About Veritas. ([Athens, Georgia]) 1970-1970 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1970)
Page 5 ^ Veritas police brutality in Athens Veritas thanks the United Free Press for the permission to reprint some of their material. This permission does not reflect compliance of the UFP •with Veritas' policy. This article is the second in a series which will present the data demonstrating police brutality toward the Black community on a day-to-day basis. The series is an effort to correct what we consider the false conclusion of the April, 1970 term of the Clarke County Grand Jury. The Grand Jury's conclusion is quoted on page 8 in the June 26 edition of the Athens Daily News: "This Grand Jury viewed with great concern, reports of brutality by law enforce ment personnel and sought diligently to ascertain the authenticity and extent of these allegations. While there were isolated eviden ces of poor judgment, some over-reaction, in the handling of an unusual, potentially volatile, tense situation, the low incidents of superficial injuries and the absence of any permanent injuries would seem to indicate that average restraint was exercised by those persons charged with the responsibility of law enforcement* The first case of police brutality cited below is the kind that wounds the body as well as the human spirit. This brutal story of what happened to a Black lady, a grandmother, is reported exactly as stated in her affidavit which was attested by the Reverend Clayton D. Wilkerson, The Rever end Wesley G. Griffin and notorized by The Reverend Amos J. Jackson. The grandmoth ers's name is withheld for her own security. The second case of police brutality that follows is the kind that also kills the human spirit. This spirit killing brutality happened to a highly respected Black man, his alert ten year old grandson, and the other members of the family. In both cases the reader is asked to decide for himself whether or not "average restraint" was used by law enforcement officers during the recent demonstrations and at the present time. (I)The Case of the Black Lady, a Grandmoth er... "Yesterday, April 30, which was Thursday, I came from work and stopped at my aunt's home on Glenn Avenue. I sat there a while and heard the police had arrested some boys on Broad Street. I told my husband that I was going home to see if my son was there. "When I got to Susie Fuller's store on Broad Street the police had about seven or eight boys against the store. I looked to see if any of them was my son. "I did not see him and walked down to Broad Acres apartments to my daughter's home, and two of my grandchild ren were out in the crowd. My daughter was looking for them. I got one of them and my daughter had the baby in her arms. By this time the police had started spraying tear gas, so my daughter and I went around the building to my other duaghter's home. We turned the fan on and put the babies before the fan to try and get the gas out of their eyes. "We went back on the porch to sit. My son was inside on the sofa watching television. "There were policemen in the parking lot. We were just sitting and watching. After a while the policemen disappeared from the parking lot and came around the building PEACE Fact or fiction?l' —nr I and up to the porch where we were sitting and standing. "One or two of the officers asked us to come on. I asked, 'come on for what?', and he said, 'so we can identify you.' We walked off the porch and started to the parking lot. I asked 'what is this all about, I just got off work.' The office said, 'no you have been running and hiding all day.' I said, 'I have been at work all day and I have not been runningand hiding, my daughters have been at work all day too.' "When we got to the parking lot, one of the officers asked another if he could identify all of us. He said, 'yea' and called off the names of two or three persons. Then the officer asked if he was sure he could identify all of us and again the officer said, 'yes' and told him to look them all up. Then I spoke again and said, 'you have no right to lock up me and my daughters for we have not done anything, and my daughters have children here.' One of the officers said, 'you should have thought about that when you were raising hell.' 'The officer grabbed me, there was a ditch near where I was standing and the officer jerked me across the ditch. My daughters were standing there and they screamed, 'don't arrest my mother.' don't take my mother, she has not done anything,' my other daughter said, 'she just came to my house, you mean she cannot come to see me.' "By this time my daughters grab bed me, all the while saying, 'don't arrest my mother.' "Two officers grabbed my daugh ters and another grabbed my other arm. I looked back and they were beating my daughters. The oldest daughter was knocked down and the officer continued to beat her. I screamed, 'don't hit my daughter any more, and turn me a loose.' I started struggling trying to get free, like any other mother would have had she seen the police beating her children. "The officers started beating me. My husband came up and askea 'what is wrong officer?', that's my wife you are beating and my daughters. You already have my son inside on the sofa. One looked at my husband and said, 'yes, you are in it too and started beating on him.' "They knocked my youngest daughter down on the ground, sprayed tear gas in her face and said, 'get up BITCH.' "Two officers had my daughters and pushed all of us in the car and said they were arresting us and charging us with Resisting Arrest. I asked, 'how could I be resisting arrest when I have not done anything to be arrested for?' I was only sitting on my daughter's porch." (2) The Spirit killing brutality of a Black man, a grandfather and his grandson... This incident of police -brutality was touched off by a fight involving some young boys in Bethel Homes on July 7th between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. One of the boys was hit by a rock. The police were called. The ten year old grandson had been in the group but had not taken part in the fighting. But being a good samaritan type, the grandson went out to help tell the story to the police. The two police officers picked him up and without looking for his mother, carried him to the Court House. The sister of the youngster telephoned the grandfather that the police carried her brother away. The grand father drove two miles to the Court House and arrived before the police officers. When the police officers arrived, they rushed the ten year old grandson upstairs, while telling the worried grandfather and mother that they could not come up to the Sheriff's office unless they were the parents of the young man. When they finally did get into the sheriff's office the grandfather and mother were asked to get behind the counter in a little pen. One of the police officers told what had happened as though he was an eye witness. The grandfather did ask the police officer if he saw what had happened. The police officer did not answer. On July 9, 1970, the grandfather wrote the following letter to the Chief of Police, the Judge of Juvenile Court, and the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission. As of this date, the grandfather has not received the courtesy of a reply. "I, (name withheld) would like to report an incident that took place in the Bethel Home Apartments July 7, 1970 between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. Something happened involving some little boys. My grandson was not a part of the group. All eye witnesses said that he did not do anything, even the little boy who was hit. This is what my family and I would like to know: Why did the two policemen carry my grandson to the Court House without trying to contact his mother? Only a little knock on the door. Yet they allowed the other parents to carry their sons. My grandaughter saw them pass the window, called me and I drove more than two miles and reached the Court House before the Police did. What can be done here in Athens to trust and respect our police officers when they intentionally distrust us and mistreat us. I was told they, the police officers, were new men and did not know their job. Why should we suffer or have to suffer because an officer does not know? I am very much disturbed. My grandson may never forget what was done to him. Please look into this. I am reporting this to everyone that I think can correct this type of action. Os course we are hurt beyond any correction. Maybe some other little boy will not be treated like our little boy was treated." The reader is asked: Did the police officers use average restraint and responsible courtesy in these cases? If not, what should be done to insure that this doesn't happen again? Please send your comments to this newspaper.
