Conspiracy, harassment, discrimination and intimidation. All of these are words contained in one complaint by a Port Wentworth councilwoman.
“I would like to file charges for racial discrimination and sexual harassment against the City of Port Wentworth.”
Just the beginning of the complaint filed by Debbie Johnson.
It stems from a “upskirt” picture posted by someone on Facebook that Johnson says was taken by a council member during a closed Executive Session.
Johnson says that photo is “exposing between my
legs”.
Johnson claims its been part of a “conspiracy” to publicly humilate, discriminate, threaten and politically intimidate her to make her resign her seat.
Johnson claims its been part of a “conspiracy” and “white men” using “political trickery” to “discredit her reputation as a woman”.
Port Wentworth Mayor Glenn Jones, who is one of the 10 people accused in the complaint, admits he’s seen the picture. He calls the invasion of privacy “sickening”.
Jones added that while he and Johnson don’t see eye to eye politically, he is appalled and does ‘not” condone it.
But Jones denies any connection to the picture, adding “Me and my god know that i did not take that picture.”
The photo has since been taken offline, but the man who posted it in the first place, Eric Steely, still has a lot to say.
Steely filed a formal complaint in 2015 against Johnson for allegedly calling him a racist and a member of the “kkk”.
That complaint was dismissed earlier this year.
Steely told News 3 her (Johnson’s) group had been posting photo shopped racial pictures of councilwoman powers with racial slurs and accusations “So I figured people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”
He even sent News 3 several of those pictures. Only one of which was fit for air.
Steely adds that while he did not take the picture himself, he knows it was not taken during a closed executive session but an open public forum.
He says this is just “an attempt to get cash from Port Wentworth”.
Port Wentworth Police are investigating the complaint, and Mayor Jones says he trust it “will be handled in an appropriate manner”.
Taking an “upskirt” photo in Georgia is legal.
A state appeals court ruled last month that the way the law is worded , shooting cellphone video beneath a woman’s skirt in a public place without her permission is not a crime.
Legislators will have to work to change the wording of that law, but they won’t be able to do that until the session next Spring.
