By Taelor Rye
“We always want to hide behind the word heritage. I guess blacks don’t have heritage,” John Battle opened as he approached the Dodge County Board of Commissioners on behalf of the Dodge County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). According to Battle, he and the NAACP have been coming to the board for around 13 years on the basis of the removal of the Confederate flag that hangs from a Confederate monument outside the Dodge County courthouse in Eastman.
The issue of the Confederate flag became more nationally recognized after the June 17, 2015, shootings of several African American churchgoers by a white supremacist in South Carolina who notably donned the flag. While a rift because of the flag has existed between white Americans and African Americans for some time, this massacre brought it back to the forefront of many Americans’ lives.
Speaking on the significance of race relations regarding the flag, Battle stated that, during the Civil War, over 200,000 minority men and women lost their lives, with about 80 percent of those who did not want to fight but were made to fight due to the suppression of slavery, which he noted the Confederacy fought for while the North fought to free slaves.
He continued, stating that the county says, “that the flag represents the heritage of one war, but… if you’ve gone to school and studied history… we wouldn’t be here now.”
On the potential impact that the flag has on county and city economics, Battle posited that, if he were a businessman looking for a place to expand an existing business or start a new business, he would not settle in Dodge County: “It looks bad on a county trying to grow… Ain’t no way I’d come to Dodge County. We don’t have anything to offer to young folks because the old ones are trying to hold on to things that died years ago, and it’s just going to get worse.”
Battle also discussed God’s role in the issue, stating that removing the flag would be a positive move for ‘all’ men and that the board of commissioners is supposed to represent all of the people in the county, including minorities. Battle added that the largest percentage of minorities reside in commissioner Karen Cheek’s district.
Battle argued that, “if it is on the other foot,” the dynamics would shift, calling attention to the different responses from many white Americans than those of many African Americans.
“We’re going to ask God to take care of this issue,” Battle reiterated after stating that he would continue to pray for each of the commissioners.
In the meantime, Battle said the NAACP – a nonprofit organization – would ask the board to allot funds for an additional monument in the 2016 budget, seeing as the budget allows money to be designated to other non profits.
“How can Dodge County go forward if we can’t work together on [the flag]?” Battle closed.
Also at the meeting was deputy Mark Sheffield from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, who came to update the board on the department’s potential adoption of the OffenderWatch Initiative, which – according to its website – “provides a direct mail notification service to assist law enforcement, probation and parole officers in notifying the public of registered sex offenders.”
If the sheriff’s department decides to participate in the $1,250.00 per-year program, which Sheffield says the company made more affordable specifically for more rural counties such as Dodge, citizens who sign up on the initiative’s email list can receive email notifications whenever a sex offender relocates near them. Additionally, through the program, citizens can directly contact the sheriff’s department regarding tips on sex offenders. This contrasts with the status quo, which has citizens contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), which in turn relays the message on to the relevant sheriff’s department.
Battle readdresses issue of courthouse Confederate flag
Sheffield stated that the program is significant especially in this area because of the regular traffic of sex offenders among Middle Georgia counties. For example, a sex offender may move from Dodge to Telfair to Bleckley within the span of a year, necessitating paperwork to be manually faxed from one sheriff’s department to the next each time of relocation. Through OffenderWatch, however, the information is readily available online and therefore more manageable and convenient for law enforcement officers.
This factor is important even more so for Dodge County because, according to Sheffield, the GBI’s audit of the department last year specifically mentioned shortcomings with the department’s website. Under Georgia Code, each sheriff’s department is required not only to maintain a print list of sex offenders in the area but also a steadily updated electronic list. The contract proposed by OffenderWatch meets all requirements of the law and will continue to meet the law, even if the law changes.
Perhaps most importantly to some is the program’s ability to inform its email subscribers of the release of sex offenders from prison. Again, to receive the emails from the program, citizens must apply to be put on the email list – given that the sheriff’s department goes along with the program.
