Thursday night’s display at the Fayette County Commission Meeting was the most flagrant case of censorship that I have personally ever witnessed.
The First Amendment to The Constitution Of The United States of America reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
I have learned that Fayette County Commission Chairman Herb Frady told Commissioner Steve Brown 15 minutes before the commission meeting that he would not be allowed to make his planned remarks during the Commissioner Report portion of the meeting even though Commissioner Brown had submitted the request in advance as requested by Chairman Frady.
Previously, Chairman Frady removed the Commissioner Report section completely from the Jan. 5 and Jan. 13 Board of Commissioners meetings so Commissioner Brown would not be allowed to speak publicly on important issues in our county.
Every time Commissioner Brown attempted to exercise his freedom of speech right to discuss the West Fayetteville Bypass, Chairman Frady yelled over him and pounded the gavel.
Before the episode came to a conclusion, one citizen jumped up, said she had had enough and left the meeting. Two others soon followed out the door.
Other citizens in the audience were so absolutely appalled by Chairman Frady’s flagrant censorship of Commissioner Brown’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech, they began voicing their disgust aloud.
Our three commissioners left over from the previous commission have continually put constraints on citizens during commission meetings. Now those constraints include the two new commissioners.
One hundred percent of the time this year, Chairman Frady and Commissioners Horgan and Hearn have voted in opposition to measures for transparency and accountability.
Our present commission chairman has carried our local government to the depths of governmental abuse more resembling the old Soviet Union than the United States of America. This type of deplorable behavior should not be tolerated.
Virginia Allen
Fayette County, Ga.
