Columbus GA: Local Media Displays Vitriolic Racism When It Comes to Reporting the News

by | Mar 16, 2018 | Opinion | 7 comments

We’ve been seeing it since forever … repeatedly, and time after time again.

We have watched the world’s biggest racists and lynchers get the best treatment possible in the news media, and we’ve seen even VICTIMS of white supremacists get worse treatment than they. But when it comes to a domestic dispute involving a local television anchor in Columbus, GA, the local news media went to NO unhinged stops to report an incident of domestic battery between local anchor, Dee Armstrong, whom they called by a name she is not known by “Ms Perez,” and her son.

Dee Armstrong and Dick McMichael

Columbus (GA) Television Anchor, Dee Armstrong, and veteran retired news producer and anchor, Dick McMichael

They did not take the professional care with Ms Armstrong that they would have even if she had been say, a Dylann Roof, who shot up a church filled with Black churchgoers during a Bible study. The police not only took him out for snacks and treats after the killings, making a sincere statement about how much they gave a damned about those nine Black people who were killed, but the MEDIA displayed his photos as a “young and innocent-looking kid” when he was anything but.

RE: Making the Victim the Criminal

Columbus GA, a small deep southern town with a population of less than 250,000 -known majorly for a hand full of celebrities who came from here and its large military base, Fort Benning- has done its own dirt in its racist ‘heyday.’ But this act of aggression against Ms Armstrong for no real reason was one of the more heinous ones -front and center- in their sordid history of news and information reporting, not the least of which was the long time ago arrest and more recent legalized execution of Carlton Gary, the notable “Stocking Strangler”.

When Ms Armstrong was arrested after what was deemed a domestic dispute with her son, instead of being respectful enough to sort through what must have been HUNDREDS OF STOCK PHOTOS of Ms Armstrong, who has been a beloved television personality in the area for more than 20 years, they decided to run a mugshot -as if she was a worse criminal than Dylann Roof- of her without so much as one of her many beautiful wigs on her head.

Some Low Down Jit

We’ve known for a long time that American news media of all kinds have a vitriolic hatred of Black men and women in their coverage – whether the coverage is about an accused or a victim- but especially of Black women who have been in a dispute of any kind, accused or victim. They go to the ends of the Earth to make us look bad, even when we’ve done nothing wrong but tried to protect our own homes and personalty from invaders.

The local news reported that the incident started when her son, an alleged atheist, was watching motivational videos, and his mother told him he “needed God”. They stated that he told her to “keep her beliefs to herself” and reportedly shoved her against a wall when she hit him to protect herself. Ms Armstrong stated that her son is a martial arts student who could have potentially hurt her.

Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of it all:

Parental Abuse

First of all, a son who has the unmitigated gall to raise his hand to his own mother doesn’t have any business in the home with her and should really just leave.

If you, young man, feel like you have to hit your mother, then get out of her presence and maybe don’t ever come back. In the end, she has a right to say anything she wants to in her house when you are on her turf. Don’t want to hear what your mother has to say? Go home — Out of her home, that is.

You and Your White Man’s “Jesus”

We won’t begin to talk about the many ways that Black men take a lead role in destroying the lives of Black women, but this ‘mother-son jump’ is one of the many.

This kind of thing, parental abuse, is but one of many like-incidents and times where a man allowed his mother to be ‘exposed’ to the at-large community by being abusive toward her. How any man could expose his own mother like that is beyond despicable, but we will just suffice it to say that it’s also a shame when a Black woman is often left with no one and nothing, even when she feels a need to hide her inside life because of her public persona. Yet, the very same Black men who will take everything from her and leave her stripped naked and threadbare, when she doesn’t have anyone else to call on BUT GOD, he will attempt to take that from her, too.

BTW … there ain’t NEVER been a God of any kind in the history of the world who belonged to a white man, or even WAS white. So ALL of you can stop telling that well-storied historical histrionic phantasmagorical lie. Period.

…And The Local News Media Made it Even Worse

Dee Armstrong, or as they referred to her “Ms Perez,” has not done one single solitary thing to the people of Columbus GA but done an OUTSTANDING job as a news anchor and host.

She did not deserve the treatment by the television reports or the Ledger-Enquirer, not over something like this. If her son had managed to kill her, they’d have found a better picture than a mug shot of her without her wig on.

They’ve found better mug shots of terrorists and uni-bombers, and this was not even a deal like SHE killed someone, yet she got treated badly by the local press in one of the worst ways any Black woman can begin to imagine. We, as Black women, have already gone through one hell after another on this Earth and Columbus GA is one of those places that has 3.5 churches on every corner and 99 demons living on the same street with the church, with Black men who do a lot of talking behind a pulpit, but nothing to put those devils on notice out here in the real world. They SAY that’s because the devil is scared to come in the church. Maybe … but the devil also got preachers scared to come OUT.

