Newspaper Page Text
P-l#4
THE CRUSADER, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
OCTOBER >7, 1M3
The Judge
CohlinuAilf rom l*a*re 1
of
’ ♦
you
RTO
yo
are
Non-Viol®nt Fretdom Now Move-
merit wan up againit. I folt be
the great abolitionist Negro Fred
erick Douglas, I had learned, If
there is no struggle, there is no
progress. Those who profess to
ork you <!<> and you have held
job for many years, but, you
ising your intelligence and
ability the wrong way. You
trying to force colored folks
on white people.”
Then the judge went on to
teach me how 1 should he using
•what he defined as intelligence
and ability. The judge went on
to explain that I should teach Ne-
gxoes how te work. He claimed
*'***• *“* whi “ I ‘ e °, ple t0 S'” convictions™ that arc
them jobs, hut when white people
build them a nice restaurant."
Maybe the Judge doein't
know about hii unclean and bad-
behaving white sisters and broth
ers but I know about mine. Many
of my white brothers and sifters
We Pail The Saprene Priee!
Continued! roni Page 1
perse 2,700 people.
al tactics. They preferred vin
lence rather than arrest. Some
They wer« ' he u cve the city Fathers were try-
want freedom for all and yet de- fail to, not only look presentable,
press or depreciate agitation, are but they don’t smell acceptable,
men who want good crops with- The judge reminded me of lazy
out working the fields. They Negroes. I guess he just doesn’t
give them jobs, they wont work.
The Judge told me, I should use
■ intelligence and ability to teach
-roes how to keep themselves
..an. The Judge made a big
ling out of BASTARDY among
Negroes. He said Bastardy among
your people is the most disgusting
thing I know. T know about >t,
he ..said, because I have to deal
with this Bastardy among your
people. This is where you (Ho-
. should he using your Intel If-
gt e and ability and it would be
do x some good. Teach them not
\*to tve all those illegitimate chil
dren.
j During the whole ordeal, T just
stood there. I got the feeling this
judge was trying to make me :n-
£ry- Angry, so I would blow up
and contempt the court. The
Judge even told me how long he
’•a? been in Savannah. He re
led me of the FTNE rac e rela-
n that has existed in this won-
* rfu! coastal town for so long,
'ie accused me of DESTROYING
want education without learning.
! They want to go to Heaven with-
! out praying. I felt the Court had
destroedy my individual liberty
and my freedom of speech guar
anteed by the l\ S. Constitution
simply because my mind harbored
contrary to
this sick, segregated, unjust soci
ety we live in that is destroying
America.
I could not understand how I
was found in contempt when my
ation did not distort nor alter the
Court’s action. In only gave my
personal modest opinion of the
proceedings long after the court
was closed. Many citizens have
publicly disagreed with rulings of
the U. S. Supreme Court and call
ed them communists, traitors, etc.,
now you mean to tell me I can’t
express my opinion concerning a
verdict or action of a local court,
vv'thout being sentenced to prison?
What is America coming to, a Po
lice State?
After the Judge told me I would
know many white folk. Being a
PUBLICLY ELECTED Judge, l
would think he knows some of
these white folk being fired off
their jobs- everyday for being
down-right lazy. Seems like he
would have met some of those
white folk the Welfare Depart
ment turned down daily because
they found out my white brothers
just won’t work. Well, anyway
; after I admitted to the good judge
his statement about some Negroes
was correct, I reminded him, what
he said about Negroes was also
true about white people. Remem-,
bering what the judge said about
me using my intelligence and
| ability to help Negroes, I told him
1 1 was an American first, and I!
felt whatever short coming any j
black or white other American
i possess is the responsibility of ev
ery 7 other American to help him,
out of his dilemma. Meaning the j
more fortunate Negroes are just!
as responsible for the less fortu-
i nate whites as h c is for the less
fortunate Negros, and the thing
throwing them « 0 fast some of the i j nt , t 0 ^ve the good (False) name
bombs did not explode. At this
point, the Non-violent demonstra
tors had enough. Some of the
previous prayers grabbed up sev
eral of the excess gas bombs and
of Savannah, Georgia.
BNNC worker, Bruce Gordon
(The Black Tornado) ordered by
Benjamin Clark, commanded all
persons wanting to be arrested in
flung them back in the direction of protlJgt q{ Hoseft L winianis . False
their attackers. The Police could
not take it. They began retreat
ing but not for long.
