An audience of about 50 listened intently as Eddie Fannin said the supervisors recently were demoted over racial slurs directed at a black employee of the gas department.
City Manager Tom Hall confirmed the two supervisors were demoted because of “inappropriate” remarks regarding race. The first remark was made a few years ago about the employee, Hall said. Another supervisor repeated the remark to the employee this month.
“We are here this evening to wake up the city officials of LaGrange,” Fannin told council. “We intend for our voices to be heard for the people of our community who are sick and tired of being sick and tired of the way they are being treated. We are talking about racial discrimination, favoritism, neglect and the over-indulgence of authority in the city.
“… Instead of just being demoted, the supervisors should have been terminated from their positions. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired of being mistreated. The race issues such as this are being overlooked for too long. It’s time to make some changes. We will continue to show up to these meetings until something is done.”
Lukken declined to talk about personnel issues to the public, but agreed to meet with Fannin, other NAACP members and City Manager Tom Hall on Thursday at City Hall.
Lukken said he wanted to talk in more detail Thursday about the issues raised by Fannin.
“These are all good questions,” Lukken said. “We certainly want to hear everything that you have to say and consider your concerns. We will be glad to discuss these things in more detail on Thursday. And to anyone in the audience or anyone in the public in general, my home number is in the phone book. I encourage anyone with issues or questions about the city to contact me any time.”
Fannin said his biggest priority at Thursday’s closed-door meeting will be the termination of the supervisors.
“The city has not handled this situation at all,” he said. “There was an investigation launched by the city prompting their demotions, but that’s not sufficient.”
Fannin said he also wants to discuss police.
“There has been a good bit of discrimination going on in the city,” he said. “On May 8, LaGrange police officers arrested an African American 15-year-old girl at her grandmother’s residence and charged her with disorderly conduct. She tried to pull a police officer off her uncle who was involved in an altercation with the police and (he) suffered a badly broken nose.
“Instead of being taken to the station, she was dropped off on the side of the street near Don Rainey Finance Company at 604 Hamilton Road. The officer then made a sexual remark about the girl’s rear and said she looked like a grown woman.”
The mother of the juvenile filed a complaint with police May 20. She said she received three calls on May 23 and one call on her cell phone May 24 from someone in the police department asking her why would she file a complaint against an officer, said NAACP vice president Willie Cameron.
Public Safety Director Louis Dekmar said the police department is reviewing the matter.
“We received the complaint,” Dekmar said. “It was sent to the supervisor of the Office of Professional Standards and is being investigated. As for the calls, I am not sure how many times she was called, but it’s routine for our department to follow up on complaints several times over the phone.”
Fannin also requested that all city employees undergo diversity training and sexual harassment training on an annual basis.
“We have implemented diversity and sexual harassment training and will continue to implement the training with our employees,” Hall said.
On another topic, Fannin said: “We also feel that some elected officials have been in office for too long.”
Asked by Lukken if Fannin plans to run for office, Fannin’s response drew laughter from the audience.
“Yes,” he said. “You may be looking at your next in line if changes aren’t implemented.”
Kenneth Thompson can be reached at kethompson@ lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.
sorry
a.white.citizen whats up with all the personal attacks?
WTH are you tslking about?
I notice you say how stupid Im am and make references to an event which I know nothing of but yet you cant refute intelligently anything I said, so then even though you dont agree with what I said it must be true. Yeah usually people dont like to hear the truth so they fo on a rampage like you did trying to trash me personally cause you know you cant trash what I said. Way to go. You're sounding more and more like a liberal everyday.
You say “whites” have bent over backward to help “blacks” achieve what they have today? Please tell me what “whites” have done at all to help with this “achievement” you speak of? You say the NAACP is only to keep controversy (which by the way you misspelled) up between the whites and blacks. You’ve got it backwards… If there was not the ignorance such as yours still around today, there would be no need for this organization to exist. Do us all as an equal a favor and keep your racist ignorance to yourself.
To JMMoore, all I can say in reference to you is how idiotic, stupid, and ignorant can you be? Maybe when you where stupid enough to shoot yourself in your own hand with your own gun a while back, it just made the ignorance spill out of you. Oh wait, you’ve always had that sad mentality. Do us a favor and go stick your head down in the sand with your buddy presto for a few more days.
It’s really sad that people such as yourselves exist in the world as its grown today. Shame on you.
Maybe what the NAACP needs to deal with is there own population. How about lets start with the fact that over 70% of black children are born illegitimatly and are raised by a single parent or worse than that a grandparent. Let them also look at the fact that many of them live their whole life on some form of government aid, whether it be Welfare, Medicare, Peachcare, Wicc, Foodstamps, Free Lunch at school.
Im personally just tired of having to do more and more with less in order to bring this race up, especially with our ever increasing taxes.
But, they never want to address these issues and take personal reponsibility fo themselves. For the comment earlier about the NAACP being started by 3 white people, so using that logic I guess we can blame the demcrats today for slavery, and the republican party for ending slavery and bringing about racial equailty?
Let the NAACP also address the continuing use of racial and sexual slurs in movies, music, and on television.
Second, the NAACP has made strides in society that not only advanced black people, but all Americans. The NAACP pushed supreme court cases that removed desegregation on different levels.
I don't agree with everything the NAACP has done. For instance the whole hooplah of a guy with the Halloween display with the nooses. Speech is speech. Also, even though I 100% oppose the death penalty, I found it absurd that the NAACP would say that the death penalty verdict given in a case in Idaho of a toruture-murder-burgarlary was the result of their race (sorry, I can't think of their names right now).
About BET, let me educate you on that. MTV is focused more toward the music an entertainment of those who are not African American. And guess what presto BET is owned by MTV.
Thank you
If you are not going to support your answer with verifiable facts, then hush because you are only showing your true colors, and may give others the wrong impression of you; that you are a racist redneck unless that is what you really are.
Secondly you make a comment about Eddie Fannin being caught with his hand in the cookie jar but what you fail to state is that Fannin was cleared of all charges then Honorable retired.
Next, if I last remember, it was anyone's right to go before an open counsel meeting to express issues as a citizen. Just because you have chosen not to exercise this right don't have a grudge on the ones who do.
I will agree that the whole story needs to be considered before judgement is placed on these officers. However why do you have such a negative attitude towards the NAACP? Are you one of those that fear them because you are a cop that engage in wrong doing?
The last time I checked the NAACP is for all people who have been mistreated, regardless of race, but you sound to ignorant to check on things before you speak. If you had checked, you would know that the NAACP was founded by 3 caucasians.
By the way, what laws did the NAACP disrespect, or are you making unwarranted assumptions with no factual basis?
cry me a river
the blacks are the most racist in this town.