in a furor.
“She was aggressively angry, yelled at me for talking to her son. And I panicked. My children were on the other side of our screen door watching.”
The three adults had never met before and Taylor repeatedly asked the Russells to leave.
“She threatened me repeatedly and in an effort to calm everyone down, I literally sat on the ground and asked her to sit and talk with me,” Taylor recounted.
“She refused (and) continued to threaten me,” Taylor said.
Soldier’s wife Ashley Taylor – who was the victim of an attack on Base
“Ultimately (Tapria Russell) punched me in the face on my right side,” Taylor said of the attack that left her confused by its allegedly aggressive nature. “My glasses flew across the carport and broke.”
That’s when the Russells left and Taylor called Fort Gordon Military Police. “Her spouse grabbed her and they took off running. I finally felt it was safe enough to turn around, ran inside, and called the MPs.”
Taylor was concerned the case would never be prosecuted – and at one point – as MPs were trying to get to the bottom of the incident – Taylor felt like a suspect.
“I made a report, took pictures, and was threatened by the MPs with assault, even though I never laid a finger on anyone,” Taylor said.
Taylor is pleased the case will finally go to court.
If convicted, Russell faces up to six months in federal prison plus a maximum $5,000 fine.
——-
Both charges against Hall involve alleged drunken driving on June 24, 2917 on base for “unlawfully driving a moving vehicle” after allegedly drinking too much alcohol, the information states. If convicted, Hall faces no more than 12 months in federal prison on each of the two counts plus a maximum of $2,000 in fines, and 40 days community service and the completion of a DUI alcohol use risk reduction course.
Wife of Fort Gordon soldier charged with assault; soldier charged with DUI in another case
The Georgia Department of Corrections claims 5 inmates committed suicide in past month – and the latest just happened in Augusta, GA
By Greg Peterson 906-273-2433 S.E. Social Justice Breaking News News Director/Co-Owner
The Georgia Department of Corrections has announced its investigating an inmate death in Augusta, GA – and it claims it is the fourth suicide in recent days and the fifth in about a month.
In fact, it is clear that violence, murder and alleged suicides are way out of control in Georgia prisons.
Just as in northern Michigan, inmates in Georgia area dropping like flies – accusations of brutality have long plagued prisons like Reidsville State Prison– and South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News has put together the resources to probe Augusta area prisons – as we have done in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
In Michigan, our sister news service has revealed state inmate death coverups and even caught the state lying about whether a riot was underway – but we force4d the state to admit the Kinross riot.
Scroll down to see what we have discovered so far in Georgia.
Other awful behavior by corrections officers at the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC):
Videos: 4 guards outside cell as Georgia inmate hanged himself
Mother says guards didn’t try to save her son, sent to prison for a Roswell robbery
Inmate death probed at Augusta State Medical Prison
Nov. 6, 2017
The death of an inmate at Augusta State Medical Prison is under investigation by state of Georgia corrections officials as it is the fourth time in just over a week that a state prison inmate has been found dead.
A guard found 39-year-old Montra Moss unresponsive at 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017 side the Augusta facility.
He was pronounced dead at 1:08 a.m. Prison officials say they were unable to resuscitate/revive him.
Moss was sentenced to over 20 years in prison earlier this year for trafficking cocaine and possessing marijuana in Hall County in 2015.
This is the fourth death in Georgia prison in just over a week.
Two inmates apparently committed suicide on Oct. 29, one at Phillips State Prison in Buford and the other at Wilcox State Prison in Abbeville.
Another inmate died Oct. 31 at Hancock State Prison.
Inmate death probed at at Hancock State Prison as suicide
October 31, 2017
A Correctional Officer found 56-year-old inmate Roy Bradshaw (GDC#141503) of Dublin, GA unresponsive in his cell at 7:44 a.m. on October 31, 2017.
Bradshaw was found dead one year to the day after losing a ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court that upheld his life sentence.
“Prison medical staff provided life saving measures to revive him,” a state press release said of the deceased murderer.
At 8:30 a.m., Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and the inmate was pronounced deceased at 8:34 a.m. by the EMT.