And worse than that? White people and white-owned media who seem to have no respect for our dignity as Black women, even when WE are the victims of domestic violence, {i.e., they’d NEVER have posted that kind of photo of a white woman, not even if she murdered someone}.

Maybe we shouldn’t make a big deal of a mugshot photo, but IMAGES make all the difference in the world when you are reporting the news, even that uneducated SoS in the White House these days knows that.

The Slants

A perusal of their news reports on crime even shows that purely white males are not notated as “white,” they are labeled as “white/Hispanic.” As if the only people in Columbus committing crimes are Black and Hispanic – rrriiigghhhtt. They also recently called “justice” on Carlton Gary when the white man who got away with the murders of nine of those white female victims of the Stocking Strangler’s rampage, walked away. Everybody knows who did it and who was with Gary at the time, but no one mentions his name unless they are in closed tight quarters of people they know personally. Their race-based “Ol’Boy” execution of Gary didn’t do them a bit of good and didn’t make a dent in the headlines. The only reason they held on to Gary this long is that they knew he wasn’t alone when those crimes were committed. Justice still ain’t been served on that count, because Gary, according to COURT RECORDS in numerous appeals, was tied to two (2) of the murders, not all of them. The rest of the records pulled NO DNA evidence on Gary whatsoever, so whose DNA was on the rest of the women who were murdered?

Yes, the news is the news.

It’s going to get reported no matter who it is or what time of day, but only someone with a severely demented personal issue with Ms Armstrong would have allowed that decrepit mug shot to go into circulation and go viral like that. Someone said in a comment that she is a former cancer victim and survivor, but if she is, it was the first I’ve heard of it; and I remember Dee from before I left Columbus more than 25 years ago.

It was despicable of the media, to say the least, especially since Dee Armstrong -that’s her name, SAY IT– has done such an excellent and phenomenal job of making THEM look good at all times. We’re nearly certain that over the decades, there may have been some ‘insider’ news she could have reported on that would have put them on public display, but to our knowledge, she never has.

Columbus [GA] News Media of all types, that was uncalled for.

You NEED to apologize to Ms Armstrong, and take it down. Now.

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7 Comments

  1. Gail Gardner

    I would like to thank you for writing this article I agree to this article wholeheartedly and I supported 100%. Black women have been domestic violence situations for a long long time even I myself G.Gardner have also, endured a lot of abuse by my ex-spouse and I feel that it’s a shame that someone like him can attack me and Columbus Georgia represents him smelling like a rose and makes me look like I abandon my own City my own family my own things in my own home. I just want to thank Columbus for being biased when it comes to black women doing anything positive thank you for keeping the ignorant men in that City and that state wonderful not all men are. THEIR are wonderful Men, in the city in the state of Georgia.
    Domestic violence and abuse needs to be taken seriously and it needs to be investigated you should never allow anyone to say anything about anybody without facts and Proof! This has been done to me…the same that has been done to Dee Dee is a mother and a community leader the same as I am that I was in that city and state and women like us cannot win one thing you say or you see about us oh so it must be so. please save Dees name she was a mom she still is a mom she didn’t have to have her adult child in that house. NEVER ever young man will you put your mother in the newspaper and bring her down her career fed your BUTT yeah I said it her career fed your BUTT get your BUTT and get your mama and you correct your wrong…and y’all solve this in Your house the courts are not going to help you the courts did not help me the courts or the lawyers of that state does not want to help me fight for things that have been wrong in my life go get your mother the end. Shame on you! And as a Master Martial Artist…I wanted to condole you son for not hitting first…but you did the Worst Thing…YOU PUSHED YOUR MOTHER. AS A MASTER INSTRUCTOR I SIMPLY TURN MY HEAD AWAY FROM YOU..
    ONE DAY, YOU WILL FIND THE GOD THAT SAVES.
    YOUR MOM LOVES THE LORD AND WAS DOING WHAT GOD HAS COMMANDED FOR ALL PARENTS TO DO…IS TO TEACH YOU ABOUT GOD. YOU ARE NOW OR SHOULD BE A MAN LIKE THE PRODICAL SON, U KNOW WHAT IM SAYING BUT U BELONG TO YOUR MOM SON…FIX IT! U CANT FILL HER SHOES. AND I DO REMEMBER WHEN YOUR MOM PUT YOU IN KARATE. Stop the Madness and the shame! Gods grace is sufficient and everlasting!

    Reply
  2. Virginia

    I agree that they should have let her put a wig on, also domestic violence was not that big of a deal. The reason it makes headlines is because she is well known in the area, of course with the freedom of the press they are going to post what they get there hands on. I must say this WAS NOT a race issue, I find it ironic that this is what continues to be thrown up. This is sad to say the least that you must resort to race as usual. Point blank they wrote the story and posted her because she is a known media reporter. To some whom have worked with her know her to be snobby and rude, to each its own. Her son should not have down what he did neither.

