Organizer Bars White Reporters from Event with Two Savannah Mayoral Candidates
A meeting for the black candidates running for mayor of Savannah has caused a stir after signs were posted saying only black members of the press were allowed inside.
Mayoral candidate meeting at Bolton Street Baptist Church is selective in its attendees. “Black press only” pic.twitter.com/n769HBBG9c
— Savannah Morning News Opinion (@SavannahOpinion) March 27, 2019
The Savannah Morning News reported the meeting was set up by Rev. Clarence Teddy Williams, owner of the consulting firm, The Trigon Group. He declined to discuss the restrictive policy. Audio and video recordings of the meeting were also banned.
Stephen Moody, an African-American reporter for WJCL, said the reporters who were black were told they could stay specifically because of their skin color.
“This is not my idea,” Chatham County Commissioner Chester Ellis said before going inside. Former Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson declined to comment.
“You said progressive Savannah, do you think the message there on the door is progressive,” a reporter asked Savannah Alderman Van Johnson outside.
“It’s not my meeting,” Johnson said. “Again, I was asked to come and give a statement, so I came and I gave a statement.”
“Do you feel like you’re condoning that message by attending the meeting,” the reporter followed up.
“I’ve been attending meeting for sixteen years,” Johnson said. “Sometimes press is there, sometimes press is not there. In this case, I didn’t coordinate the meeting, I was invited to give a statement. There was some media there. What I said in there, I’ll say out here.”
Savannah Alderman Van Johnson discusses his attendance at a meeting that barred white reporters https://t.co/wmQ10NorLY
— eightbitghost (@eightbitghost) March 28, 2019
When asked, Johnson said he did not know if past meetings had excluded members of the press because of their skin color.
