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Che Summerville News
‘Just Call
Me Joel’
Local Preacher
Causing Stir
By RICH JEFFERSON
Staff Writer
Joel Brown, 27, is a barrel
chested preacher who speaks
his mind. Brown and his wife
moved here a few months ago
when he became minister at,
Fifth Street church of Christ in
Summerville.
On June 13, Brown became
the spokesman for a Concern
ed (?itizen‘s Organization
(CCO). That night, several
members of the CCO visited
the Summerville City Council
and the Chattooga County
Board of Education.
Both panels heard a little
bit of preaching from Brown,
and quite a bit of exhortation.
Blacks are not given a fair
chance to gain employment in
the county’s public schools, he
told the school board. He told
the city council that Fairway
Park badly needs some renova
tions, but that it had been ig
nored by the city in recent
years.
It is not surprising that
Brown would be the
spokesman for the group. He
has had a desire to preach since
he was 12, and during his high
school days in Tifton his
friends often told him he would
be a preacher. But Joel Brown
doesn't always say what people
expect.
CIVIL RIGHTS
Take the issues of civil
rights. In a recent interview
County DFCS Offers Help To Young And Old
Severely Disturbed
Teens Need Treatment
Life has not been good to
Bobby Foster of Atlanta. His
parents were alcoholics. His
mother died when he was five.
His father deserted him, and
Bobby wound up being bounc
ed from one unstable iome to
another and possibly being
physically and sexually abus
ed. Then, he finally became a
ward of the state.
Now 14, Bobby has been in
and out of numerous foster
homes and state psychiatric
hospitals. He has spent time in
a state youth development
center. And he continues in a
downward spiral of destructive
behavior, including settinf
fires, attemthintg suicide and,
in the words of his adoptive
father, ‘‘being out of control.”
ADOPTION
Although Bobby was
adopted when he was nine by
Alabama Man Helps Addicts Kick Habit
By RICH JEFFERSON
Staff Writer
If Ron Rogers can sta
drug-free until July 23, he wifi
happily mark his 10th anniver
sary of freedom from chemical
dependency. It has been hard.
He was tempted to go back
when a younger brother was
killed in a car accident shortly
after Ron decided it was time
to face life without drugs. A
few years later he suffered a
delayed case of Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD), which
has a nasty way of creeping up
on Vietnam veterans.
Brown said he doesn’t think
too much of civil rights, and he
doesn’t think civil rights have
done much for the bfack man.
““Civil rights got us a
desegregated lunch counter.
Now we can use the same
restrooms as white folk. Big
deal. It should be called human
rights because it (racism) is a
human problem. Then it could
be discussed at the UN.”
Why the United Nations?
“‘Because it's a dglobal pro
blem,”” Brown said.
He ticked off a list of cur
rent ‘‘civil rights’’ leaders and
said they are black na
tionalists. When these leaders
talk about ‘‘our people,”
Brown said, they are tasking
about the black race.
For Brown there is a pro
blem with that. ‘““They’re still
exploiting the black race,” he
said. Brown said all men are
“of one blood,” descended from
Adam and Noah. To support
this, Brown thumbed through
his Bible, stopping in Acts 17
to read thag éod v nAth
made of one blood all nations
.of men for to dwell on the face
lof the earth.”
All Americans are members
of the human race, not
members of several races.
Americans need onl})l' one thing
to grotect their rights, Brown
said.
SOURCE OF RIGHTS
“I just want due process.
Then I'll have my constitu
tional rights. Don't just pick
out an amendment and throw
‘civil rights’ into it. All rights
come from the same source,
God. That's why scripture says
a loving family, he has been
unable to control his behavior
and come to terms with his
disordered past.
According to the Georgia
Department of Human
Resources, there are an
estimated 95,000 severely emo
tionally disturbed youngsters
like Bobby in Georgia. And
there are f}:ew resources to ad
dress their multiple needs.
Bobby's adoptive father
spins a frustrating story of a
search for solutions. ‘“We tried
therapy, medication,
hospita]?i'zation but nothing has
worked so far.”
HOSPITALIZED
Only after Bobby had set
fires, exposed himself to his
sister and stolen from his
parents did Mr. Foster press
charges against him to get him
some help. At that time the
Drug Free Decade Leads To Outreach
But throu%h it all, for 10
ears, he has stayed clean. And
Ke doesn’t blame the war for
his choices.
DESTINED FOR
ADDICTION
“I got addicted in Vietnam.
I do not blame Vietnam for my
drug addiction,” Rogers told
the Summerville-Trion Op
timist Club last Friday. “I was
destined to be an addict
whether I went to Vietnam or
not.”
Rogers somehow managed
to stop mainlining before he
returned to the States in late
1967, but he said he used pills
and LSD instead. He admitted
he still carries the physical
results of years of drug abuse.
Thursday, June 30. 1988 . .
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Joel Brown tells a story about meeting
with one of his Bible teachers in the pro
fessor’s office. He asked Joel what blacks
wanted to be called. The professor told
don’t fear those that can
destroy the body, but fear the
one who can destroy both body
and soul.”
