Elaine Brown bounced off ballot by Confederates, et al
GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org
For Immediate Release:
Friday, November 4, 2005
Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805,
starlene@greens.org
Anita D. Collins, Elaine Brown Campaign Manager,
912-262-9811
GREENS DENOUNCE COURT RULING UPHOLDING ELAINE
BROWN’S REMOVAL FROM BALLOT IN MAYORAL RACE IN
BRUNSWICK, GA., SEE ELECTION FRAUD
Challenges against Brown’s residency were filed
by two individuals who admiittedly don’t know Ms.
Brown or where she lived.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Green Party leaders condemned
a court decision upholding the removal of Elaine
Brown from the ballot and from voter rolls in the
November 8 election for Mayor of Brunswick,
Georgia, and charged that Ms. Brown’s
disqualification by challengers in an attempt to
crush the right of Brunswick’s African American
voters to vote for someone who represents their
interests.
Greens are encouraging Brunswick voters to elect
two other candidates on the ballot in Brunswick,
Gladys Lyde and James Brooks, who are running for
City Commission seats.
“Republicans and their friends on court benches
have proven that they will stop at nothing to
remove competition and to fix elections,” said
Gwen Wages, co-chair of the Green Party of the
United States. “We saw it in the presidential
elections in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004,
and we see it now in a local race in Brunswick.”
The court dismissed Ms. Brown’s challenge to a
decision by the Glynn County Board of Elections
to remove her because it claimed she had not
sufficiently established residency in Brunswick a
year before the election, even though she had
registered to vote in Brunswick more than a year
before November 8, based on false claims made by
two challengers who admittedly didn’t know Ms.
Brown or where she lived. One of the challengers
against Ms. Brown is a close friend of the
current mayor, Brad Brown, a Lieutenant Colonel
in the Sons of Confederate Veterans; the
challenger’s wife is a reenactor for same
organization. Both challengers are supporters of
the Republican candidate and were represented by
the same attorney.
“The message of the decision is that elections in
Brunswick aren’t open to third party candidates,
or to African American candidates,” said Sundiata
Tellem, co-chair of the Black Caucus of the Green
Party. Ms. Brown would have been the first
African American mayor of Brunswick, a majority
African American city.
Greens called the ruling a blow to the citizens
of Brunswick, especially to those who signed Ms.
Brown’s petition to get on the ballot, to the
thousands of African American voters who planned
to vote for the first time because of the Brown
campaign, and to their right to a choice of
candidates on the ballot. Ms. Brown is continuing
to appeal the Board’s decision in the courts and
on the streets.
“Elaine Brown is running against the forced
displacement of thousands of low-income African
American residents of Brunswick under Blueprint
Brunswick, a monster development scheme,” said
Jody Grage Haug, co-chair of the Green Party of
the United States. “Bryan Thompson, the CEO and
president of Blueprint Brunswick, is the
Republican candidate in the mayoral race. Thanks
to the decision of the Elections Board and the
court’s affirmation of the decision, this is now
a stolen election.”
MORE INFORMATION
Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
Elaine Brown for Mayor of Brunswick, Georgia
http://www.elainebrown.org
2802 Altama Avenue, Suite B, Brunswick, GA 31520
Telephone 912-262-9811
Facsimile 912-262-9813
Georgia Green Party http://www.greens.org/georgia
“Green Party Vows Support as Elaine Brown Fights
Disqualification”
Press release, October 19, 2005
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_10_19.shtml
Stan:
Good news!
Friends of Elaine Brown for Mayor of Brunswick,
Georgia
http://www.elainebrown.org
2802 Altama Avenue, Suite B
Brunswick, Georgia 31520
912-262-9811 (Telephone)
912-262-9813 (Facsimile)
November 7, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anita D. Collins, Campaign Manager,
912-262-9811
(Brunswick, Georgia)
ELAINE BROWN WINS FEDERAL COURT DECISION!
COURT ORDERS BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO COUNT WRITE-IN
VOTES FOR ELAINE BROWN
In Federal Court today, Judge Anthony Alaimo
ordered the Glynn County Board of Elections to
count the write-in votes for mayoral candidate
Elaine Brown.
Elaine had been disqualified as a candidate by
the Board of Elections last month and removed
from the ballot. The Glynn County Superior Court
had upheld the Board’s decision.
However, in the United States District Court
today, Judge Alaimo ruled that write-in votes for
Elaine had to be counted pending a trial on the
merits.
While this ruling does not address the Advance
9 November 2005, 4:05 pmVoting period, where more than 300 voters were
told their votes for Elaine would not count,
Elaine will contest the outcome of the election.
Brunswick Voter:
Today is the day after the election and the people have spoken.
