Auburn City Councilman A.L. Dowdell took up his megaphone Friday night on the steps of the Auburn Police Division to protest and raise awareness of what he says is rampant racism prevalent in Auburn's city government.
"These powers, these old racist chronicles, who are still looking at us (African-American) as second-class citizens, it's not the new whites, it's still those old people who are headed to the pits of Hell," Dowdell said. "If you judge me because I'm black, and if you say that you love the Lord in all of these big churches downtown, there's some of these same Klansman-like people going there, and they really do believe what they are doing is right. We know it's not right, and that's why we're out here. We're out here standing up for what we believe is right."
Speaking to a small crowd, Dowdell touched on several instances of racial profiling in Auburn, specifically relating to the recent naming of Assistant Chief Paul Register as Auburn chief of police. Dowdell said the police department should, at the least, hire a African-American assistant chief to fill Register's vacant position.
"We have been fighting against wrongdoings for more than 30 years, and now we've got a police chief, Chief Dawson, who is one of the best chiefs we've ever had that is going to retire," Dowdell said. "I don't have a problem with (Register). I think he's going to make a good chief. But I believe there are the powers that be: evil forces; racists, working behind the scenes that will not allow him to do the thing that he needs to do and hire a black assistant chief. There is a black captain in position more qualified than Register. He's been to FBI school. He has two degrees. He could easily fill the chief of police position. But they're just waving it off because that good ol' boy system is still here. We will no longer have that in the city of Auburn."
Retired fireman William Felton said African-American firemen are struggling with the same issues that are plaguing the police department. In 1974, Felton, along with another fireman, became the first African-American firefighters hired by the Auburn Fire Department.
"There has not been a black person promoted to lieutenant (in the fire department) without a lawsuit being filed," Felton said. "Every time you file a lawsuit, they'll promote somebody to lieutenant. But no one's ever been promoted without a lawsuit being filed."
Felton said he was promoted after a lawsuit in 1978.
When asked specifically who the evil forces that were preventing African-Americans from rising through the ranks in Auburn city government were, Dowdell said it was all on the backs of the city administration.
"It's the people in the city government. It's some of the people in the administration that are behind the scenes," Dowdell said. "I think the city manager (Charlie Duggan, Jr.) needs to rise up and do his job. I really do believe that this city manager is one of the most lax city managers we've ever had. He allows too much to go on in the city of Auburn; turns his head. He's young."
John Zellars, president of the Lee County chapter of the Alabama New South Coalition, a statewide organization that advocates for justice and social change in the state of Alabama, was also present to show his support for the cause.
"There has to be an attitude change. It has to be done through the mayor, the city council and the people, both black and white, working together to see that Auburn complies with the civil rights laws," Zellars said.
Dowdell added that the NAACP state president has already voiced his support for their cause.
"Like old days, we're going to have rallies with hundreds of people. If they don't change it before school starts, we will protest," Dowdell said. "We're going to go to city hall and we're going to march in these streets. We're going to ask Jesse Jackson and Reverend Sharpton, we know them personally, to come and stand against what we believe is a cancer in the city of Auburn."
Dowdell concluded with a rendition of "We Shall Overcome," sung through his megaphone, and final thoughts for the four in attendance.
"We will fight with every breath in our bodies. We've been fighting for 30 years. We're going to fight until we see equal justice served in this city," Dowdell said.
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