Bradshaw was sentenced to Life Without Parole in 2009, in Putnam County, for a Milledgeville Murder, Aggravated Assault and Robbery in the March 2008 beating death of Earl Gil.
Two McDuffie County men – a father and son – were also convicted of the crime. They are Mims Michael Morris Sr., 55, of Sardis; and Mims Michael Morris Jr., 26, of Sardis.
On March 15, 2008, the men gave 44-year-old Earl Eugene Gill $25 to purchase marijuana, but Gill was unable to obtain the drugs. Authorities say when he returned empty-handed, the men beat him then dumped him in Putnam County. Gill died 11 days later.
Inmate Death Being Investigated as Apparent Suicide at the Wilcox State Prison in Abbeville, GA
The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is investigating the death of an inmate at Wilcox State Prison in Abbeville, GA, as an apparent suicide.
A Correctional Officer found inmate James Wheeler (GDC#1148609) unresponsive in his cell at 5:25 a.m. on October 29, 2017.
Prison medical staff provided life saving measures to revive him and he was pronounced deceased at 7:50 a.m. by the Wilcox County Coroner, a press release said.
Wheeler was sentenced in 2001, in Hall County, for Armed Robbery and Theft by Receiving Stolen Property.
Inmate Death Being Investigated as Apparent Suicide at Valdosta State Prison in Valdosta, GA
At 5:00 a.m. On Oct. 1, 2017, inmate Donnie Hulett (GDC #1066274) was found unresponsive in his cell by corrections officers.
Prison medical staff attempted to revive him and he was pronounced deceased at 6:45 a.m. by the Butts County Coroner, a state DOC press release states.
Hulett was sentenced to death in 2004, in Walker County, for the 2002 murders of brothers Larry and Arvine Phelps.
From the Georgia Department of Corrections website:
NAME: MOSS, MONTRA
GDC ID: 0000920208
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
YOB: 1978 RACE: BLACK GENDER: MALE HEIGHT: 5’09” WEIGHT: 350 EYE COLOR: BROWN HAIR COLOR: BLACK
INCARCERATION DETAILS
MAJOR OFFENSE: TRAF COCAINE LESS 200 GM MOST RECENT INSTITUTION: AUGUSTA STATE MED. PRISON MAX POSSIBLE RELEASE DATE: 02/17/2027 ACTUAL RELEASE DATE: CURRENTLY SERVING CURRENT STATUS: ACTIVE
OFFENSE: POSS OF MARIJUANA CONVICTION COUNTY: HALL COUNTY CRIME COMMIT DATE: 11/29/2015 SENTENCE LENGTH: 10 YEARS, 0 MONTHS, 0 DAYS
CASE NO: 842430
OFFENSE: TRAF COCAINE LESS 200 GM CONVICTION COUNTY: HALL COUNTY CRIME COMMIT DATE: 11/29/2015 SENTENCE LENGTH: 20 YEARS, 0 MONTHS, 0 DAYS
STATE OF GEORGIA – PRIOR SENTENCES
CASE NO: 473566
OFFENSE: TRAF COCAINE LESS 200 GM CONVICTION COUNTY: HALL COUNTY CRIME COMMIT DATE: 04/20/2000 SENTENCE LENGTH: 10 YEARS, 120 MONTHS, 0 DAYS
CASE NO: 374114
OFFENSE: POSS OF COCAINE CONVICTION COUNTY: HALL COUNTY CRIME COMMIT DATE: N/A SENTENCE LENGTH: 0 YEARS, 48 MONTHS, 0 DAYS
CASE NO: 374114
OFFENSE: POSS OF COCAINE CONVICTION COUNTY: HALL COUNTY CRIME COMMIT DATE: N/A SENTENCE LENGTH: 0 YEARS, 48 MONTHS, 0 DAYS
STATE OF GEORGIA – INCARCERATION HISTORY
INCARCERATION BEGIN: 09/28/2017
INCARCERATION END: ACTIVE
INCARCERATION BEGIN: 08/07/2001
INCARCERATION END: 10/13/2004
INCARCERATION BEGIN: 04/15/1997
INCARCERATION END: 03/27/1998
——-
Inmate Death Under Investigation
Commissioner:
Gregory C. Dozier
Director of Public Affairs:
Joan Heath
Contact Name:
Gwendolyn Hogan
Contact Number:
478-992-5247
Contact Email:
gwendolyn.hogan@gdc.ga.gov
Date:
November 1, 2017
STATE OF GEORGIA
Inmate Death Under Investigation
October 31, 2017
FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is investigating the death of an inmate at Hancock State Prison.