Violence also occurred in Sa
vannah on the night of July 10,
1963, Th c demonstrators (about
1,000) many of whom had been
arrested several times were trying
to submit themselves to arrest in
protest of the illegal jailing of
their leader (Hosca). Again, the
city Fathers used their convention-
arrest, to step out in front of the
Freedom Marchers. There were
so many that stepped forward that
the guiding hand of the local Po
lice Department lost his sense of
love. The law enforcers resort
ed to Tear Gas, Riot Guns, Billy
Sticks and Gastapo tactics. Again,
Negroes refused to run. They
proved their eligibility into thc
American society by Non-violently
submitting their bodies to death.
he sentenced for contempt of court holds true for the more fortunate
if I did not sign that statement whites, like Judges,
which he had prepared and know- 1'also told the judge that I
ing h 0 was the same Judge who have never and will never advo-
had not only issued 12 Peace War- cato or condone violence. I had
rants against me, hut ran my
Bond from $2,500 to $30,000 in
no time flat. Then i thought
Savannah’s long-lived GOOD race al,out t,lf> Judge demanded a sep-
velations. He said 1 had turned
BLACK against W H I i E and
WHITE against BLACK, i- think
>. so accused me of using crazy
Nef oes in tho demonstrations and
mr ng criminals or delinquents
or if all the young \'eg*ves who
put -icipated in the Savannah Non-
Violent Freedom Now Movement.
T said “Think” because I have
been up before unjust Judges so
many times but I do know this ac
cusation was made on one occa
sion.
Then, the Judge questioned me
as to whether or not T agreed with
the other Negroes signing thc
statement. I meekly informed
the Judge that it was my intelli
gence and ability that caused
these American citizens whom he
had kept in jail illegally for 55
days to sign the statement. I also
attempted to explain to the Court
why I advised these patriot-c
urate piece of property for each
warrant. He had refused to ac
cept the securities of a profession
al Bondsman, Insurance securities
or even cash. Can you imagine,
the property had to be completely
clear of debt, its tax access value
must exceed the Bond. Now in
Chatham County, your property is ! given and
j accessed about 1-4 of its retail
I value. This means, it takes about
$120,000 worth of debt-free prop-
; erty to post a $30,000 Bond.
After thinking about all of this, j
him to know, I didn’t feel the
demonstrators should he branded
as law violators. They had no-
breached the peace nor promoted
violence, therefore, I could not
sign and would not sign his state
ment.
One thing I am sure of the five
days I spent in prison did not les
sen my determination to be free.
Thank God it did not teach me to
hate those who denied us our God-
Constitutional rights.
But, the prison term did extend
my patience and understanding of
those Negroes who have failed to
join and suffer with us, even for
their own freedom. Yet, they
T asked permission to consult
wait like a Saint for the Resur-
Council before giving the Judge ’ reCti ° n ’ to enj< ? y the opportunity ,
my answer. When th e Jiniee call-1 to t pursue 1,a PP i "< !SS -
my answer, I requested ! beUer Pn^stand now
how
ed for my answer, I
the privilege to make a statement
first. T was afraid to make any
kind of statement without the
court's permission because I did
not want to contempt the con
tempt. Anyway, the privilege was' protest an< * suffer the balance of
Negroes must suffer if we are to
ever be free. I for one will nev
er turn back. If it means more
prison terms, loss of my job or
even my life. I shall be free or
granted. I began by admitting
Americans to comit an act of trea-1 to the Judge that everything he
pon. I must admit the statement
•3 masterfully composed. Yet,
Daily Morning Newspaper j
' vmed the signing of the state-'
pient as a repudiation of demon
strations.
If the Daily Morning Newspa
per can see through the statement
v. you know. . . . The Judge
,poh ly informed me, that he had
gro’ ds to fine me in contempt of
Zr But, in trying to bend
over backwards to be fair, he of
fered me a chance to sign the
statement. Now I know the Judge
had his reasons for finding me
in contempt, but I have never un
derstood the grounds.
At this point T began to fully
understand what the Savannah
said about Negroes was correct;
but, this is also true about whito
people. I know something of Bas
tardy among my white brothers
and sisters. There is a govern
ment-maintained institution for
(White Only) unmarried mother-
out near Thunderbolt. They have
every comfort, even an opportun
ity to further their education. The
County Board of Education pays
full-time teachers who work in the
unwedded mothers’ home full time.
They even give the white children
an advantage before birth. When
the Judge was tongue-lashing me,
he talked about how dirty Ne
groes were. He even said, “When
Negroes clean themselves up and
learn how to act, someone will
my natural life.
I hope the Judge learned one
thing and that is, Negroes have
grown to treasure MANHOOD.
Some said the Judge gave me a
choice. But did they understand
what kind of a choice. The choice
was simply this YOUR MAN
HOOD or FIVE DAYS IN JAIL.
|g|p||
from __
(ThtBibH
For freedom did Christ set
us free. —(Gal. 5:1).
Through Christ we are able
to enjoy perfect freedom the
freedom that allows us to use
our mental and physical ca*
.parities to lhi- fullent.
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BRING THEM TO ME
MRS. JUANITA T. WILLIAMS
458’a West Broad Street
GUARANTY BUILDING PHONE AD 6.5727
Tax Notary Public Mimeographing
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Remember Your Vote Means Greater Power
Our Hearty Support To
The Crusade For Voters
SIDNEY A. JONES FUNERAL
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