ABC News Questions County Commissioners About Racial Slur on Sign by I-59 in Alabama

Gadsden, AL, August 4, 2008

ABC News Reporter Jeremy Campbell from the ABC affiliate in Anniston, Alabama, attended the Monday morning Etowah County Commissioners meeting, and questioned several of the commissioners as to why the racial slur on a billboard near I-59 was being allowed to remain up.

The slur was painted in green spray paint on a billboard that is seen by thousands of travellers a day heading Northbound through Alabama on I-59.

All six of the commisioners had been notified by Email on Wednesday of last week (July 30th) when the racial slur had first been discovered. Three of the six  commissioners denied any knowledge of the sign and expressed concern as to what it might do to the area and state's image.

Three other of the commisioners were not asked about this by the ABC reporter.

After the meeting the ABC reporter went with this reporter to the site of the sign, and discovered the bottom half, containing the slurs,  had been freshly painted over.

There were deep tire tracks on the side of the hill near the sign where a heavy truck of some sort had pulled up recently.

At this time it is not know who painted over the slur.

The slur is now gone, but the racism within whoever painted the sign remains.

And as the ladder leading up to the sign's platform was left up, this reporter believes the Etowah County Commission will eventually have to deal with racial slurs being painted on the sign again.

As of this writing, the Governor of the State of Alabama Bob Riley has not responded to two emails left for him concerning this matter, and neither has the State's Attorney General Troy King.

The wheels of power turn slow in Alabama, when it comes to insuring equal treatment for all citizens and freedom from fear of racial hatred and injustice.

And at least three elected officials admit to not checking their email in many days, though they are elected to be responsive to the people who elect them.

Reporting from Gadsden, Alabama, with special thanks to Jeremy Campbell and ABC News in Anniston, AL., and with thanks to the Southern Poverty Law Center for their interest in this incident,

I am Will Bevis.

Gadsden, AL