A Correctional Officer found inmate Roy Bradshaw (GDC#141503) unresponsive in his cell at 7:44 a.m. on October 31. Prison medical staff provided life saving measures to revive him. At 8:30 a.m., Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and the inmate was pronounced deceased at 8:34 a.m. by the EMT. GDC is conducting an investigation into the death, as standard procedure.
Bradshaw was sentenced with Life Without Parole in 2009, in Putnam County, for Murder, Aggravated Assault and Robbery. Further information and photographs can be found on the GDC website at http://www.gdc.ga.gov.
BRADSHAW v. THE STATE.
S16A1070
Decided: October 31, 2016
Appellant Roy Lee Bradshaw was tried and convicted of malice murder and related offenses in connection with the March 2008 beating death of Earl Gill. Bradshaw appeals,1 alleging he received ineffective assistance of counsel and arguing that the trial court erred in admitting his custodial statements at trial. Finding no error, we affirm.
Viewed in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdict, the evidence adduced at trial establishes as follows. Earl Gill befriended Bradshaw, his wife Teresa, and the Morrises, Bradshaw’s co-defendants, while staying at an Econolodge in Milledgeville, Georgia. On March 15, 2008, Gill called his drug dealer, Michael Robbins, to arrange a drug buy for himself, Bradshaw, and the Morrises, funded by the group. Later that day, Gill drove with Robbins to a nearby Wal-Mart to complete the drug transaction. Upon their arrival at the store, Gill gave Robbins the group’s money. Robbins then entered the store under the pretense of completing the drug deal, but he never returned. After a fruitless search for Robbins, Gill walked back to the Econolodge and informed Bradshaw and the Morrises that Robbins had taken their money.
Believing that Gill was in on the theft, Bradshaw and the Morrises forced Gill into the back of Bradshaw’s van and, with Teresa in the driver’s seat,2 the group proceeded to ride around town in search of the stolen money. During the search, the men periodically struck Gill and, with each unsuccessful stop, they grew angrier and more convinced that Gill had stolen their money.
Eventually, Bradshaw had Teresa pull to the side of the road after which he and the Morrises dragged Gill from the vehicle and beat him for an extended period of time, finally leaving the victim for dead. Somehow, Gill managed to regain consciousness and stumble to a nearby home. When the owners saw Gill’s extensive injuries, they took him to the hospital where he died 9 days later from severe blunt force injuries to his head.
At trial, the jury heard many witnesses testify as to the numerous post-incident inculpatory statements made by Bradshaw, his wife, and the Morrises concerning their participation in Gill’s murder. Bradshaw also confessed to law enforcement that he and the Morrises beat the victim in the van and on the side of the road. Gill’s blood was found inside Bradshaw’s van, along with a bloody baseball bat and medium force velocity blood spatter, consistent with Gill being struck with a fist or bat.
Inmate Death Being Investigated as Apparent Suicide
Commissioner:
Gregory C. Dozier
Director of Public Affairs:
Joan Heath
Contact Name:
Gwendolyn Hogan
Contact Number:
478-992-5247
Contact Email:
Gwendolyn.Hogan@gdc.ga.gov
Date:
October 1, 2017
STATE OF GEORGIA
Inmate Death Being Investigated as Apparent Suicide
FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is investigating the death of an inmate this morning at the Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison in Jackson, Ga.
At 5:00 a.m. today, Correctional Officers found inmate Donnie Hulett (GDC #1066274) unresponsive in his cell. Prison medical staff attempted to revive him and he was pronounced deceased at 6:45 a.m. by the Butts County Coroner. GDC is conducting an investigation into the death, as standard procedure.
