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Activists Cross Over Bridge toGeorgia PrisonRE, DSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Inmates waved white towels from winaov. s of a nearby compound while about 100 civil rights activists marched across a bridge Saturday onto the Georgia State Prison facility where 67 protesters were arrested last weekend.No incidents were reported as about 25 prison guards watched from inside the compound and an estimated 25 state troopers lined the state highway leading to the prison.“We see this bridge as symbolic of the rich robbing the poor,” said the Rev. Hosea Williams of Atlanta. “Symbolic of blacks and poor whites making this nation what it could be.”The protesters led by the Coalition for a March on Reidsville were arrested last Saturday for crossing the bridge in violation of a court order.But this Saturday, Tattnall County Superior Court Judge James E. Findley ruled that the entire group could cross the bridge to a small park and a smaller delegation could present grievances to the warden.The protesters asked that “racist” violence be ended at the prison, which was the site of five racially motivated disturbances last year. It also asked for an end to the death penalty, that prisoners be paid for labor and that the prison be shut down.Prison officials earlier had warned that if inmates could see or hear the protestors, it could cause a disturbance within the prison. But officials said there were no problems in the prison Saturday.An order from Findley also led to the release of comedian Dick Gregory and fellow protester John Spear from a nearby jail Saturday afternoon. The two had been in jail for seven days after crossing the bridge last Saturday during an earlier protest.Gregory and Spear had refused to eat or drink since their arrest on contempt charges, but Candler County Sheriff T.J. Clifton said they began eating when told of their pending release.Findley said he supported the right of peaceful protest, but understood the state’s contention that a large crowd near the prison could “create a clear and present danger” within the compound.In his Saturday order, Findley said the entire group could cross the bridge and assemble in a small, roadside park on the prison grounds for 30 minutes.Findley said also a delegation of 10 protesters could walk to the top of a hill near the prison to meet with Warden Charles Balkcom and present a list of grievances. But, he said, they would not be allowed to sing or chant, since they would be visible from the prison.v.vmW®pf■y.y.yMmmmm.«••vjv.Wvum*f t%£m.....APCROSSING THE BRIDGE...Members of the coalition for a march on Reidsville cross the Ohoopee River Bridge leading to the Georgia State Prison on their way to deliver a mandate to warden Charles Balckom. Crossing the bridge was a victory for the marchers; several were arrested trying to cross last Saturday.
Newspaper Details
Panama City News Herald
Panama City, Florida, US
Sun, Aug 19, 1979
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Charles L.
USA 15 Jul 2020
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