Tonight at the Blount County Commission, citizens witnessed a shameful act.
At the motion of Commissioner Steve Samples, the Blount County Commission suspended the rules to consider a vulgar resolution.

Commissioner Samples introduced a motion of support for Judge Young's actions regarding the recent controversy in the papers where a woman claims to have been deniged due process in a court action seeking a protection decree.

After several commissioners voice support for Judge Young's actions, Commissioner Reeves was recognized. She explained that it is important for women or men, at risk of abuse by spouses, to be protected by the law, as is provide by law. She also clarified that, contrary the rumors circulating; the woman at the center of the controversy regarding Judge Young is a legal immigrant. This was clearly reported by the Daily Times.
Commissioner Samples could be heard to mutter something to the effect of, Oh, I didn't know that.

Commissioner Reeves observation changed the nature of the discussion and for several commissioners it appears her observation provided the information which persuaded them to support tabling this vulgar motion.
I am paraphrasing, but as I recall.

Commissioner Murrell explained that now that she understood the immigrant status she could not support the motion.

Commissioner French also spoke up and said that they should not vote until they knew the facts.

With out the actions of Commissioner Reeves on the Blount County Commission, tonight a vulgar, uninformed resolution would likely have been passed, to the shame of Blount County.

At the end of the meeting there was a time for public comment and I read my quickly composed message as follows:

I had not intended to speak tonight, but sadly many commissioners were quick to suspend the rules to make a statement about a Latin American immigrant and to endorse the clearly reported failure of a judge to offer a human being protection from physical abuse by the denial of due process.
142 years ago, Black persons could be owned as property in Blount County.
81 years ago, women were not voting citizens.
Sadly, now in Blount County the protection of the law does not apply to all humans.
Persons who presumptuously judge another not by there humanity but by the color of their skin or by there gender or by there ethnicity or even their immigrant status, shame our county.

This was the best I could to in the time I had.

I urge all Blount County citizens to correct their errant commissioners. Tell them that equal protection applies to all persons. It is not OK for citizens to abuse legal or illegal immigrants nor for them to abuse one another. Our duly enacted laws do not turn a blind eye to such abuse and neither should our judges. If they due, they should be condemned.

You can find the County Commissioners and their phone numbers at this link:
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To be silent is to be condoning the vulgar act of which the judge is accused.

Forrest Erickson