Hulett was sentenced to death in 2004, in Walker County, for the 2002 murders of brothers Larry and Arvine Phelps. Further information and photographs can be found on the GDC website at http://www.gdc.ga.gov.
Inmate Death Being Investigated as Apparent Suicide
Commissioner:
Gregory C. Dozier
Director of Public Affairs:
Joan Heath
Contact Name:
Gwendolyn Hogan
Contact Number:
478-992-5247
Contact Email:
Gwendolyn.Hogan@gdc.ga.gov
Date:
October 4, 2017
STATE OF GEORGInmate Death Being Investigated as Apparent Suicide
FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is investigating the death of an inmate at Valdosta State Prison in Valdosta, Ga.
On October 3, at 5:58 p.m., inmate Milton Jones (GDC #88019) was found unresponsive in his cell. Prison medical staff administered CPR in an attempt to revive him. He was transported to a local area hospital and was pronounced deceased at 6:51 p.m. GDC is conducting an investigation into the death, as standard procedure.
Jones was serving a 21-year sentence for Aggravated Assault and Possession of Firearm during a Crime. Further information and photographs can be found on the GDC website at http://www.gdc.ga.gov.
Inmate Death Being Investigated as Apparent Suicide
Commissioner:
Gregory C. Dozier
Director of Public Affairs:
Joan Heath
Contact Name:
Gwendolyn Hogan
Contact Number:
479-992-5247
Contact Email:
Gwendolyn.Hogan@gdc.ga.gov
Date:
October 30, 2017
STATE OF GEORGIA
Inmate Death Being Investigated as Apparent Suicide
October 29, 2017
FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is investigating the death of an inmate at Wilcox State Prison in Abbeville, Ga., as an apparent suicide.
A Correctional Officer found inmate James Wheeler (GDC#1148609) unresponsive in his cell at 5:25 a.m. on October 29. Prison medical staff provided life saving measures to revive him and he was pronounced deceased at 7:50 a.m. by the Wilcox County Coroner. GDC is conducting an investigation into the death, as standard procedure.
Wheeler was sentenced in 2001, in Hall County, for Armed Robbery and Theft by Receiving Stolen Property. Further information and photographs can be found on the GDC website at http://www.gdc.ga.gov.
(Aiken County, SC) – At this hour, numerous state and local law enforcement authorities are on the scene of a serious predawn shooting in Aiken County that has turned a quiet Saturday morning into tragedy.
The shooting was reported about 4:40 this morning at a home on Richardsons Lake Road.
At least initial reports indicate the suspect is claiming he accidentally shot his wife. That story has not been confirmed by authorities who will be conducting an in-depth investigation.
Dispatchers told emergency officials rushing to the scene that a man called his father to report the younger man had just accidentally shot his wife.
The victim was reportedly shot in the chest. It is not clear what type of gun was used in the shooting. The victim’s age and her condition are not known.
S.E. Social Justice Breaking News is withholding the exact address and identities of those involved until relatives have been notified. According to reports, the address does not have a prior history of domestic violence on the dispatch records.
More details as they become available. If you have information, are with law enforcement or have photos please call our newsroom at 1-906-273-2433
Slavery Revisionist History Where The Masters Chained, Whipped, and Sold Slaves – Par for the Course
Augusta, Georgia government officials falsify 1996 historical marker during the cover and blur of the Augusta-Richmond County Consolidation debate
Slaves Were Chained and Whipped on Market Pillars in Augusta, Georgia – Sadly Not a Unique Market in Southern Confederacy – Where Merchants Banked on Slavery Using the River and Rails
(Augusta, GA) – A slave whipping pole from Augusta’s historic and infamous slave market stands tall on a main street in this southern town and is the latest example of revisionist history by the white power structure that is hosting the “Masters” golf tournament this week.
The official state of Georgia 1996 historical marker for the pillar was falsified and claims in the title its is “haunted” and the official marker purports the pole was hit by a “freakish cyclone.”