    Reply
    • Reneegede

      Domestic violence and bullying is always a big deal. It has cost people their lives. We do NOT downplay domestic violence, even when it comes to elder, spousal, parental, or child abuse, or any other types of abuse. Anyone who would cry over abused animals can manage to squeeze out some tears over abused humans, as well.

      Reply
    • Reneegede

      One would have to know what racism is to know when it is being practiced. If this had been “Melania Trump” or any other white woman, they would never have posted a mugshot, they’d have found a stock photo or something. She could have been a white murder suspect and they wouldn’t have posted a photo like that.

      Neely Fuller: “If you do not understand racism, anything else you seek to understand will only confuse you.”

      The media CONSISTENTLY does this kind of thing to Black women, in particular. She is not a criminal, nor did she do anything wrong by defending herself in her own home, so this was uncalled for. They had thousands of photos they could have used instead of this one.

      Had she NOT been a media personality who was well-known, that may have been the only photo they had; but that was NOT the case with Dee.

      Nothing wrong with her head or her looks btw, it was just despicably racist. As hell.

      Reply
  3. Richard

    Your info does not match the info in the police report. But no matter what it said you were most likely screaming racism as soon as you saw the mugshot. I do feel they could have done with just an article and not that less than flattering picture. Regardless of individuals opinions of her, this woman has been a part of our community and our lives on a near daily basis for a very long time. She has always carried herself with dignity and at least portrayed herself as a very kind and intelligent woman. It’s sad to me that people are combining religion and racism here. I don’t remember hearing about any God who even cared about the color of a person’s skin, only the beliefs that were in their heart. And to the young men of the world, nothing looks more pathetic than calling the police in your mom because she hit you. And this guy is an mma student, but can’t take an alleged punch from his mother? I do want to point out that the police report said his bruise looked fresh after she claimed his mma training may be responsible for that. I’m sorry but bruises don’t appear instantly, they show up and darken with time.
    I do not claim to be a religious person but respect the beliefs of any individual. I’m a white man and do not see this as a race issue, although it does feel disrespectful to this woman. This was not handled correctly. And her son sounds like just another spoiled brat who deserves to have his mom hand out some more discipline.

    Reply
    • Reneegede

      You would have had to be racially disparaged many times over in order to be able to define it. If you are a white man, this would never apply to you anyway. You are not one of us and have not walked where we walked. However, the media portrayals of Black people are always egregiously racist, unless we do our own news, they always have been and always will be. But what sayeth you about the media portrayals of Trayon White Sr., who spoke out publicly about chemtrails and the Rothschilds and they accused him of anti-semitism? The DC councilmember is the one who comes from Semitic origins, so how can he be divided against himself? He said something about the Rothschilds, not about his own people. They are confused in their reporting, and deeply out of their leagues … yet, they reported the news “as if” what Trayon White said was anti-semitic when it was not. It was the truth.

      Reply
  4. Gail Gardner

    I do agree to the racism I don’t care about the racist part. People may say it’s racist due to the fact that this is a African American woman that possesses leadership. What I care about is the fact that the son is violating his mom’s home she’s trying to lead and guide him and he still disrespects her as an adult in her home with the thing that he knows that would hurt her the most and that’s the devil. This child pulled the Imitation of Life moment on his mother the light skin mixed child versus the dark skin mother, that’s what he did to his mother he killed her publicly and he owes her an apology you know and the sad thing is

    Dee is going to always be his mother she’s strong enough to take that punch she’s strong enough to take the hideous hatefulness that’s been distilled inside of this child/adult she’s going to always be his mother and that door like the prodigal son’s father she’s the prodigal mother she will always stand right there waiting on him it’s up to you son.

    see God is using this moment to bring out the darkness to the light it’s not about racism it’s about a mother and her Prodigal Son and his disrespecfulness and his choice to rebell due to THE GOOD LIFE that his mom had to MAKE HAPPEN! THIS IS A HUMBLE AND RESPECTFUL WOMAN OF GOD…. and as far as the MMA thing this man is skilled enough to know professionally how to harm at any point and at any time by using pressure points he should have been able to take those blows or whatever it was it was a simply smack that his mom should have simply been able to do you get worse blows while training MMA I am surprised that your master has not had a hand on you yet from this foolishness grow up and stop trying to kill black women stop hating that this woman is black she’s your mother you don’t harm or hurt your mother add points and X Mama’s do tick you off but it’s not your place to harm her you pray for her that’s all you simply should have did was prayed for her and prayed for yourself and gotten back with your mom and said okay Mom or Mom I cannot that’s it, YOU shouldn’t be in the newspaper stay blessed and yes I’m watching this closely cuz D is a part of my heart and my life and I love this woman as my sister Master gilruth Gardner from Texas.

    Reply

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