In Chattooga, there is no
equality of opportunity, he
said. ‘“Due process is broken
down and we need to build it
back up again. Christians have
lost their rights and they don't
see it. Jesus was concerned
about man's whole being. He
fed them, clothed them, and
healed them before he con
verted them.
“We need to tell them what
God has done for them then tell
them what to do. Now we tell
them what to do before we tell
them what He has done.”
youngster was placed in the
child unit of a state hospital for
evaluation but was released
after eight months. And it was
back to square one for the
Fosters.
Without insurance to cover
continued treatment for Bob
by, the Fosters were forced to
give up custody of the
youngster so the state could
again become responsible for
his care. Today Bobby is spen
ding two years on a long-term
speciality treatment unit of a
state hospital.
Severely disturbed
youngsters like Bobby usually
have a whole set of problems
ranging from an inability to
concentrate to trouble getting
along with others to depression
and severe mental illness. Also,
as many as 40 percent of the
children who enter the state
see SEVERELY, page 4-B
“I have brain damage, I'm
sure. But I'm a much better
person for what I went
through.”
HELPING OTHERS
Even so, Rogers is working
hard to help fimose who are
either full-blown addicts or on
the verge of becoming addicts,
to get rid of their own chemical
dependency. He now runs a
non-profit organization in Fort
Payne, Ala.,, called New Begin
nings. It was governed by con
cerned citizens of the Fort
Payne community, he said.
Every addict who kicks his
habit and re-joins the produc
tive side of society has a long
row to hoe, an(f, Ron’s ex
perience was no exception.
1-B
Spokesman Brown
Joel he used to refer to blacks as negroes,
but he said he wasn't sure what to call
him. Brown told the professor, ‘‘just call
me Joel.” (Photo By Rich Jefferson).
BROTHERHOOD
OF MAN
Brown also said that in a
spiritual sense there is a gulf
fixed between true Christians
and unbelievers, but the
universal brotherhood of man
exists in the material world.
“In the ph}'sical sense we're all
brothers. It rains on the just
and the unjust. Each individual
is a free moral agent, and all
the physical aspect of life came
from him.”
Brown's path to the
ministry in the church of Christ
was not a direct one. He was
raised a Baptist in Tifton. The
public schools were integrated
while he was still in grade
In Chattooga County,
Foster Care Offers
Help At All Levels
_—— .-
By RICH JEFFERSON
Staff Writer
‘*
Foster care for children is thought by many to be a sad
reflection of the crack-up of the American family. But for
youngsters who must leave their biological parents, foster
care can be a step toward mental and physical health.
According to .? oy Toles, a foster care worker with the
Chattoo%? County Department of Family and Children Ser
vices (DFCS), children are placed outside their homes for
various reasons.
“The inability of the parents to provide is a major
reason,”’ she said. “Sometimes the reason is drug and
alcohol abuse on the part of the parents. It can be physical
and sexual abuse or severe neglect.”
PARENTS NEED HELP
About once a year parents will come to the local DFCS
and ask the agency to place their children in foster homes,
Ms. Toles said. They don't think they can take proper care
see IN CHATTOOGA, page 4-B
VIETNAM
On May 9, 1967, Rogers’
squad was ambushed and
“wiped out.” He was taken to
Japan for three months to
recover. He hoped to return to
the States, but was sent back
to join his Marine buddies in
the jungle. Injured again, he
was flown toa military%xospital
in Portsmouth, Va.
“I went there (Vietnam) as
an 18-year-old. I was confused
when I went and I was more
confused when I came back.”
He said he resented *‘‘socie
ty in general” and hated
himself. *‘But I was able to go
throutgh the Veterans' Ad
ministration to get all the
prescription drugs I wanted.”
Ron said his grug of choice
’ Features/News 1
school. “‘I have gone to school
with the majoritg' since I was
in the sixth grade,”’ he said.
His hometown continues to
experience tension between
blacks and whites, he said.
Last year, an intern from the
University of Georgia was fired
from a pharmacy there
because, as Brown said, the
store owner didn't know the
university was sending a black
girl. According to Brown, the
owner had a lot of complaints
and fired her.
“It's all tradition. It all
comes down to ‘this is how it's
been, and this is how it’s going
to be,” " he said.
see JUST CALL ME JOEL, page 6-B
was whatever he could get.
“Different drugs were popular
in different years,” he said.
LOST FAMILY
In 1976, he left his wife and
son in Virginia Beach and
returned to Fort Payne where
he spent lots of time in the ci
ty jail. He was back on the nee
dle and his weight dropped to
125 pounds, his teeth were rot
ting out, his hair down to his
waist. He wore a marijuana
earring.
“I was real cool, at least I
thought I was,” Ron said. “Ac
tually I was a little insane.”
