The Public Speaks...

Some other members got up to speak before council, but they weren't there to talk about animals. The first guy gave a speech about Harriet Tubman, saying that if she'd been a white male she could've been President, which he followed immediately by noting "and she couldn't even read or write!" Considering the smarts on our present President, I guess he's right: you don't have to know how to read and write, being a white male helps though.

One guy made an impassioned plea for help with cleaning up historic Linwood Cemetery. He also railed on the "so-called black folks who will dress up in their Afro-centric clothes and wear their kufis" but won't come volunteer to clean up Linwood.

And Mathis Moore, a self-professed schizophrenic, tried to talk about police harassment but was cloudy and confused. When his speech was cut short by the five minute limit, he politely asked if he could say one more thing. In a moment of compassion, council president Miriam Paris nodded, and Mr. Moore said, "I also direct movies." He was gaveled quiet. (The point is not to make fun of the mentally ill, but to illustrate the variety of interesting moments that take place at a City Council meeting.)

As far as the public comments go, no moment was more entertaining than the speech given by Howie Handsel. According to his repeated testimony, Mr. Handsel was once a reporter for Fox24 in Macon (though he has no official connection to them now), but following several unfortunate incidents, he relocated to Miami for a time. After dealing with family tragedy, he returned to Macon determined to make a name for himself, though he claims his name is still big enough that he can trade on it. His efforts have mostly been centered around a promotions company that he calls The 4 Godfathers. Their goal is to "revolutionize" the Macon nightlife. You can see his videos on YouTube on the 4 Godfathers Channel. They are quite entertaining.

Handsel was at Macon City Council to speak out against alleged police abuse he suffered at the hands of Macon Police Officers as they arrested him outside of Coasters. These videos tell his story best. Enjoy.