Last night the Jackson County Voters League held their annual Political Candidate Forum. It was an eye opening experiance into the realm of social justice and the dilemma of racism that plagues our community.
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Unfortunately some of the candidates did not show up, my opposition, Mr. Smith was one of those candidates. Another group that did not show up was the press, the media.
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Folks we have a sickness in Scottsboro, Alabama. Like a patient with cancer, ignoring our social ills, neglecting that which is part of our body will not heal the cancer.
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The cancer is not the Voters League or the African American community. The cancer is in the hearts and souls of the WHITE folks of this community who practice racism. White folks may very well be the majority, but ladies and gentleman we are not a democracy, the majority does not rule. We are a Republic where the rule of law is the realm of justice, codified in OUR Constitution, along with our unalienable rights to insure liberty.
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If you neglect part of your body, you will face the consequences. Such exists in the dilemma of our city we call home, Scottsboro, Alabama.
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Scottsboro, Alabama is a good place with fine people. I know this to be a fact or I would not be writing this challenging article and saying to you, life is what we make it and we have the capability to make or break our community, to change our course of neglecting part of our community.
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What's it gonna be, are we to treat all taxpayers in our community as equals or will we treat those who live on "the other side of the tracks" with cancerous neglect?
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8AM update: On a local discussion forum which I frequent, a local citizen made the statement: "Sorry, but I do not understand what racism has to do with a forum that I take was poorly attended. That seems a huge leap to call it Racism."
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My reply: "Neglect, intentional neglect, intentional non-participation due to the fact the community on the other side of the tracks has been neglected. "
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" Many in the poor and minority community despise Keith Smith's form of INJUSTICE. Those are not my words, they are others words. "
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"I think the press attempts to cover the facts up, so as not to expose the fact that RACISM is practiced today in Scottsboro, Alabama. The local press wishes to suppress the cold hard facts of racism in our community. "
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"My words are this, Mr. Smith works very hard at making arrangements for influential members of the community and their children to receive a pass on crime while the poor and minorities face the full brunt of the criminal justice system, this is one of those secretive facts about our quaint city which the influential and Mr. Smith do not want discussed in public. "
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"Let us witness the courage or cowardice of our community!"
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I'll add, the facts seem to bring on the wrath of right wing extremists on the local Scottsboro forum, al.com-linked on this blog, which makes me wonder exactly what Mr. Smith represents in Scottsboro, Alabama.