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
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