The Georgia Historical Marker scandal is only one of numerous recent reminders of the evil decades of Jim Crow in the Southeast including last week’s murder of an unarmed black man from North Charleston, S.C. man who was shot repeatedly in the back by a white police officer – and an Augusta native was recently beaten severely at a Georgia State Prison in Macon.
Most importantly, the marker doesn’t mention it was used for decades to chain, beat, buy and sell slaves in the heart of Augusta.
Rather, the official state marker has led to an online cottage market of false legends, ghosts and voodoo, while the plaque refers to the pillar as the important remains of an Augusta Farmer’s Market actually named the ‘Augusta Slave Market,’ according to a three-year investigation by South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News.
The falsified Georgia historical marker brings into questions how many of Georgia’s “historical” markers are inaccurate.
The slave whipping pillar is no secret to African-Americans in Augusta, who are still living in the midst of apartheid-like government thinking.
Augusta was as handy slave port as Africans were easily shipped up and down the nearby Savannah River by white men who loved to using their whips and chains.
Sadly, the state historic marker at the pillar stands as a perfect example of revisionist history denying slavery continues to the perpetrated by the white power structure in the state of Georgia and Augusta.
Pictured on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at the Historic Broad Street Slave Market Pillar in Augusta, GA are social justice activists Arthur Smith, Jr. (left), a resident of the Hyde Park neighborhood in south Augusta (infamous for an industrial environmental racism scandal that killed countless blacks) – and the Rev. Zack Lyde (right) of Brunswick, Georgia, who has actively battled many forms of racism in Georgia and the South East. (Photo by Rev. Terence A. Dicks of Augusta)
.Even the group that placed the marker admits on its website that the pillar is from “an old slave market” in Augusta – yet that information was left out of the official marker.
So why was this accurate and vital information left off the pillar historic sign placed in Augusta in 1996?
The Georgia chapter of the society lists the “slave market” pillar as one of its “Historic Sites Marked by or Affiliated with the Georgia State Society”
In 1996, closet Republican Zell Miller was the Georgia Governor – and legendary local BBQ king Larry Sconyers was the first mayor of the old – and newer larger Augusta – that had just taken over Richmond County through a controversial “consolidation” of government campaign – making it the second largest Georgia city.
Miller was a Democrat, turned Republican, and even a Fox News Channel contributor.
Southern blacks are used to the rewriting of history especially when it comes to slavery and related atrocities and evil groups like the Klan.
Even the state of Georgia’s Historic Marker leaves out the infamous slave trading – and the right-wing Augusta newspaper is part of those institutions who – to put is generously – have publicly forgotten the infamous pillar’s roots.
Many websites downplay the infamous slave pillar on Augusta’s Broad Street with dozens of those sites claiming it is haunted – but African-Americans known it is the remnant of a market where slaves were bought and sold.
Augusta’s biggest and most powerful group of bankers – the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company – owned at least 162 slaves, one study showed.
Slavery officially ended in the U.S. in 1865 – but was known to have flourished much, much longer in the south. Some say the pillar was moved after being hit by a freak twister and is the remains of the original farmer’s market on Center (Centre) Street.
The monument’s history is noted on an official state of Georgia Historical Marker that says nothing about slaves but states the pillar was part of a market used for “agricultural and livestock trade.”
In fact, just under 30 years after the official end of slavery – the rebuilt market closed in 1891 because – the official state historic marker states – it was “no longer proved useful.”
Once slaves were no longer sold in Augusta, and their forced labor dwindled the – “agricultural and livestock trade” ended.
The pillar is described as being anywhere from 8 to 10 feet tall – and some stories claim its cursed by Voodoo because of it is one of many sites used as slave “whipping posts.”
One website states: “Most seem to believe that the ghosts of the dead slaves will haunt you if you touch the pillar, and that the pillar can never be removed or destroyed.”
Internet stories about the pillar vary as widely as the efforts to pretend it had nothing to do with slavery.
The historic marker states the pillar was moved by Augustans to Broad Street after it was the only thing left standing following the aftermath of “a freakish cyclone” in Feb. 1878 that destroyed the much storied (slave) market.
Other websites claim the pillar was rebuilt by business owner after being destroyed in 1935 in an automobile accident and moved a year later was to its current location at the corner of 5th and Broad street, where it stands today as a symbol of slavery denied.
