CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The Cleveland City Council went on record Monday repudiating the comments in a personal opinion column in a local publication.
Councilman Bill Estes called the column by Rhea County resident June Griffin overt racism.
“I want to make an appeal to the better elements of our community,” he said. “In my 10 years living and working in Cleveland I find myself continually surrounded with thoughtful, intelligent people living their lives with purpose and dignity.”
Mrs. Griffin began her column in the March issue of the monthly tabloid The People News saying she is “mad at the blacks.”
She wrote that black people “have made yourself a tool of that union organizer Baptist preacher, Michael King alias Martin Luther King, who set an example before you of one who can sin openly, provoke the police by his uncomely behavior, laying in the streets, and when he reacts, use his white ACLU lawyer to sue for his legal fees to be paid out of my taxes.”
The lengthy, rambling column takes swipes also at Democratic presidential candidates, state government, Mexican immigrants and Social Security. “I am going to tell my Heavenly Father on you,” she warns.
Mr. Estes said he understands Ms. Griffin’s and The People News’ First Amendment rights.
However, Mr. Estes said in a prepared statement, “This bigoted and hateful speech is not acceptable. Her ideas are trash and should be treated as such.
He urged people who read the column and agreed with him to “encourage anyone who distributes or does business with this publication to strongly reconsider their association.”
“Our community is not a community of the uneducated past, but one committed to an enlightened future. Let this be an aberration as we move forward together,” he said.
Councilman Richard Banks submitted a resolution urging publisher Pete Edwards to “prohibit this lady from writing in his publication.” The council approved unanimously.
Mr. Banks said “people are entitled to their political and philosophical views.” But he said he is surprised “we would have trash like this in our community.”
Neither Mrs. Griffin nor Mr. Edwards responded to calls seeking comment Monday night.
Randall Higgins covers news in Cleveland, Tenn., for the Times Free Press. He started work with the Chattanooga Times in 1977 and joined the staff of the Chattanooga Times Free Press when the Free Press and Times merged in 1999. Randall has covered Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia and Alabama. He now covers Cleveland and Bradley County and the neighboring region. Randall is a Cleveland native. He has bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Technological University. His awards ...