Charles Williams, representing the Eastman-Dodge County Chamber of Commerce, came to the board to announce that the chamber was close to clinching a post-secondary education option to take the place of Mercer University, whose Regional Academic Center used to operate in the building beside the public library. While
Williams mentioned no specific names of colleges, he had previously announced that Georgia Military College had been in talks. According to Williams, the president of the institution had approved the agreement, allowing it to move forward to the institution’s board of trustees. Nonetheless, Williams said that the chamber still must determine the property’s status in terms of ownership. Discerning the legal owner must take place before further action can occur.
The board has made decisive action on the purchase of a new ambulance, a Ford F450 XLT with a turbo diesel engine at the cost of $74,070.00 – a choice among three.
The board also decided to take further action concerning letting the City of Eastman benefit from the county’s building inspector until the city can find a new inspector of its own. The specific action that they took came in the form of an approved motion to authorize county manager Bobby Peacock, and county attorney John Harrington, to sort out the details with Eastman City Manager Bea Edge and Eastman City Attorney Rita Llop.
Chairman Dan McCranie appointed a committee for Peacock, consisting of commissioners Terry Niblett and Brian Watkins, in order to work on the 2016 budget for the county.
Peacock announced a request from the Ocmulgee Water Trail, which asked that the county pass a simple resolution supporting the Ocmulgee Water Trail. It also asked for the board’s recommendation for a new board member, and Eastman City Council Member Milton Johnson publicly expressed interest.
Peacock also passed along a request from James Atkins of the Chauncey Fire Department, who asked for $4,500.00 from the 2013 Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), to buy a 2005 Dodge Quad Cab. Because the funds were available, the board voted to approve the request.
The sheriff’s department also requested $7,500.00 to purchase a 2009 Ford Crown Victoria with the money coming from the drug fund.
The board’s next meeting will take place on Monday, December 7, at 6:00 p.m.
This factor is important even more so for Dodge County because, according to Sheffield, the GBI’s audit of the department last year specifically mentioned shortcomings with the department’s website. Under Georgia Code, each sheriff’s department is required not only to maintain a print list of sex offenders in the area but also a steadily updated electronic list. The contract proposed by OffenderWatch meets all requirements of the law and will continue to meet the law, even if the law changes.
Perhaps most importantly to some is the program’s ability to inform its email subscribers of the release of sex offenders from prison. Again, to receive the emails from the program, citizens must apply to be put on the email list – given that the sheriff’s department goes along with the program.
Charles Williams, representing the Eastman-Dodge County Chamber of Commerce, came to the board to announce that the chamber was close to clinching a post-secondary education option to take the place of Mercer University, whose Regional Academic Center used to operate in the building beside the public library. While
Williams mentioned no specific names of colleges, he had previously announced that Georgia Military College had been in talks. According to Williams, the president of the institution had approved the agreement, allowing it to move forward to the institution’s board of trustees. Nonetheless, Williams said that the chamber still must determine the property’s status in terms of ownership. Discerning the legal owner must take place before further action can occur.
The board has made decisive action on the purchase of a new ambulance, a Ford F450 XLT with a turbo diesel engine at the cost of $74,070.00 – a choice among three.
The board also decided to take further action concerning letting the City of Eastman benefit from the county’s building inspector until the city can find a new inspector of its own. The specific action that they took came in the form of an approved motion to authorize county manager Bobby Peacock, and county attorney John Harrington, to sort out the details with Eastman City Manager Bea Edge and Eastman City Attorney Rita Llop.
Chairman Dan McCranie appointed a committee for Peacock, consisting of commissioners Terry Niblett and Brian Watkins, in order to work on the 2016 budget for the county.
Peacock announced a request from the Ocmulgee Water Trail, which asked that the county pass a simple resolution supporting the Ocmulgee Water Trail. It also asked for the board’s recommendation for a new board member, and Eastman City Council Member Milton Johnson publicly expressed interest.
Peacock also passed along a request from James Atkins of the Chauncey Fire Department, who asked for $4,500.00 from the 2013 Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), to buy a 2005 Dodge Quad Cab. Because the funds were available, the board voted to approve the request.
The sheriff’s department also requested $7,500.00 to purchase a 2009 Ford Crown Victoria with the money coming from the drug fund.
The board’s next meeting will take place on Monday, December 7, at 6:00 p.m.
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