JUN 3-9, 2020 NEWS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM
Thoughts from the George Floyd protest, and what to do next
PHOTO BY RACHAEL FLORA
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CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
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TO HAVE AN EVENT LISTED EMAIL WAG@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. INCLUDE DATES, TIME, LOCATIONS WITH ADDRESSES, COST AND A CONTACT NUMBER. DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION IS 5PM FRIDAY, TO APPEAR IN NEXT WEDNESDAY’S EDITION.
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Back N Black — Socially distanced live show in Coach’s Corner courtyard. Sat. June 6, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner
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Local artists stream a live set from the Tybee Post Theatre. Sun. June 7, 3 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org
Bluegrass by the Pint from Service Brewing — Join Service Brewing for live streaming Bluegrass from one of our favorite local bands, City Hotel! Fridays, 6 p.m. facebook.com/servicebrewing/ Cooking Between the Lines — Hands-on livestreamed cooking lessons from Chef Darin Sehnert. Mondays, 6 p.m., Wednesdays, 6 p.m. and Fridays, 6 p.m. facebook.com/chefdarinskitchentable/
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Sarah Poole — Local musician Sarah Poole performs. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 6:30 p.m. facebook.com/sarah.poole.505 Savannah Songwriters Series — Socially distanced live show in Coach’s Corner courtyard. Sun. June 7, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner Sarah Poole
Improv performances. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/frontporchimprov/
Eric Britt — Local singer/songwriter Eric Britt plays solo sets, alternating with releases from his new album ‘Full Islands Farmers Market — EnCircle.’ hanced social distancing between Wed., 6 p.m. vendors. facebook.com/eric.britt1 Saturdays 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. , 401 QuarterAn Evening with Jason Courtenay man Dr. and Jared Wade — Socially distanced facebook.com/islandsfarmersmarket/ live show in Coach’s Corner courtyard. Jason Bible — Jason Bible of local Fri. June 5, 7 p.m. favorites The Train Wrecks performs facebook.com/coachscorner solo sets. Flashback: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Bar with Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/thetrainwrecksband/ a Sports Attitude — Livestreams with area artists each Friday and SatKeystone Postcard - “Neighborhood urday night at 8 p.m. Fridays, Concerts from our Driveway” every Saturdays, 8 p.m. Wednesdays 4-6pm and Sundays 1-3pm Forsyth Farmers Market facebook.com/KeystonePostcard/ Enhanced social distancing between vendors. Laney Contemporary — Join Laney 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday facebook.com/forsythfarmersmarket Contemporary Art Gallery on Instagram Live each day for a PRESENT TENSE #ArtBreak 5 p.m. Front Porch Improv: Storytime — What’s the story, morning glory? You Lyn Avenue - “Six String Sippin” have to check in to find out! every Friday at 8pm Mondays-Fridays, 1 p.m. facebook.com/LynAvenue facebook.com/frontporchimprov/
special guest mixes. 5 p.m.-midnight. Fridays-Sundays. facebook.com/NSFWDJ/ Psychotronic Film Society Viewing Parties — PFS streams unusual feature-length movies with live introductions. After the films viewers can discuss the films in Real-Time via the comments section. To receive the secret link to these hidden streaming playlists, people MUST join the PFS of SAV’s Private Facebook Group, at the link below. Each week, anyone who chooses to donate at least $5 via PayPal or Venmo receives a free high quality digital download of a movie from the archive, and is entered into a drawing to win a limited edition T-shirt. Wednesdays, Sundays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/ groups/2519522234807695/ Otium Savannah yoga studio and wellness space — 20 minute guided meditation overlooking the city from Perry Lane Hotel rooftop. 9am on Thursdays. @otiumsavannah and @ThePerryLaneHotel Instagram channels
Friday Night Live with Mayor Van Johnson — Savannah Mayor Van Johnson’s “fireside chat” about the state of the city. Fridays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/MayorJohnsonSAV/
Neighborhood Comics Facebook Live Check-In - Every Wednesday at 2PM to discuss the latest in comics, updates from staff and customers and general goofiness. facebook.com/nbrhdcomics
Quarantine Concert: DJ Larry C with Obamabo and the Stardust Pixxies — Local ensemble streams a live set from the Tybee Post Theatre. Sat. June 6, 9 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org
Front Porch Improv: Classics — Enjoy archives of past Front Porch
NSFW DJ Collective — Livestreams from you favorite NSFW DJs plus
Quarantine Concert: Keith and Ross featuring Jeremy Riddle —
Sean Moloney — Local musician performs. Daily 5 p.m. facebook.com/sean.moloney.5 Irish Music with Seldom Sober — Savannah’s only Irish music ensemble, Seldom Sober (Michael Corbett and Colleen Settle) perform a set spanning Trad Irish to American folk. Tuesdays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/seldomsober/ Savannah Performance Project - Chris Bass’ daily live stream show airs at 1:15 p.m. at Facebook.com/SPPAdmin Shed Show Live - Local musician Matt Eckstine presents a weekly livestream from his cozy shed. Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. facebook.com/matteckstinemusic Streaming Odd! — Odd Lot Improv is streaming some favorite games live! Fridays, 7:30 p.m. facebook.com/OddLot/ Sunday Service with Epiphany — A “different kind of church,” Epiphany livestreams their Sunday morning service. Sundays, 11 a.m. facebook.com/EpiphanySavannah/ Tybee Island Farmers Market — Mondays, 4-7 p.m. 30 Meddin Dr. facebook.com/tybeeislandfarmersmarket
