Violation of Citizens 1st Amendment Rights Places
DeKalb County in National News
By Viola Davis, July 11, 2016

Memorial Day gives honor to our fallen soldiers that risk their all to protect our Constitutional rights against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Who would ever guess that DeKalb County would make national news for violating one of the most important Constitutional rights of them all, the 1st Amendment (Freedom of Speech).

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners in Georgia instituted a new rule prohibiting citizens from using the names of commissioners during the public comment portion of the county meeting.

This rule carried little weight with Ruby Bozeman Davis, co-founder of the Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter ministry. Davis appeared at the May 10th Board of Commissioners meeting to speak during the public comment to simply state the board members’ names. Her first attempt to call the name of the Presiding Officer, Commissioner Larry Johnson, was met with an episode of chastisement.

The interaction was televised throughout our nation, particularly on CBS stations and made national news to include:

1. Conservative Tribune article titled, “County Leaders Get Brutal Surprise After Ordering Voter to Keep Their Names Secret” at link -http://conservativetribune.com/county-leaders-names-secret/

2. The Blaze.com article titled, “County Commissioners Prohibit Citizens From Saying Officials’ Names During Public Meetings — the New Rule Doesn’t Go Over Well” with 673 shares – http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/05/18/county-commissioners-prohibit-citizens-from-saying-officials-names-during-public-meetings-the-new-rule-doesnt-go-over-well/#

Taxpayer Ruby Davis told WGCL-TV, “That’s my First Amendment right of freedom of speech.”

DeKalb Co. commissioners ask for names not to be mentioned at public meeting. @MurphyCBS46 > http://bit.ly/1qsrcZ6

By Adam Murphy
✔‎@MurphyCBS46

Taxpayers blast #DeKalb commissioners for prohibiting them from mentioning their names during public comment.@cbs46
9:49 AM – 17 May 2016

“They forget that they’re supposed to work for the taxpayers,” Davis said. “They believe the taxpayers work for them.”
“You’re getting an ethics complaint, each of you, on violation of our freedom of speech,” said taxpayer Jerry Jackson.

During a meeting, taxpayer Jeff Long noted that “the county’s own written comment policy does not address using a commissioner’s name during public comment time.”

“If you don’t want your name mentioned during public comment time, then stop doing outrageous, offensive, illegal and, quite frankly, stupid things,” Long said.

Also during a recent meeting, taxpayer Beth Long said, “With this rule, the message that you’re sending to us the public is that you hold yourselves above our constitutional rights,” adding, “We the public are the ones who put you in those seats.”

(Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton Picture)

WGCL noted that one of the commissioners — Sharon Barnes Sutton — found a creative way to avoid hearing her name at the meeting: She arrived two hours late.

Read entire article and view the video at the link:

http://www.cbs46.com/story/31999475/dekalb-county-commissioners-ask-for-names-not-to-be-mentioned-at-public-meeting

http://www.cbs46.com/story/32329960/70-million-allegedly-missing-dekalb-taxpayers-demand-audit

CBS46 News

April 22, 2016

Viola Davis and Ruby Bozeman Davis
Founders of Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter
909 Rays Road
Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083

Jennifer Ffrench Parker and Curtis Parker
Crossroads Newspaper
2346 Candler Road
Decatur, Georgia 30032

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Parker:

We wanted to take a moment to extend our most sincere thanks for choosing us to receive the CrossroadsNews 2016 Community Kudos Award. We are writing to express our sincere gratitude to you for a memorable and wonderful evening that will stay with us forever. You have no idea how happy you made us when you handed us the award.

We are truly humbled and honored you recognized us with your “Making a Difference Award with Dedicated Service”. Once again, we are very grateful for this reward, which is an excellent morale-booster that will encourage us to continue doing our community ministry work. We are also very appreciative to everyone who helped you make the gala a “must attend” yearly event.

Yours sincerely,

Viola Davis
Co-Founder

March 4, 2016

Viola Davis and Ruby Bozeman Davis
Founders of Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter
909 Rays Road
Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083

Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Crossroads Newspaper
2346 Candler Road
Decatur, Georgia 30032

Dear Mrs. Parker:

We are writing this letter to let you know that we have received your notification that we are one of the 2016 Community Kudos Awards Gala Honorees. We are very pleased and grateful to accept the award. We are honored you are recognizing us with your “Making A Difference Award”.

We are very grateful for this reward, which is an excellent morale-booster that will encourage us to continue doing our community ministry work. We are also very appreciative of those who recommended us to you and for the time and effort you have put into this yearly award process.

Yours sincerely,

Viola Davis
Co-Founder

For More Information on Tickets, Please visit: http://tinyurl.com/2016KudosGala
or call 404-284-1888

CRN honorees_w (1)

Memo
To: Chairman John Ernst, DeKalb Board of Ethics, Interim CEO Lee May, Executive Assistant, Zach Williams, District Attorney, Robert James, Lori Dennis, Travis Cherry, Scott Callan, Morris Williams, Commissioners Chief of Staff and Barbara Sanders, Clerk of the CEO and Commission
From: Viola Davis
cc:
Office of the State and Federal Inspector Generals, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sally Quillian Yates, DeKalb Board of Commissioners, Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter, CTEA, Restore DeKalb and all Appropriate Parties.
Date: July 10, 2014

Re:
Documentation of Monica Parrott’s Open Records Request for Official Government Information Regarding Commissioner Kathie Gannon’s Ethics Complaint

Documentation of Monica Parrott’s Open Records Request for Official Government Information regarding Commissioner Kathie Gannon’s Ethics Complaint