Websites claim the pillar was “quickly re-erected” after being knocked over by a bale of cotton that fell from a passing truck on a Friday the 13th in 1958.
A real estate blog posting calls the slavery angle “claims’ and gives it own story downplaying the historic Augusta slave trade:
“The most commonly heard tale is that a traveling preacher, angry at being prevented from giving a sermon at the market, cursed the building, “A great wind will destroy this place except for one pillar… and whomever tries to remove this remaining pillar will be struck dead!”
South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News will continue our investigation into falsified historical markers in Georgia and surrounding states – Watch for several updates today and over next few weeks.
Editor’s Note About Authors:
Greg Peterson is a former Augusta TV/radio reporter and for 10 years the East Georgia correspondent for Atlanta Journal Constitution – and now owns two news services in extreme northern Michigan along Lake Superior and most recently served as news director of a local TV station (ABC 10/CW 5 WBUP/WBKP).
Peterson won the best 2015 “news special” excellence award from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters for a two-part look at the disappearance of the Upper Peninsula Deer Herd due to state mismanagement and severe winters.
Rev. Terence Dicks is a well-known progressive and longtime Augusta social justice and human rights activist.
Rev. Dicks was recently sworn in for a second term as a member of the Augusta-Richmond County Board of Elections representing the Richmond County Democratic Party.
Dicks was sworn in by Richmond County Probate Judge Harry B. James, III – the judge is a fellow NAACP official known for fighting for civil rights and served as president of the Augusta chapter of the NAACP.
Rev. Dicks accomplishments include serving as the second vice-president of the Augusta chapter of the NAACP (1994-1996). Rev. Dicks has also served two terms as chair and two terms as vice chair of the Augusta Human Relations Commission (1998-2009).
2015 ALEC will be in deep south twice in next two months:
The Southernization of America train rolls into Georgia.
April 6 – Privileged Augusta, Georgia for 2015 Masters Golf Tournament that will be played the week of Monday, April 6 through Sunday, April 12, 2015
May 15 – Antebellum Savannah, Georgia for Spring Task Force Summit
The Southernization of America: Evil ALEC laws patterned after Jim Crow:
Attacking Democratic voters, union workers, low-income people, women and others that corporate America wants to control using laws modeled by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
How Right to Work, Personhood and Voter Suppression are the New ALEC (Jim) Crow laws.
ALEC Crow Laws for all low-income Americans are like Jim Crow Laws targeted “Negros” across the south
Laws that inhibit minority voting – and stop public protesting
Corporations and corrupt lawmakers have managed to ruin the American middle class while getting fat with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
ALEC 2015 Spring Task Force Summit – May 15, 2015 – Savannah, Georgia
These folks know the evil south corporations like energy companies and industry give the exchange council anything it wants.
Here is an ALEC ad about the “Spring Task Force Summit” in Savannah:
Future ALEC Meetings:
2015 Annual Meeting – July 22-24, 2015 – San Diego, California
2015 States and Nation Policy Summit – December 2-4, 2015 – Scottsdale, Arizona
REWARD for photos of ALEC Fat Crows with Golf Clubs in their hands at 2015 ‘Masters’
Show these corporate executives partying in Augusta and Savannah at the expense of the 99 percent – better yet send us video
Just look at the damage Jim Crow is doing in 2015 before getting out of their nests of iniquity for their catered breakfasts using golf tees to pick the bones of the 99 percent!
ALEC payroll:
2,000 legislative members (all 50 states)
85 members of the U.S. Congress
14 sitting or former governors who are “alumni”
300 corporate, foundation, and other private-sector members
America’s mega-wealthy – who are not satisfied with just controlling and running the lives of millions of low-income U.S. residents – now they’re passing laws to micro-manage and destroy their fellow citizens.
Among other activities, the group provides a venue for private individuals and corporations to assist politicians in developing what it considers model laws serving the economic and political aims of its members. ALEC also serves as a networking tool among state legislators, allowing them to research the handling and “best practices” of policy in other states.
