May 5, 20011 marks the 6th anniversary of the arrest of the Valdosta 15. It was the day that 15 of Valdosta’s finest citizens were arrested in City Council, charged with “Disrupting a Public Meeting,” and taken to the Lowndes County Jail. We were denied bail, and a telephone call. And, in some instances, medicine.The city spent thousands of dollars on our arrests and appeals. In the end, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled
that the law under which we were charged was unconstitutional, and the charges were dropped. Barber Park was renamed for John H. Saunders, an African American.On May 5, which just happens to fall on the 6th anniversary of our arrest, we will return to city council to challenge the city’s policy of not allowing citizens to speak directly to their representatives.
We will meet at Serenity Christian Church, 1619 North Lee Street, at 4:45 P.M., talk briefly about why we must challenge the policy, and then motorcade to city council. We’re not asking you to do anything, but be there to see how your government works and keeps you in the dark.
Floyd Rose
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