Pursuant to the Georgia Open Records Law (O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 et seq.)(The Law) and/or Freedom of Information Act, copying: all files, records, and other documents of Monica Parrott’s Open Records Request for Official Government Information regarding Commissioner Kathie Gannon’s Ethics Complaint to include:

1. Parrott’s Open Records Request for Bank of America records with Lori Dennis’ name at the top and dated:
a. October 05, 2012 – November 04, 2012 (Page 28 of 30)
b. December 05, 2012 – January 04, 2013 (Page 15 of 16)
c. February 05, 2013 – March 04, 2013 (Page 25 of 26)

2. Parrott’s Open Records Request for Bank of America records with Travis Cherry’s name at the top and dated:
a. April 05, 2013 – May 04, 2013 (Page 27 of 30)
b. May 05, 2013 – June 04, 2013 (Page 31 of 32)
c. November 05, 2013 – December 04, 2013 (Page 15 of 16)
d. July 05, 2013 – August 04, 2013 (Page 28 of 30)
e. December 05, 2013 – January 04, 2014 (page 14 of 16)

3. Parrott’s Open Records Request to the finance department for copies of the Bank of America Bank Statements and documents quoted concerning Commissioner Kathie Gannon’s payments to nonprofits for “kickbacks”.

4. Parrott’s Open Records Request to Purchasing and Contracting for financial information regarding Commissioner Gannon’s Ethics Complaint.

It is important to increase transparency, ethics, and accountability in DeKalb County Government. It is paramount that we increase “Public Trust” in DeKalb County. We must hold our elected officials and their staff accountable.

DeKalb County government (legislative and administrative) must be investigated to assess if any government resources, staff, finances, etc. were used to assist Monica Parrott in filing the ethics complaint. We must verify the following:
• Did Monica Parrott receive any assistance in compiling the ethics complaint against Commissioner Kathie Gannon from elected officials and/or government officials/staff?

• Did Monica Parrott obtain the information provided in the ethics complaint through the help of elected officials and/or government officials/staff to intimidate, humiliate, and retaliate, etc. against private citizens?

Monica Parrott’s ethics complaint against Commissioner Kathie Gannon contain false statements that are libelous and defamatory. We request the opportunity to subpoena Parrott to give a sworn deposition concerning the accusations stated as fact in her ethics complaint. We are particularly interested in the involvement of a third party or parties in these malicious statements.

The statements involving Viola Davis and the Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter ministry involve:
• Defamation of character
• False accusations with total disregard of research
• Intention to defile our reputation of respect, adhering to high ethical standards, honesty and integrity
• Reckless disregard for the truth

We have proof of the following facts to correct the libelous and defamatory statements made in Kathie Gannon’s ethics complaint by Monica Parrott to include:

• Commissioner Kathie Gannon has not paid Viola Davis and/or Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter “one penny” in money or any other in-kind financial support…period.

• Viola Davis and/or Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter has never received illegal financial support of any kind to include “kickbacks” from Commissioner Gannon or any other party.

• Viola Davis, co-founder of Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter, is not presently a member of PRISM due to the lack of payment of membership dues for over 1+ years. However, Davis thanks Monica Parrott for reminding her to renew her membership.

• Viola Davis is not part of a nonprofit “whose 501 (c) (3) status has been revoked by the IRS for non-compliance with its reporting requirement”.

• Viola Davis and the Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter ministry are not political operatives of Commissioner Kathie Gannon or any other elected official.

• Viola Davis is a critical care registered nurse (License number – RN101605 issued 9/18/1991) with over 20+ years’ experience in MICU, SICU, and CCU. As a Veteran with an honorable discharge from the military, I, Viola Davis, am a commissioned officer trained in combat nursing. The statement, “questionable income” is libelous and defamatory especially since Monica Parrott continuously references illegal activity throughout the ethics complaint.

• Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter, Inc. was registered with Georgia Secretary of State on 4/19/2002. On April 21, 2004, a U.S. federal trademark registration (serial number 78405400) was filed for Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter. We have spent over 12 years earning the respect of the community. We are known for our research, advocacy, and educating the public on serious social and political issues. We are a government watchdog organization/ministry. We analyze the manner in which taxpayer funds are spent and disseminate the results to the public with the purpose of encouraging fiduciary responsibility amongst elected officials. (View the Link)

A federal complaint was filed by Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter with the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, Office of the Inspector General, United State Attorney General and the Department of Revenue on September 2013:

Ethics complaints were filed against Kelvin Walton, Nina Hall, Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton and Judy Brownlee:

We also recently attended a meeting with the offices of the federal and state Inspector Generals. We requested information/documents on protection for witnesses and government employees with knowledge of illegal activity, wrongdoing, waste, mismanagement, abuse, etc. We have an obligation to educate the public and government employees who fear acts of intimidation and retaliation.

We’re afraid this ethics complaint filed by Monica Parrott is an example of retaliation for attempting to hold our elected officials and government agencies accountable. The libelous and defamatory statements within the ethics complaint are acts of retaliation.

We request a full investigation into the method that Monica Parrott obtained her information if no Open Records Request was ever filed. Once again, we view such acts as retaliation.

If this request is denied in whole or in part, we ask that you cite in writing the specific statutory exemption upon which you have relied, as required by law, we also ask that you release all separate portions of otherwise exempt material. Please waive any costs associated with this request, or first inform us about such costs as required by Georgia Law.

As you know, the Law requires a response by you within three business days of your receipt of this Open Records Request and provides sanctions for non-compliance. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be reached at 770-256-0034 or via email at UnhappyTaxpayers@gmail.com.
Sincerely,

Viola Davis
Community Missionary

Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter Presentation – Who Are We