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
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COMPILED BY RACHAEL FLORA
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Of leadership and love BY JIM MOREKIS
jim@connectsavannah.com
“Once again God has smiled upon this city of Savannah… Yesterday, you saw Savannah Strong. But you also saw Savannah Love.” — Mayor Van R. Johnson, II YOU ALMOST don’t want to jinx it. But just as Savannah seems to have largely weathered the storm of COVID19, we also seem to have weathered — for now — the storm of civil unrest which has descended on so many American cities in the wake of the public murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman. It’s way too soon to rest on our laurels and pat ourselves on the back. But how could one city be so lucky? Maybe there’s more than luck involved. In fact, I know there’s more than luck involved. This past Sunday’s peaceful protest was unlike anything seen before in Savannah. We’ve had many civil rights rallies before, of course. And as far as downtown crowds go, every year — other than 2020, that is — sees a St. Patrick’s crowd that is much larger. But this gathering was different. As echoed by similar rallies around the world, it seems to mark a collective paradigm shift in our shared value system, a profound reordering of mutual priorities. And that’s a very powerful thing. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Sometimes, it doesn’t just bend — it breaks. And that seems to be the case with the impact of Floyd’s killing on the world’s collective attitude towards not just racial disparity in policing, but in the very concept of policing itself. For an excellent first-person account of Sunday’s protest, read Rachael Flora’s report on it this issue. There are many reasons why Savannah remained peaceful. Our small size and very individualized personality enables the kind of civic spirit so many other cities and towns find elusive. As I’m fond of saying, the worst thing about Savannah is that everyone knows everyone else and is all up in everyone else’s business….
Scenes from Sunday’s protest. PHOTOS BY RACHAEL FLORA
.... And the best thing about Savannah is that everyone knows everyone else and is all up in everyone else’s business. To me, however, the main advantage right now is clearly leadership. Just as Mayor Johnson navigated the tough calls regarding COVID-19, he immediately had to jump into a situation even more nightmarish for any mayor: The possibility of having to watch the city burn on his watch. Let’s remember that the original Sunday rally, set for 2 p.m. in Johnson Square, was publicized by a private citizen, affiliated with no particular group in or out of town. Many red flags were raised and much suspicion aroused, which is a different debate for a different time. But Johnson’s decision to essentially coopt and take over that place and time slot was, in my opinion, a master stroke. He didn’t have to try and publicize a “competing” rally, nor did he have to discourage anyone from attending any event. When all was said and done, Johnson had gathered “all the living mayors of Savannah,” as he put it, at the protest – Otis Johnson, Edna Jackson, and Eddie DeLoach (the man he defeated just a few months ago).
It was a powerful statement of solidarity and, it must be said, of leading by example. It may seem counterintuitive that Savannah, one of the chief ports of entry for the transatlantic slave trade, could have responded with such calm restraint. But it’s not just Savannah. There are many other such counterintuitive examples of civic cohesion. Baltimore — a city nearly synonymous in many minds and in pop culture with dysfunction and racial tension — experienced no noteworthy violent incidents so far in the wake of Floyd’s killing. Flint, Michigan — a city so ravaged by economic decline and racial disparity that it doesn’t even have drinkable water — also experienced no violent incidents of note. Meanwhile, Atlanta, whose motto is “The City Too Busy To Hate,” has been beset by unrest from one end to the other, for days and nights on end. In the end, each city, each community, has to handle these crises and challenges on a case-by-case basis, as they see fit. But in our case, as with the pandemic, the difference seems to have boiled down to leadership. Leadership, and love. Our love of a city we share, warts and all. CS
NEWS & OPINION COMMUNITY
BY RACHAEL FLORA
rachael@connectsavannah.com
NOW THAT Georgia’s reopening is well underway, restaurants have found themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place. After they already lost the cash cow of St. Patrick’s Day, the pandemic swept in and effectively shut down Savannah’s service industry. Now, these restaurants are opening their doors to a totally different industry. I heard from my fellow service industry friends horror stories of people refusing to wear masks and their jobs not following proper protocol. But is that really how it is everywhere? What’s it like being back at work right now? To find out, I talked with 17 people in various positions in Savannah’s service industry, from managers to servers and even an Uber driver and retail employee. Some chose to remain anonymous to protect their identity. Here are some things I learned.
