Delaware NAACP calls out Georgetown Town Council at Return Day
GEORGETOWN, Del. – Not all were in the mood to celebrate at Return Day – the Central Delaware NAACP was there protesting town government over the confederate flag in Georgetown.
This comes on the heels of months of controversy over the confederate flag that flies at the Marvel Museum in Georgetown. Town council voted to approve funding for repairs at the museum, a move that outraged civil rights groups across the state.
Fleur McKendell, president of the Central Delaware NAACP, was at Return Day with a sign calling out council and demanding action. The sign read: “The Confederate Flag Stands for HATE & RACISM”
“Marvel Carriage Museum is providing one of the carriages in today’s parade, and they actually have the flag waved on their property, the Georgetown Historical Society, and we are here today to say that flag needs to come down, to take a stand against the three council members that supported the waving of that flag,” Fleur McKendell told our Rob Petree on the Circle in Georgetown.
The condemnation comes after a check, for more than $24,000, was delivered to the Georgetown Historical Society, which runs the museum. That check was voided by Georgetown Mayor Bill West after learning that no formal committee process was established prior to the vote that approved the funding back in July.
After Mayor West voided the check, three council members, Angela Townsend, Sue Barlow, and Penuel Barrett, pushed ahead with that funding, meeting outside of council chambers to deliver a new check to the historical society last month. It was that move that violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request through open meeting requirements.
“We are taking a stand and pushing back against the three Georgetown council members who supported the waving of that flag,” McKendell said as she named the council members. “Sue Barlow, Angela Townsend, and Penuel Barrett.”
McKendell and others, including the Lower Sussex NAACP, addressed council and delivered a presentation where they explained how the confederate flag is hurtful and why it should be taken down, despite their efforts however, those same three council members doubled down on their decision to fund the museum.
Deputy Attorney General Dorey L. Cole issued a response back in September to a FOIA request that was filed by the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice. In that response, it stated that the Town of Georgetown violated the FOIA when the three council members violated open meeting requirements:
‘We find that a quorum of the Town Council violated the open meeting requirements by privately discussing and taking action on the Georgetown Historical Society’s grant check without complying with the open meeting requirements.’
Council ultimately voted to approve the funding again by a three to two vote, which Mayor West and Councilwoman Christina Diaz-Malone voted against.
“I guess we’ll see everybody in court,” Mayor West said following the vote.
In an interview in September, Mayor West called on the three council members to step down following the response that was issued by the AG’s Office.
“To me, I think this is just about criminal,” Mayor West told 47 ABC’s Rob Petree. “I’m hurt to realize that we’ve got three council members that are trying to run the town and make decisions outside of open government. They violated code-of-conduct. To me, they can’t be trusted anymore. They’ve gone behind our back, done secret meetings, and done things they’re not supposed to do, and they can’t be trusted anymore.”
Mayor West now wants to see an ethics investigation conducted by the state: “instead of our own ethics committee, I’d think it needs to be investigated by the state because we can’t let our towns people who are on the committee have to go through all this nonsense that’s gonna be brought out.”
As of this time, none of the three council members, or the Georgetown Historical Society, have responded to our repeated calls and requests for comment.
