I was in Orlando last night for the Obama victory party, which was splendid, with Senator Bill Nelson and newly-elected Congressmen celebrating Florida's Democratic victory for Obama. The people were jubilant and the car horns were loud. Yes we can! I am prouder than ever to be an American.
Our Nation's wounds -- and our Nation's Oldest City's wounds -- will soon be healed thanks to the perspicacity and determination of millions of Americans resisting the fascist Bush-Cheney regime.
They couldn't steal Florida or Ohio this year, as in 2000 and 2004.
We have long memories in St. Augustine.
On Election Day 2000, police cruisers harassed voters at polling places, while a State Highway Patrolman ticketed a Camry with a Gore-Lieberman sticker for supposedly having hard-to-read license plates (with two light bulbs that had never drawn comment during the three years the owner had the car). Republicans stole Florida using every dirty trick in the book, including failure to count 27,000 votes in Jacksonville (20,000 African-Americans), with the Election Supervisor defrauding Democrats by saying there were "only a few uncounted votes," not releasing the information until it was too late to contest it under Florida law.
On Election Day 2004, Lincolnville Neighborhood Association President Peter Romano reported to then-Mayor George Gardner the untimely repaving of the Willie Gallimore Center parking lot. Mayor Gardner complained to St. Johns County officials. The obvious attempt to suppress minority turnout -- repaving a primarily African-American polling place on election day -- was stopped, thanks to Peter Romano and George Gardner.
Our city and county have a pattern of racially biased actions, including the city annexing all-white areas (but not the portions of West Augustine west of the railroad tracks) and our county making all commissioner races at large, while reducing the number of seats from seven to five, eliminating Moses "Coach Floyd"
and depriving County Commission of any African-American representation for ten (10) years, until Ken Bryan defeated RANDY BRUNSON.
In the Obama/Biden Administration, I look forward to action on my 2005 civil rights complaint against the City of St. Augustine and St. Johns County.
In 1989, the first Bush Administration followed my suggestion by suing the City of Memphis, Tennessee over similar annexation and at-large districts, resulting the election of an African-American as Mayor of Memphis (Willie Herenton). It was a transforming moment in the City where Dr. King was murdered.
Our civil rights laws will be enforced.
If that requires that the City of St. Augustine and St. Johns County be sued by the Obama Administration, then bring it on.
Let freedom ring!
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