ALEC currently has more than 2,000 legislative members representing all 50 states, as well as more than 85 members of congress and 14 sitting or former governors who are considered “alumni”. ALEC also claims approximately 300 corporate, foundation, and other private-sector members. A list of ALEC leaders in the states includes 73 Republican lawmakers and 7 Democrats.
Day-to-day operations are run from ALEC’s Washington, D.C. office by an executive director and a staff of approximately 30.[3]
ALEC has more than 2,000 legislative members in the 50 states – ready and willing to follow conservative orders – and boast “alumni” of more than 85 members of congress and 14 sitting or former governors.
On the payroll literally/mentally are: 73 Republican lawmakers and 7 Democrats
ALEC was founded in September 1973, when a small group of conservative state legislators and policy advocates met in Chicago with the stated purpose of founding “A nonpartisan membership association for conservative state lawmakers who shared a common belief in limited government, free markets, federalism, and individual liberty.” – Wikipedia
ALEC Founders and those with original ALEC fingerprints include:
1973 ALEC Co-founder: Paul M. Weyrich (October 7, 1942 – December 18, 2008) was an Americanconservative political activist and commentator, notable figurehead of the New Right and co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, states Wikipedia:
SourceWatch website with info about ERIC Laws and the conspiracy involving the the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) that gets it sacks of cash (funding) from Koch Industries, Big Oil, Big Pharma, the Scaife family Allegheny Foundation, the Coors family Castle Rock Foundation, and more:
The American Legislative Exchange Council, ALEC, brings together corporations and legislators to write legislation prior to submitting it to local legislative bodies across the United States. This technique is being used to produce legislation that benefits corporate interests over the interests of local residents.
You see these laws causing political chaos in Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida and many other states. One of the ALEX projects includes efforts to limit voter participation by various means and thus drive down Democratic votes.
These activities disenfranchise voters through Voter ID requirements, restricting college student voting, disenfranchising persons with prison records, manipulating the voting process and more.
These laws have a greater impact on minorities, women, the elderly and the poor.
“Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona,” John Nichols told a gathering of progressive Democrats discussed the current political obsession with austerity, the financial transaction tax and the immorality of childhood hunger in the richest nation in the world.
Nichols addressed the national leaders of Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) during Feb. 2012 in Winslow, Arizona
Special thanks to Pamela Powers Hannley.
Video of John Nichols addressing the national leaders of Progressive Democrats of America
John Nichols tells VideoNation the story of the Wisconsin uprising – And how it transformed and democratized American politics, why it revived an “immense amount of hope,” even in an era in which money and corporations disproportionately influence politics, and how it proved that exercising one’s fundamental rights can effect major change.
Photo by Michael Eisenscher from U.S. Labor Against the War
Author John Nichols addressed the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) Strategy Conference during Feb. 2012 in Winslow, AZ.
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) Strategy Conference Feb. 2012 Winslow, AZ. Thank you to U.S. Labor Against the War
Help support the “Progressive Southern Strategy” developed by the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) members and PDA Southern Regional Organizer Rev. Terence A. Dicks of Augusta, Georgia.
John Nichols of “The Nation” discussed the current political obsession with austerity, the financial transaction tax, and the immorality of childhood and hunger in the richest nation in the world.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 388-to-3 in favor of H.R. 347 late Monday, Feb. 27, 2012 – that ostensibly makes trespass illegal on the White House Grounds – but also allows the government to arrest Americans engaged in political protest anyplace/anywhere/anytime.
Georgia Senators crafted their own similar anti-union legislation – House Bill 469 – making protesting by workers illegal.
get hurt
A Correctional Officer found 56-year-old inmate Roy Bradshaw (GDC#141503) of Dublin, GA unresponsive in his cell at 7:44 a.m. on October 31, 2017.
“Prison medical staff provided life saving measures to revive him,” a state press release said of the deceased murderer.
The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is investigating the death of an inmate at Wilcox State Prison in Abbeville, GA, as an apparent suicide.
At 5:58 p.m. on October 3, 2017, 33-year-old inmate Milton Jones (GDC #88019) was found unresponsive in his cell.
South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News 