Mullah Young & NAACP Flagged at Augusta Riverwalk – Report by Billy Bearden

Photos from the NAACP and Mullah Young flagging at Augusta's Riverwalk October 9th are below the story....

I arrived first, pulling into a spot front and center directly across from the entrance to the Augusta Riverwalk Raddison. The time was approx 7:15 am and already the law was hot and thick. I began unloading my WMDs (Weapons for Mass Display) and getting into my uniform.

An older gentleman from Waycross, whose name I can't recall, showed up next. Then Darryl from Savannah is third. We were talking and getting aquainted with each other while I was putting the final touches on my special WMD, which impressed both of the men.

The older man went off to park his car elsewhere, leaving Darryl and I to talk over the situation. I told him I had been there earlier and did a little flagging and scouting. As it was Darryl's first time doing this, he was curious about the flagpoles in question and wanted to walk over and check it out.

We walked over to the riverwalk and I showed him the pole. I also showed him where some Georgia Flagger had previously placed a now absent 3x5 inch 2nd National flag sticker on the pole. It was extremely obvious where its former location was because of the severe vandalism to the pole. Deep gouge and gash marks reveal the depths of Augusta city official's hatred of their own heritage and history. How bad you ask? Even the engraving at the pole base was covered with black plexiglass so as to obscure the engraved "Confederate States Banner." We took each other's picture at the flagpole (which turned out to be "lucky" for us).

We returned to the intersection where others had started arriving, and the police were setting up their billion dollar mobile command Winnebago. I walked over to a group of about 10 of the officers and said "Y'all know this is overkill, right?" pointing to their high-dollar playpretty. They were not amused....

I spent a few hours the previous day putting together a special customized flag for the Augusta event, and when I raised it in the back of my truck, it was truly a sight to behold! For the whole day there flew a HUGE 7x 11 Second National Flag. Many people complimented me on it. I did it for those poor misguided blind to history NAACPers. And YES - it could be seen blocks away!

I met our man in the trenches and on the frontlines in Augusta - Fireeater Woody Highsmith, who is doing all he can and deserves special recognition and support in all his hard efforts! Keep up the great work and hang in there!

Along with myself, the Georgia Flaggers were represented by Lum Petit, the Hanners and the Hamlins. Michele was quoted in one of the news stories. I myself gave an interview to the Augusta Focus black newspaper....

There was one black guy who showed up, and even though I quizzed him over his wares, I couldn't figure out if he was protesting us, or if he was making some statement of his own. He had 3 flags (Black liberation Green/Black/Red, NC Tarheels , and a red flag with a green star) 2 pictures and a black satin jacket all spread out on the sidewalk while he sat on the curb. He did say his green star flag was the same meaning as the Republic of Georgia white flag with red star. Below are the pictures so you can decide for yourself. Perhaps the SC-LOS ladies sang Dixie too loud and ran him off?

As noon approached I got hot and shed my uniform, which unveiled my well worn Pittman Flagger shirt. I then took my 5x8 '56 Georgia Flag and migrated over toward the Raddison. Two folks were just returning from the direction of the Riverwalk, and I think they tried to inform me to avoid going up to try and see the flags cause the police would stop me. My ears heard a challenge and off I went. I was met by a real nasty dude who told me I couldn't be up there with "that flag" (the same flag that Carrollton's McDaniel-Curtis SCV camp refused to be seen with on the 4th of July Parade) I rolled up the flag and set it down and tried to proceed , only to be blocked again and told I couldn't come up. At this point a woman with a dog jogs past and I say I just want to take a picture , not protest. He says "no." I ask what now is the difference between myself and that woman since I have no flag, and he states "I have told you twice to leave, next time I will arrest you..." Being 202 miles from home alone with no money I didn't feel like going downtown so I retreated but took his picture.

I went back and stopped in front of the Raddison again, with the eyes of evil cop on me from the bridge to my left. After about 20 minutes a black man comes up from behind me heading to the hotel. I smile and say "hello," standing under my 12 foot extenda-pole with the 5x8 flapping in the mild October Augusta breeze. He smiles and says "hi," and initially he starts to continue to the hotel, but then stops and turns around to talk.

The lapel pin tells me he is NAACP. This is why I came here and I put my training to good use. To set the scene, he was about 45, well dressed, 175 - 190 lbs,slightly graying hair, 5foot 10" and originally from N.C. His name was Kevin or Calvin, and he was very cordial. He asks me "Why are you doing this?"

I tell him I am protesting both the NAACP's call for the flag's removal and the mullah-mayor's actions to remove it. (As we are talking, I notice in the background a black man at the back of a minivan who had originally started to put on some shoes stop and watch us intently during our whole 30 minute chat session) He gently tries to tell a story "How would you feel if it were a visiting group of Jews and there was a Nazi Swastika flying?"

I told him there was no comparison between the Nazis and Confederates, that the South had no desire for global domination nor did we stick six million people in gas chambers.

I told him of my great-great-grandfathers, of the Blacks, Mexicans, Indians, Jews, Irish, Women and Children Confederates, and what the flag means to me. He asked if I knew about slaves suffering and the horrors of slavery. I told him in my research and understanding of slavery comes mainly from the Slave Narratives (of which he was unaware and I told him about it being an FDR project and the 70/30 ratio) and then he asked me about my knowledge of the 'Middle Passage' and I said yes, that it was the evil British and Dutch running the greedy rum/slaves triangle who packed human cargo to overcrowding and lost lots of their shipments to deaths, but not 20 million.

He was also surprised to find out about the Anthony Johnson/John Casor affair in 1655.

He tried one last time with the Jew/Nazi thing and I hit him with the lack of global domination motivation on the Confederate side. We talked of other things, and we parted amicably, with him having been introduced with a whole lot of stuff that Mfumes/Jacksons/Bonds don't teach or want known to their followers.

I was disappointed that there were no Planes or Boats or Blimps and only about 120 flag wavers - at least 1/2 of whom were South Carolinians. Even though it was hailed as a joint SCLOS and GaSCV event - I didn't see many GaSCV head honchos, but Charles Lunsford did show with wife & child waving 2 small stick CBFs. I was very impressed with the loudspeaker music system with a DJ. The only things missing were more Georgians and BBQ and chili.

After the event officially ended, me, Mr. & Mrs. Hanners, and Lum Petit walked the whole length of the riverwalk togther. As we ended our tour at the vandalized flagpole, I removed a large piece of trash from near the base of the pole, which could've caused a NAACP tourist to trip and sue the city, which would have cost Augusta the millions of dollars they spent during their stay. After I threw it safely in the trash, I realized it was some black plexiglass......