After months of words, campaigning, legal actions, court room drama, death threats, marches in the streets, heated exchanges, 5 day 24 hour candle prayer vigil and yes even violence; the citizens of the City Of Brunswick finally got the chance to voice their opinion and their feelings toward Elaine Brown by exercising their right to vote and loudly saying NO to Elaine Brown as Mayor of Brunswick.
After the polls closed and the votes were counted, Bryan Thompson won the Mayoral seat with 63.84%. Otis Herrington, the only other black Mayoral Candidate besides Elaine Brown received 17.15% of the votes. Out of the over 16,000 residents that live in the City Of Brunswick, Elaine Brown received almost 1.5%. What that tells me is 98.5% of the residents said NO to Elaine Brown as their Mayor.
Elaine Brown has already told the press that she will contest the election. To me, when Elaine Brown continues to claim she is the People’s Mayor, maybe one day she will realize that 98.5% of the people spoke, NO SHOUTED, that they do not want her as their Mayor.
But Elaine Brown does have a right to continue filing complaint after complaint in court and by the looks of things this legal battle may go on for months if not years.
9 November 2005, 5:07 pmStan:
What a victory for stars-and-bars white nationalism! … Minister Bob.
Congrats!
9 November 2005, 6:22 pmJosiah:
Yeah, it seems like there’s four categories ex-Black Panthers fall into:
1) Killed by the cops (like Bobby Hutton, Mark Clark, Fred Hampton, George Jackson, Alex Rackley, Nathaniel Clark, Arthur Morris, John Huggins, Alprentice Carpenter, Sylvester Bell, John Savage, Franko Diggs, Larry Roberson, Stephen Bartholomew, Robert Lawrence, Terence Lewis, Walter Pope, Welston Armstead, Spurgeon Winters, and several untold others).
2) Still in jail without parole (like Sundiata Acoli, Robert Seth Hays, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Sekou Odinga, Sekou Kambui, Russel Shoats, John Bowman, Robert Seth Hayes and untold others).
3) In exile: (like Don Cox, Assata Shakur, Pete O’Neal, Kathleen Cleaver, and others).
4) Discredited in the mainstream (Angela Davis, Geronimo Pratt, Saeed Ahmed, and now Elaine Brown).
Meanwhile, ex-KKK Grand Wizard Robert Byrd has been serving in the senate for 47 years. God forbid Elaine Brown be elected mayor in Brunswick, Georgia.
9 November 2005, 11:16 pmCathy Browning:
Dear Brunswick Voter:
I live here too, and I never heard of any death threats or violence. Not sure where you are getting your information.
Faced with the prospect of a progressive black woman becoming mayor was way too much for those that want to tear this city apart and repeat the historical nation-wide dispossession of those living at or below the poverty level.
Let me remind you that 70% of the residents are black and do not want to suffer the consequences of redevelopment and gentrification because these plans certainly don’t include THEM.
Please note that out of 16,000 residents, only approximately 7,500 are REGISTERED VOTERS. So, your 98.5% is dead wrong.
In case you had not been following the campaign, the Glynn County Board of Elections disqualified her as a candidate and voter on October 14th. This was done with no evidence and was in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the U.S. Constitution, and the Official Code of Georgia.
The decision came after 5 p.m. and without taking a vote of the Board, it was decided they would remove Brown from the ballot. They had the ballots reprinted over the weekend in time to send out the Absentee Ballot on Oct. 18.
The opposition, including power brokers and developers from Sea Island and beyond continued with their “plan to get Brown off the ballot” when Senior Superior Court Judge Pope upheld the Board’s decision.
Without a name on the ballot and newspaper coverage that votes for her would not count, voters were disenfranchised.
One day before the election, Brown filed a petition in federal court. Judge Alaimo ruled that the Board had to preserve a record of her write-ins pending a trial on the merits of her case.
The Board of Elections was not expecting this and voiced their opinions in print.
On Election Day, Brown’s name was not on the list of write-ins.
So this “illusion of democracy” you obviously are touting is bullshit.
Poll Watchers have already reported misconduct at every city precinct and the election will probably be contested based on this, while Brown pursues her case in the courts.
When the law is selectively used by local election boards, judges, state election divisions, and any others—you have the right to seek justice in all courts, including the federal Supreme Court.
So, if you are dismayed that Brown is exercising her rights and continuing her case in the courts, then I suggest you think again.
None of us should be content with this “managed democracy.”
13 November 2005, 11:48 amCathy Browning:
FRIENDS OF ELAINE BROWN FOR MAYOR
139 Altama Connector, #107
Brunswick, Georgia 31525
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 10, 2005
CONTACT: 912-262-9811
THE FIGHT CONTINUES!
