AND THE BUSINESS OF THE COUNTRY -
SHO' AIN'T IN THE COUNTRY !
What PEACE March??
There was supposed to be a massive
regional antiwar demonstration on October
31 in Atlanta. On the big day a crowd of
about 200 people gathered in front of Atlan
ta's City Hall. As the time for the march drew
near, everyone was straining his eyes looking
for the rest of the people to show up. No one
did.
But the march went on as sceduled,
with about as many signs as there were people
to carry them. The march was peaceful and
orderly with an occasional outburst of chant
ing.
At the end of the march everyone
sat down to hear the speakers who showed
up. The speakers spoke their prepared speech
es hurrying with downcast eyes, past the parts
which said "our numbers are great" etc.
The march was a failure in the area
of participation.
It's strange: while the antiwar
movement might be going out of style these
days, the war surely isn't. Too bad.
Jim Baird
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.
The articles on police brutality are
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 bru
tality by law enforcement person
nel and sought diligently to ascer
tain the authenticity and extent of
these allegations. While there were
isolated evidences of poor judg
ment, 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 in
juries would seem to indicate that
average restraint was exercised by
those persons charged with the re
sponsibility of law enforcement.
The United Free Press asks the reader to
decide for himself whether or not "average
restraint" was used by law enforcement
officers in regard to the following matter.
During the afternoon and early
evening of April 30, 1970, Athens policemen
swept through some of the Black neighbor
hoods on the West side. An accurate report of
the total bodily and spiritual damage suffered
by the injured Black citizens of Athens has
never appeared in the two daily newspapers.
In this regard, consider the following affida
vit. (The name of the author of the affidavit is
withheld by the UFP for his own protection.)
On Thursday, April 30, I came
home from work with my son about 5:30,
and a group of children ran through my yard.
I went out front and asked them what was the
trouble.
They told me that they were at
Ebenezer Baptist Church on Chase Street
waiting for someone to come to have a
meeting with them. They said that the police
drew guns on them and told them they had to
leave. I told them to stay in my yard and be
quiet until I could call the Chief of Police.
I called the Chief of Police, whose
name is Mr. Hardy. I told him what had
happened and he asked if the children were
still in my yard. I said, yes, and he told me to
tell them to go back to the church, go in and
stay until the person comes who was to meet
with them. I asked if it was unlawful to
remain at the church if they were on church
premises. He said it was okay to stay on the
outside as long as they would not harass the
people on the street.
He asked if I would go around with
them and I said I would. I called the children
together to tell them what the Chief had said.
In a few minutes Officer Billups
came up and began asking questions concern
ing the children. I told him I had talked with
the Chief of Police and the children. I also
told him what the Chief had told me to do.
Officer Billups agreed and told the children
they could go back to the church.
I walked to the street to a white
officer and told him I had talked to the Chief
of Police and told him what the Chief had
said to do. He in turn told me that if they hit
the sidewalk I will lock them up. Officer
Billups had in turn told the children they
could go back to the church. After I made the
statement to him from the Chief, one or two
of the children left. They went after them
with guns and they (the children) turned back
to my yard. (The ones running from the
officers)
Then all of the policemen ran from
the street to the yard. I went to the house and
found the police beating my son. I heard my
son say, "I live here". I asked the officers if it
was right or legal for them to invade my
premises without a warrant and they said,
"we do not need a warrant, and you are under
arrest too". I asked what was I being arrested
for and they said, "Unlawful Assembly", in
my own house.
They carried me to the jail and
locked me up. My son was carried by the
hospital and several stitches were taken in his
head. They brought my son and locked him
up.,
This affidavit of a father who is one
of the leading members in a large, established
Athens church, a volunteer youth worker for
citizens of Athens, faculty and
students of the university
If you have information concerning certain irregularities,
incompetence, discrimination, abuse or brutality or
wrongs which you feel should be righted and if you have
substantial proof of such, please notify us at 130 College
Avenue, second floor. Names will not be used if you so
wish. On the pleasanter side: if you know of any good
deeds of policemen, community projects and incidents
which you feel have helped the community in general, we
would appreciate hearing about them. Remember this is
YOUR paper.
many years, a civic leader, a homeowner, and
a highly respected citizen, certainly seems to
speak for itself. Actually, however, the police
violence that occurred inside this man'shome
is understated. He does not mention the
furniture damaged in this unwarranted search.
The police literally turned the inside of his
home upside down. The whole experience
resulted in useless and brutal suffering on the
part of his wife. Her anguished wail, when she
showed this reporter the blood-stained sweat
shirt worn by her grown son who was beaten
for no reason or cause, was the heart-rending
cry of a helpless mother in complete despair.
Again, we ask the reader to decide
for himself whether or not the law enforce
ment officers exercised "average restraint".
S^^ 77/
SELL VERITAS!
Sellers may purchase a minimum of
50 copies at 10 cents each for resale at 20
cents. Copies may be picked up at 130
College Ave. in the afternoon, above Western
Union. Sellers must pay in advance and return
unsold copies within a week after the date of
the issue
^ahe It!
Save the country, sings Lauro Nyro.
Save the trees, say the ecology freaks. Do it,
raps Jerry Rubin. What's your bit? If you read
newspapers, which you are doing, you can
serve all causes by saving your old newspapers
for recycling. Since about 60 per cent of the
city garbage is old newspapers, you can cut
down on your trash output if you store
newspapers, bundle them up once a month
and trot them over to Ebenezer Baptist
Church, on Chase Street near Broad, and pile
them neatly on their front porch. They'll sell
them for recycling, be able to raise funds for
church projects and you'll do your bit for
your environment. Every ton of recycled
newsprint saves the destruction of 17 trees.
It's a little thing, but if everyone cooperates,
we'll survive together. Keep reading, but start
recycling.
^ Veritas
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