PRAYER TIME
He said he never prayed for
see ALABAMA, page 4-B
County Students Join
Gov.’s Honors Program
By BUDDY ROBERTS
Staff Writer
While most high school
students are spendinf the sum
mer workir(xi or relaxing at
home, two Chattooga County
students have returned to
school for six weeks of their
summer vacation.
Jason Beck and Paula
Ledbetter, both juniors at
Chattooga High, are par
ticipating in the Governor's
Honors Program (GHP)
through to Aug. 1. The pro
%ram is held each year at
aldosta State College.
The GHP was established
in 1964 and is designed to pro
vide talented students with
educational opportunities not
usually availagle during the
regular school year. Students
are taught in various academic
and vocational areas, including
mathematics, foreign
languages, executive manage
ment, and theatre. §
Paula is attending this
year’s program in the area of
vocational technology, while
Jason is participating in the
social studies currichum.
PRIVATE, PUBLIC
Students in both private
and public schools throughout
the state are eligible for par
ticipation in the (fil-IP. Prospec
tive participants are
nominated by teachers in
various academic areas. Each
nominee is then interviewed b
a panel of four teachers, whicK
determines a student’s eligibili
ty to go on to the gHP
interview.
At the GHP interview,
nominees are questioned about
their community activities,
overall grades, certain standar
dized test scores, and participa
tion in school organizations.
Paula and Jason were referred
to the GHP interview, and
both made the final selection.
DFCS Fights Local
Abuse Of Elderly
By RICH JEFFERSON
Staff Writer
(Editor’s Note: This is the
first in a series of how the Chat
tooga County Department of
Family and ghildfen Services
(DF Cg; helps the abused elder
ly in our county).
Chattooga Countians know
where they can pick up their
food stamps and ap%ly for
other social services. But do
they know where to go and who
to talk to if they need to report
abuse of an elderly f)erson or
seek help for a disabled adult?
Chattooga County’s
Department of Family and
Children Services (DFCS) takes
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: Staff Photo By Rich Jefferson
JIMMY BLACK (R) WELCOMES RON ROGERS TO CLUB
Rogers Spoke To Optimists Last Friday )
b i o
.“v ' . ~,;v’}“ o
JASON BECK
THE FUTURE
In the technology cur
riculum, Paula has been work
ing with various aspects of
computer programming, laser
technology, and the program
ming of robotic systems.
“I've taken computer pro
gramming courses in school,
and they're reall h%ping
now,”” Paula saic{ “We've
worked with binary operative
computers in the lab, and we've
been playing with lasers and
robots.
“Much of this is stuff that
will help prepare us for the
future, Eecause the time will
come when I'll need to know
how to work with systems like
these. With the actual hands
on experience, I won't be lost
when that time comes.”
THE PRESENT
The social studies cur
riculum, according to Jason, is
largely made up of topical
diseussions. “We discuss and
debate on issues like the trade
deficit and major political
goals,” he said.
In addition, the social
studies department is conduc
ting a mock presidential cam
care of all those things, but ac
cording to Mike Baker, lead
worker in the adult unit of the
agencß most Eeople don’t
know DFCS can help the abus
ed elderly person or disabled
adults.
There are three different
things, any combination of
whic%) can make an elderly in
dividual eligible for help K*om
Adult Protective Services,
Baker said. These include
situations where the individual
is in personal danger, personal
vulnerability and social
vulnerability. These three
things often occur simul
taneously.
PHYSICAL HARM
Danger to the elderly in
dividuaf may be the threat of
bodily harm from someone
close to them, usually a family
member. Some surveys have
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PAULA LEDBETTER
paign and election. Students
are divided into 12 groups,
each affiliated with a presiden
tial candidate.
Each group consists of a
press secretary, financial ad
ministrator, issues director,
campaign manager, and can
didate. Members take turns in
assuming the roles of each
official.
“We also take part in a role
playing game,” Jason said.
“T{le game is set in
Guatamala, and we each have
different roles to play in the fic
titious situations. It helps us to
learn to compromise and work
out difficult situations.”
FAMILY SUPPORT
“This program is good for
Jason,” said Sybil Cleveland,
his grandmother. ‘“He'll be ex
posed to a lot of good thinfs
and new ideas that will help
him. Of course we miss him,
but the program and ex
perience will help him.”
“My famil}' has been very
supportive,” Jason said. ‘‘My
grandmother took off from
work to come down here, and
they’ve sent letters and called.
see COUNTY STUDENTS, page 4-B
shown that about six out of
seven cases, or 86 percent of
the reported cases of elderly
abuse involve mistreatment by
family members.
Baker points out that this
kind of abuse is hard to docu
ment because the abused per
son will not admit they have
been harmed by a relative. If
an elderly victim denies that he
or she has been physically
abused, and will not press
charges, there is no legaP help
available except to put the vic
tirg:ll in a nursing home, Baker
said.
CAN'T COPE
Personal vulnerability
means an individual can't
manage everyday living or care
for themselves. This may be
caused by mental or physical
impairment, Baker said.
see DFCS FIGHTS, page 4-B