Even though the racist, Republican-backed opposition to Elaine Brown’s campaign for mayor of Brunswick, Georgia, succeeded in removing her name from the November 8th ballot–AND taking away her right to vote!—a federal court judge, at the 11th hour, on November 7th, ruled the local Board of Elections had to count her votes! IN OTHER WORDS, ELAINE HAD ONLY HOURS TO MOUNT ANOTHER CAMPAIGN TO CONVINCE BLACKS THEIR VOTES FOR HER WOULD NOW BE COUNTED.
By then, of course, the majority black population of Brunswick, slated to vote for Elaine and make her the City’s first black mayor, had already sat out the five-day advance voting period and really didn’t know or believe they could vote for Elaine on Election Day. Her name was still not on the ballot. So, black voter turnout was low, and the Republican-backed candidate was declared the winner.
ELAINE IS GOING BACK TO FEDERAL COURT! She will
· challenge the election results
· contest the election on grounds of gross
misconduct and fraud
· get her name back on the voter rolls
· demand a new and fair election
ELAINE’S CAMPAIGN STILL NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Contributions can be sent electronically via Elaine’s Website, http://www.elainebrown.org, or by mail to: Friends of Elaine Brown for Mayor, 139 Altama Connector, #107, Brunswick, Georgia 31525. For more information, call: 912-262-9811.
13 November 2005, 7:46 pm# # # # #
Brunswick Reporter:
The Brunswick lawsuits continue. Georgia Green Party leader and Political Activist, Rev Zack Lyde, has filed a lawsuit along with Georgia Green Party Brunswick Mayoral Candidate Elaine Brown to contest the Nov 8 election. Gladys Martin-Lyde, Georgia Green Party Brunswick City Council Candidate and the wife of Zack Lyde, continues her lawsuits challenging the Nov 8 Election and the candidacy of her opponent, City Council candidate Cornell Harvey. These two are embroiled in a Runoff Election set for Dec. 6.
Now another Georgia Green Party leader, Green Party State Senate Candidate and brother of Zack Lyde, is under indictment.
Best of luck to the Lyde Family, Elaine Brown and the Georgia Green Party in fighting all these lawsuits in Brunswick, Georgia.
Man faces molestation indictment
Fri, Nov 18, 2005
By JACK MORSE
The Brunswick News
A Glynn County man who once ran for the state House of Representatives was indicted Wednesday on two counts of aggravated child molestation and two counts of child molestation.
The September term of the Glynn County Grand Jury indicted Harry T. Lyde Jr. of Glynn County on the four counts, three involving the same alleged victim.
Under Georgia law, aggravated child molestation involves physical injury to a victim or sodomy. The indictment of Lyde alleges sodomy.
The indictment said the alleged events took place on or before Dec. 28, 2003. Both alleged victims were under the age of 16 at the time of the alleged offenses, according to the indictment.
When contacted Thursday by The News at a cell phone with a north Georgia area code, Lyde said he was unaware of the indictment and said the allegations surprised him. The indictment listed no address for Lyde.
Ladell Jackson, a Glynn County Police Department detective who is conducting the investigation, said Lyde was made aware of the allegations in October 2004, when the investigation began.
Jackson said an alleged victim made the allegations at that time after first relating them to a friend of the family.
He said the two then went to the police department, giving officers a reason to investigate the allegations against Lyde.
Jackson said it is common for an investigation to take more than a year. He said the investigation of the allegations against Lyde is ongoing.
In the 2002 race for state representative, Lyde, a Green Party candidate, waged a failed campaign against incumbent state Rep. Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons Island.
The story can be found at http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/front/284737230722384.php
19 November 2005, 8:27 amStan:
Brunswick “Reporter”
What is the purpose of this post? Why exactly is this posted in relation to Elaine Brown?
I leave it up only as a warning. There will be no more posts on THIS blog that attempt inferential character assassinations.
Pretty slimy.
19 November 2005, 9:03 amCathy Brownin:
Friends of Elaine Brown for Mayor of Brunswick, Georgia
139 Altama Connector, #107
Brunswick, Georgia 31525
912-262-9811 (Telephone) · 912-262-9813 (Facsimile)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2005
CONTACT: Cathy Browning, 912-996-6523
(Brunswick, Georgia)
MAYORAL ELECTION TO BE CONTESTED
Former candidate for mayor Elaine Brown has filed a Petition in Glynn County Superior Court contesting the result of the mayoral election of November 8, 2005. The Affidavits of poll watchers and monitors attest to misconduct, fraud and irregularity in the conduct of the election and place the results in doubt.
Brown states that despite the Order by U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Alaimo, the Glynn County Board of Elections did not “preserve and tally†her write-in votes. Brown also charges that her name was illegally removed from the ballot. She has notified the two other mayoral candidates, Betsy Bean and Otis Herrington, of her contest of the election.
Bryan Thompson Ineligible to Hold Office
Relatedly, Brunswick activist Zack Lyde filed an additional contest on the same grounds as Brown.
