...we simply can't let this slide.
During the council meeting last night, Susan Johnson, the owner of American Title Guarantee, introduced herself by making a disturbing comment with regards to her family's history in the area: "I think I can beat everybody because I've been here - my family chased the Indians out of Afton Township so many years ago that, you know, we've just been here forever." This is beyond offensive - it's morally despicable, really. If you watch the video clip and listen very closely, you'll hear people in the audience laughing, as if genocide is a laughing matter. Ms. Johnson is also a member of the Citizen's Community Enhancement Commission, a commission that has discussed ways to suppress local dissent because the monied interests are afraid of those who question and / or oppose their agenda. So much for the Freedom of Speech.
If you find any of this upsetting, click here and send her a personal message. She needs to hear from you.
8 comments:
Done.
As a mixed blood Cherokee, I didn't find Sue's comment to be promoting genocide. You are really stretching here. She was merely trying to show how long she's lived in DeKalb. Sue Johnson would never be intentionally hurtful or discriminatory in any way.
The forceful removal of people from their land - whether it be carried out by white locals on their own or systematically by the U.S. military - all contributed to the decimation of the Native population that once existed here. I can't believe that someone of Cherokee descent finds her comment acceptable when her comment echoes what the citizens of Georgia did to the Cherokee Nation in the 19th Century. Also, I doubt Ms. Johnson would have made a similar remark about her family history if this were the South and her ancestors had been slave owners. Why? It would be totally insensitive to make that kind of reference to the past.
When both official and unofficial racist policies and attitudes lead to forced removal and a totally unnecessary loss of human life, that policy and the attitudes that make it all possible, are genocidal. Just because numerous acts were carried out in a variety of places by different people under a ‘democratic’ government, and in the grand scheme what Ms. Johnson claims her family did might sound minor (to some – not me) in the scope of U.S. history, I doubt it was minor to the Native people who were forced to leave under the threat of violence.
I highly encourage people to read American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World by David E. Stannard (among various other books on this subject).
Is it really surprising that a representative from CCEC would make an insensitive comment like that? Here is a representative from that group that takes SIX MONTHS to finally come back with a $54k pricetag on the "Free" Dekalb City Logo (that nobody asked for?) from Sycamore Morningstar.
In the meantime somebody makes that thing really green and sticks it up on the city website. THAT is NOT a done deal. We can't afford it and NOBODY approved this expenditure OVER $20K per CITY LAW.
Shamefully arrogant and insensitive MISREPRESENTATION of the Peoples of Dekalb.
Sue Johnson SHOULD apologize if she unintentionally misspoke. Otherwise chalk it up to how the CCEC does business. Hidden, and if in public, offensive.
You know, the more I think about it the more I feel it is inappropriate for Commission members to speak during the citizens' comments portion of the schedule. Don't they already have their say as part of their work on the Commission and with their recommendations? But only the mayor can enforce the boundaries.
OK, I let my frustration lead me in the wrong direction (and was put back on the right track at citybarbs). The answer here is not to muzzle anybody, but to organize better and draw more "regular" people into the process. Let's have really good enforcement of disclosures by commission members, though, so everyone knows who we're dealing with.
After a second watching of the racist credential flashing by Sue Johnson, I am even more amazed at the ignorance of this committee.
Sue Johnson flashes her deep DeKalb roots by bragging about her ancestors "kicking the Indians" from DeKalb? AND she is a FAILed Dekalb Business Owner, correct? So being unconsciously (we hope) racist and having a failed Dekalb Business gets you a seat on CCEC?
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