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Between 200 and 300 residents, mostly women and children from the Wise Street area, gathered at the town meeting along with Newberry police, Sheriff’s deputies, S.C. Highway Patrol troopers and S.C. Law Enforcement Division agents.
Sheriff Lee Foster says law enforcement did not know about the planned meeting until they were forwarded an e-mail by The Newberry Observer Monday morning.
The town meeting by the New Black Panthers had been scheduled for Fellowship Baptist Church in the Pomaria community. But officials with the New Black Panthers said that local officials tried to stop them from coming and threatened the pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church for them not to come.
Pastor Johnny Mac Scurry, who is also a Sheriff’s deputy, says he nor his deacon board were asked if the group could use the church. He adds he was not threatened in any way.
But the organizers added that “God is the best planner“ who brought them to the Wise Street Park, which was bigger than the church.
“We want to be where our people are and not downtown,“ said one New Black Panther speaker.
The New Black Panthers claim they came to Newberry to protest the shooting death and then dragging of the body of Anthony Hill, 30, of Winnsboro, but they added that they were also here to teach people how to defend themselves.
“Anytime someone is dragged, it is a hate crime and the Sheriff needs to tell it like it is,“ said Leader of the Black Lawyers for Justice and the New Black Panther Party Malik Zulu Shabazz.
Shabazz claims there were both Confederate and Rebel flags in the home of Gregory Collins, who is accused of killing Hill and then dragging his body over 10 miles. The group also allege that Collins has white supremacist tattoos and an arsenal of weapons.
Shabazz called for the case against Collins to be tried outside of Newberry County and by the federal courts as a hate crime.
Sheriff Lee Foster says it would be the FBI that determined if the crime was one of hate and not him.
“You can’t trust Barney Fife and Andy to try the case,“ said Shabazz calling Foster a “white sheriff from Mayberry.“
“Since their speaker chose to identify me as the Mayberry sheriff, I would like to say that although he meant that condescending and hateful, I have a great admiration for what the mythical Sheriff Andy Taylor stood for in his community,“ said Foster. “Sheriff Taylor has a good heart and stood for what was right. He also always wanted to help anyone regardless of their status in life. I emulate that persona. As Barney once said, being a sheriff is much more than being a law enforcement officer, it is about being a friend.”
Shabazz also said with Collins being so much smaller than Hill that he believes that someone else was involved with the crime and moving of the body. He alleged the crime was part of a network with some participants even being uniformed officers.
Foster says the case is still under investigation, but that he believes that Collins acted alone.
“If (officers) can’t give you an answer fire them,“ said a speaker, adding that law enforcement works for the people.
Foster says if anyone including the New Black Panthers have information about the case they have not contacted them, and that the Sheriff’s Office welcomes any tips in the case.
“We want justice and now,“ said Shabazz. “We will spend all the taxpayers resources“ on marches, he said.
He also said he believes that Collins will be released from jail or given a deal where he will not serve but 10 years for the crime.
Shabazz also said that Collins should be afraid in jail because there is also justice behind bars.
The leader added that the death penalty would be mercy for Collins adding Collins should die by being dragged behind a truck.
“As you sow, you should also reap,“ quoted Shabazz from a Bible passage.
Shabazz also told the people local police were racial profilers and not here to protect and serve.
The leader also told the men in the crowd that if they had a gun they needed to “defend the community against white supremacy on the rampage.“
The group also told the crowd they were not just in Newberry for a day but to stay and they were willing to give their lives for the cause.
The New Black Panthers also said they wanted to teach the crowd how to stand up to all levels of government, to remove the Confederate flag from the state house, to raise money for the family of Hill and to get a list of demands from the community to present to officials at their planned march July 17.
The group says they will bring over 1,000 people to the July 17 march.
Foster promises the community law enforcement will have enough security to protect the marchers and any counter marchers that may show up.
At the end of the speeches, Shabazz announced that the crowd would march seven times around the community.
But as they headed to the gates of the park, they were met by Newberry Police Chief Jackie Swindler and a host of law enforcement officers.
Swindler would not allow to group to take to the streets as Shabazz wanted, but compromised allowing them to walk along the sidewalk from the park to Johnstone Street.
After the march filled with chants, the group gathered in a large circle holding hands and then again moving into a tight ball before dispersing.
Newberry Police Captain Chuck Counts says the Wise Street residents were well behaved during the gathering and the only harsh words came from the New Black Panthers.
He adds that community members were friendly and hugging officers.
“We owe it to the Wise Street citizens for not getting out of hand and behaving properly,“ said Counts.
Some locals like Mary Davenport said they were out to see what was happening and to support the family of Hill.
Counts adds that if there are any problems in the Wise Street area or anywhere in the city that people do not need to hesitate to call police.
No problems have been reported since the rally.
By stating that racism is irrelevant,and meaningless, is like saying sexism or classism doesn't exist. How can anyone take your statement seriously? Do you mean to tell me that I don't get treated differently because of my skin tone? As long as Americans (black, white, yellow, brown incuded) deny that racism is still alive and well in the good ole U.S.of A., we will always have a problem.
How blind can folks be to say that racial hatred is a "myth" as you put it? It's alive and well in all racial groups. You know this. But I have always believed that if you are of the right "persuasion", you would tend to turn a blind eye to the plight of someone you would never be able to understand... Mr. Hill's death is not a past injustice and he is certainly not irrelevant, this issue is what matters TODAY. A man was killed and "short-sighted" individuals, such as yourself, would rather look in the opposite direction and make snide comments about race relations in the land of dixie on a message board.
You forget that the Constitution states that "All Men are Created EQUAL." Blacks did not ask to come here... Slave ships brought them here. True, they were first brought here to be indentured servants, but since they could withstand the Southern heat, their owners enslaved them, and so began the slave trade. I for one don't feel like anyone owes me anything, never have. I do not have my hands out for reparations... LOL! All I'm saying is, don't sit there and act like things are perfect and that blacks should take responsibility... Everyone should take responsibility. There are plenty of crack and meth houses to go around and crime as of late has a multiracial face, every group has some bad apples, just don't forget that includes your group too....whatever that may be... And by the way, I'm a Liberal-Conservative.... ;-) And a female... LOL!
And if I ever meet a Neo-Nazi or Klan memeber, I will be sure to ask God to bless them, and then escort them out of the state at gunpoint.
Evidently, short-sighted individuals like yourself like to bring up random acts of random violence in the past, attribute it to the myth of "hatred," and use it to enforce new legislation that's completely anti-American.
"Racism" is an irrelevant, meaningless word used by the failing Left. It has it's roots in Communism, and doesn't apply to racial hatred - no matter how you want to twist and twine the word. It never will.
Furthermore, according to the Constitution of the United States, non-whites were never intended to become citizens; thus they passed the 14th Amendment illegal without a proper Constitutional congress, later on came Brown V. Board, and the immigrations act of.. 1954? All passed by referencing to the 14thA, which again - is illegal.
If I ever meet a black panther, I promise you I'll escort him out of the state at gun-point.
http://audio.thesky973.com/m/audio/32299630/j-christian-adams-on-the-drive-time-happy-hour.htm?pageid=28466
Black Panthers are just the flip side of the KKK....stirring up trouble to advance their own agenda. The Panther's are hate filled themselves and on the same level as the killer of Mr. Hill.
This is an attempt by an irrelevant militant organization to get in the news and should be viewed as such.
The Newberry Observer does its readership no service by omitting any sort of useful background information on the instigator of the Wise Street Park demonstrations. What if David Duke came to town to rally the white populace against some perceived black on white hate crime? Surely you would print some mention of his background as an anti-black bigot.