Members of the East Alabama Republican Assembly marked two years of censorship on the 2nd anniversary of citizen comments being stricken from the minutes and live streams of Lee County Commission meetings on Monday, July 10th of 2023. Eight patriots stood before the commission to address them during the citizen comments section in regards to the censorship that began when a motion was approved by the commission to remove citizen comments from the minutes and live streams going forward during their July 12th of 2021 meeting. Posted below is the video of the comments in their entirety as well as transcripts of their statements.
Susan Bolt of Auburn
"I have been a resident of Beauregard, of Opelika and of Auburn. I am a small business owner of a business in Opelika. We're celebrating our forty-fourth year in business, so we're very proud of that. Tonight I am here to ask the Lee County Commission to reinstate the public comments in both the official meeting minutes and the live streams. I am an engaged and concerned citizen of Lee County but I can not attend all of the governmental meetings. The public comments section of meetings such as the Auburn City Council and the Opelika City Council that I do monitor are some of the most interesting and informative items of the meetings. By allowing the meetings to be recorded and included into the official meeting minutes, interested citizens can observe the meetings and these comments at their leisure. While not required by law, the continued absence of public comments from the record gives the appearance that there is something to hide. It has been my experience that this time in other meetings has been used by concerned citizens to commend sitting elected officials as well as voice concerns that affect citizens. As we approach the two year anniversary of the removal of public comments from the official record, minutes and live streams I ask that this commission show leadership to your constituents and again allow public comments into the official minutes and the live stream records."
Gary Smith of Lee County
"There are things happening that I am questioning. Why would anybody want to alienate the comments, the crime of the century I think. This is the two year anniversary of it. I will tell you what gentlemen, Davy Crockett went from Tennessee to Texas. I come from Texas to Alabama, we have the same spirit, the same drive. And I am not going to take it, and I can speak for the people here who are not going to take it without you hearing about it. I just want to introduce myself, I support Susan's comments. I will support the next seven speakers. It's like a shot across the bow, each and every one of you are in for a fight and we're in it."
Richard Railey of Auburn
"I have been a Lee County resident since 1978, forty-five years. I have been a resident of Opelika, most of my time has been in Auburn. I retired from UPS after thirty-four and a half years. I have always been involved with my federal congressional legislators. I have always been involved with my state legislators. I really want to get involved with our local legislatures and more in our immediate community. It has been brought to my attention when I started looking as far as what kind of communication and what citizens were doing within Lee County, my home county for forty-five years, and I wanted to hear what some of them say. I see what you all of you say, which is great, I appreciate you doing that. I also want to see comments from citizens and I did go to your website. It was brought to my attention that you did have citizen speakers who would get up and voice their concerns and make recommendations. I wanted to see that as a citizen myself. When I went to the website to look at the live stream, I didn't see it. I saw people sitting here, but I didn't see any citizens getting up. I thought to myself 'Why aren't citizens saying things?'
I think that is what we need to be, is involved with what is going on here and having a say so. Helping you all understand what we are seeing out there and maybe sometimes what we don't see and let you form your own opinion of some of the things that we have going on that we'd like to say. I think that makes a more healthy government and the reason I say that is because if other people are allowed to see this on live stream or allowed to see this in the minutes maybe they will get more concerned and start helping all of you out too. I was at the last meeting and I was very well pleased, Mr. Lagrand took his credentials off and came out here and spoke as a concerned citizen just like we all are. I thought that was great because those are people making decisions that also have a voice that needs to be heard other than just being a legislator of this commission. With that, the recommendation is, I think it is a bad light on the county of Lee not to be posting citizens concerns or recommendations. I would like to see everything be out in the open so that everybody has a chance to participate. I would like for you guys to restore the citizens comments."
Micah Messer of Smith Station
"Two days from now will mark the second anniversary of the citizens comments being removed from the live streams and minutes. Citizens comments are a crucial part of our republican form of government. As of first amendment of our federal constitution states 'or the right of the people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.' Likewise, it is a central part of our republican form of government that other citizens know and understand the concerns of their neighbors. Thomas Jefferson was famous for saying 'Illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large.' Working people must sacrifice to come to these meetings. Sacrifice their time and sacrifice their bank accounts in some instances just to hear their fellow citizens talk, to listen. Therefore, I implore you all to listen to reason, listen to our founding fathers and the principles our republic was founded on. Please reinstitute and reestablish citizens comments back into the live stream and the minutes so that people may be illuminated as far as practicable'."
Oscar Penn of Opelika
"I am here on behalf of a concern also to reinstate into the communications and of the live stream. People such as myself that have a disability cannot find it easy to get up and down the stairs here and attend these meetings. I know that if I want to address the commission I have to be here. Other than that, I can sit at home and view the live stream to understand what is going on. By censoring us, I want each of you to understand this very clearly, when it comes down to election time we are going to censor you guys."
Lance Farrar of Opelika
"You guys know that I want censorship gone. For two years I have been asking you to stop this. Today I want to talk to you about what happened to Ms. Elizabeth Burton a month ago. How she was forcibly removed by a sheriff's deputy and how anyone that has had that happen to him and had his rights violated, it made me sick. I want you all to know that what that was, was immoral and unjust. Civil rights violations are not a fun thing to be dealing with and I do not want my county responsible for such malicious, intentful actions."
Brian Davis of Lee County
"I served twenty-five years on active duty around this world, so many places, so many countries, so many states. This is where I and my family chose to make our home, this is where we chose to build the rest of our lives. I also fought to protect civil liberties and rights of people around the world and for this country. So it grieves me to see the beginnings of things that have the hallmarks of tyranny. The things that are done in darkness, the things that people don't want brought to the light. They're evil. I would like to read something from John Chapter 3, Verse 20 'Everyone who does evil hates the light, and he who will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly, that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.'"
John Sophocleus of Beauregard
"Commissioners, whenever I come here with respect to anniversaries it is often very sobering. The two year anniversary of censorship is abhorrent. Without that I have the twenty-fifth anniversary of when this body made me homeless for eleven months. At the time I didn't see fit to sue this body because I saw that as a symptom, not the problem. I made a mistake. The most arrogant up at the dais has said on many occasions to threaten to sue. I have taken up on that threat. I have been behind two of the four so far successful lawsuits against Auburn University. The last one cost them half a million dollars for malice. I intend on doing the same thing here if you do not correct yourself. The most arrogant among you will be taken care of by time. You have listened to a discussion about a policy.
Gentlemen, you should be ashamed of that policy. The meeting is not called to order although it seems to be used double speak that there is order. I got to witness a woman drug off because selectively what she wanted to speak about was not to the liking of the tyrant than runs these meetings. If that doesn't bother you, what will? Now, having said that, I can come and I can speak in praise or against my sheriff, my highway department, the tax assessor but if somebody wants to complain about the probate they get drug off. What is the matter gentlemen?"
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