Brown also contests the election on the grounds that Bryan Thompson is not eligible to hold office because he is CEO of Blueprint Brunswick, Inc., which receives City funding. Under the legal doctrine of “incompatible offices,†it is illegal for a person to be an official of a government that funds his own company.
# # # # #
20 November 2005, 4:18 pmCathy Browning:
It seems our “Brunswick Voter” has resulted to posting slanderous news articles ! This action is the last gasp for this voter…he either doesn’t care or doesn’t understand the facts posted to discredit his ramblings.
Now, he thinks posting an article about an “alleged” crime by someone else somehow justifies his statements about Elaine Brown.
You are not only petty, but a creep with too much time on your hands ! GET A LIFE ! Go feed the hungry in your community…do SOMETHING other than this !
20 November 2005, 4:32 pmcathy lee:
Updated story from The Brunswick News on the Elaine Brown Lawsuit.
Suit seeks to null vote
Sat, Nov 19, 2005
Ousted mayoral candidate goes to state court
By KEITH LAING
The Brunswick News
Brunswick mayor-elect Bryan Thompson was able to fend off opponents Otis Herrington and Betsy Bean in last week’s municipal election, but he is still being challenged by Elaine Brown.
Brown, a mayoral candidate until the Glynn County Board of Elections removed her from the ballot because she did not meet a one-year residency requirement, has filed suit in Glynn County Superior Court, contesting the results of the Nov. 8 vote and asking that a new election be held.
Brown based her request on her claims that Thompson, as president of the non-profit development group Blueprint Brunswick which has received money from the city, holds an incompatible office and that the elections board improperly removed her from the ballot.
Zack Lyde, a supporter of Brown’s failed campaign, filed a similar action.
Elections board chair Patricia Gibson said Friday she is confident the results of the election will stand, while Brown said that although she was not sure how a court would rule, but felt compelled to make her case.
“I’m not sure how far it will go, but there are a lot of people in despair (over the election result), so I want to let the challenge play itself out,” she said.
Brown, a former national president of the Black Panther party, reiterated her claim that Thompson cannot be both mayor and Blueprint Brunswick president because the organization received initial funding from the county and city and because it reserves positions on its board of directors for the mayor and the chair of the county commission.
Thompson declined to comment Friday on Brown’s action, but has previously said through his attorney that there is no conflict between his public and private roles because Blueprint Brunswick is a non-govermental agency and the mayor can appoint another commissioner to its board of directors.
The debate on whether of not the positions conflict is not new. It became an issue in the hotly contested mayoral race, with both Brown and Bean raising it regularly at candidate forums. In September, Bean challenged Thompson’s qualification by the elections board to be a candidate, but the board found that no conflict existed.
Thompson’s attorney, Austin Catts, said that the fact that ruling was not challenged should have been sufficient in answering it.
“The issue has been fully heard by the board of elections and no challenge had been made,” he said. “I realize that Ms. Brown was not party to it, but the issue has been fully aired.”
Catts pointed to Thompson’s margin of victory as evidence of his qualification to hold the mayoral position.
“The voters of Brunswick have elected Mr. Thompson by a sweeping majority, (so) we believe this challenge has no merit,” he said Friday of the action Brown filed Tuesday.
Thompson received nearly 64 percent of the more than 1,900 votes cast in the citywide election.
No date has been set for a hearing or ruling on Brown’s challenge.
20 November 2005, 4:44 pmcathy lee:
Update to this story. The Green Party has issued a statement about Otis Herrington and Gladys Martin-Lyde, two candidates they mention as running on the Green Party in their Press Release.
Green Party Victories in 2005
from the Gree Party Website
http://www.gp.org
Updated 12.02.2005
CORRECTION: GP.org previously listed James Brooks and Gladys Lyde as Green Party candidates for Brunswick, GA City Commission. Neither candidate ran on the Green Party ticket. We apologize for the error.
Thank you to the Green Party for setting the record straight that neither Otis Herrington or Gladys Martin-Lyde were running under the Green Party banner. Now we await the Green Party to admit that Elaine Brown was not running under the Green Party banner either.
In fact none of the candidates were listed as running under any party banner.
3 December 2005, 11:15 amTyronne:
UPDATE on the election contest filed by Elaine Brown.
The case was set for Dec 1 and Elaine Brown won her motion for a continuance until Dec 19. Now that Dec 19 is next week, the word around Brunswick is that Elaine Brown and Zack Lyde decided at the last minute to drop their contests of election lawsuit. Yes they both filed a lawsuit.
The truth of the matter won out. Elaine Brown was not a legal resident of Brunswick for at least 12 months and could not run for office. Otherwise she would of continued to fight this case if she felt in her heart that she was within the law.
Is the matter done? Only Elaine Brown and her friends know.
A counter suit against Elaine Brown is still pending.
16 December 2005, 5:58 pm