The Downtown Statesboro Development Authority canceled its remaining First Friday events one day after publicly announcing an apology for the infringement on the First Amendment rights of individuals affiliated with a local organization.
The announcement, made on the DSDA Facebook page Friday, follows a settlement reached by the Bulloch Action Coalition (BAC), a 501(c)4 organization, and the DSDA, which is a government entity, just days prior. As part of the settlement, the DSDA agreed to pay BAC, Lawton Sack, and Cassandra Mikell a sum total of $80,000 and issue a public apology for its role in previously prohibiting BAC from participating in First Friday events.
At issue was the fact that the DSDA said it would no longer be allowing certain types of speech at the event, but after barring BAC from participating, the DSDA continued to allow other individuals and organizations of a similar purpose to participate. BAC, Sack, and Mikell retained legal counsel and prevailed in obtaining both a settlement and a public apology. Though the DSDA is funded by tax dollars, the settlement comes from an insurance policy.
On Thursday, the DSDA wrote:
“During our efforts to welcome everyone to Downtown Statesboro and to support the many incredible restaurants, shops, and other businesses located there, the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority has hosted the First Friday event series since 2009. During the March 2024 and April 2024 First Friday events, the DSDA wrongly prohibited Bulloch Action Coalition, and its principles Cassandra Mikell and Lawton Sack, from participating as vendors. The DSDA regrets that this occurred, and intends to implement appropriate written policies for future events to ensure that the rights and freedoms of all citizens in our community are respected as we continue to support Downtown Statesboro.”
But Friday, the DSDA cited ‘recently threatened legal action between the DSDA and the Bulloch Action Coalition’ as the reason for canceling the events.