Things have been busy.
Memorial Day weekend, for many restaurants that reopened, was very busy. “It was the St. Paddy’s Day that never was,” says Abbey, a downtown restaurant employee. She estimates that on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, her restaurant received three times as many orders
as they normally would in that time frame. Over Memorial Day weekend, H, a food and beverage manager in a hotel restaurant, had a crowd that they didn’t feel prepared for, so they sought the help of their supervisor. “I was asking questions about our restaurant; I know we have a limit on how many people we can have based on our square footage, so what is our number?” says H. “And all those questions I asked— what are the protocols for spacing people out? What sort of authority do we have over people not following guidelines? All those answers were, ‘That’s okay, don’t worry, we’re not going to get that busy.’” However, because it was Memorial Day, sales were up the previous day, which H says their superior knew. When H sent home a staff member because they were sick and asked to bring someone else in, they were told no by their superior. “Whatever you do is going to be money for me,” says H of their employer. As a result, H got slammed and was pulling more than double duty as customers got angry. “I know they don’t want to keep applying for unemployment on our behalf, so they’re trying to get people to come in and work hours, but you can’t open up safely if you can’t staff enough people,” says H. “If you can’t afford an extra $40 a night for a server to take orders and clear tables, then we shouldn’t be open. They knew how busy we were.”
People don’t feel safe at work.
S is a bartender at a restaurant that isn’t downtown. They’ve reported their concerns to management, but they fall on deaf ears. “Honestly, they say I’m being difficult,” says S. “When we switched from to-go orders to using plates, I didn’t feel comfortable with that. I cried.” Yet the change still happened, and S had to keep working anyway. So, their recourse is to be as safe as possible for themselves. That’s also the plan of G, a cook downtown. “It’s the people that are making it difficult out here,” says G. “You think it’s all these businesses being bad, and it’s not— it’s the people. Nobody wants to listen. Everyone gets mad they have to wear a mask.”
The mask thing is a big issue.
Who ever knew that a face mask would become such a political statement? Everyone has an opinion on the mask, and they seem to think that they need to inform their server of how they personally feel about the mask. “Someone said wearing the mask offended her,” says G. “A lot of people complain about the staff wearing masks and I’m like, ‘Well, it’s not affecting you. We’re doing it for customers.’ People around us don’t want to do it, and that’s what worries me. Please just play along.” S, a driver for Uber and Lyft, is not a fan of the mask, but plays along.
Lots of tourists or non-residents are here. Like, a lot.
L is a downtown restaurant employee who worked on Memorial Day weekend. The amount of people there was enough for L to never want to return to that job again. “Customers were horrid,” L says. “They complained constantly because we were one of the few places open, instead of being grateful that we were one of the few places open. People were mad we had less tables in order to socially distance, which made the wait longer. How dare they complain about a reservation where there is someone sick [at the restaurant] from a pandemic, and all while demanding I seat them. “A man went off on me because the bar was at capacity so he couldn’t order a drink, despite his table time and time to getting a server being only ten minutes.” L estimates that most of the people at the restaurant were from out of town, which is apparently very common. “I’ve noticed an influx of tourists or
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
A look inside Savannah’s service industry as Georgia reopens
“Here’s the mask thing: I’m not a mask person. It ain’t me,” says S. “But if a passenger gets in my car wearing a mask, I’m going to put my mask on. That just makes them feel better. I do drive a little faster to get them out of my car so I can take my mask back off.” Gentry Hutcheson, the manager at Yia Yia’s Kitchen, says that the backlash businesses face for not wearing masks is the main reason they wear masks now. “That’s probably 80% of why we’re wearing them now,” she says. “We’ve worked through the whole thing without them because they weren’t pushing them like they are now.” Hutcheson also brings up the issue of overheating while wearing a mask. “Back there at 100, 110 degrees, you can’t breathe without a mask,” she says. “With a mask, it’s hard.” Wearing a mask can be very hot, especially in Savannah summer heat. Some report that the masks cause acne, and of course they make things even hotter. Shelley Smith, manager of La Scala Ristorante, is not a mask big mask fan either. “The masks just bug the fuck out of me, and not because I don’t believe we should wear them,” she says. “Be respectful of other people, whether you’re worried about your own health. I get it. But people are like, ‘You’re making me a sheep, making me wear these masks!’ It’s not about you!” Kara Dailey, a server at Kayak Kafe Midtown, says it was difficult at times to enforce the policy of wearing a mask. Turning someone away, she says, was never received well. “We’d basically take orders outside in the parking lot,” she says.
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non-residents,” says S, the Uber driver. “Some folks were here visiting parents, which is understandable. Some folks were just here because they had to get out of the house.” A, a retail employee at Oglethorpe Mall, also reports a lot of people. “What’s going on right now is insane. So many people coming to the mall and shopping—no masks, no social distancing, getting upset that fitting rooms are closed,” says A. “I don’t feel safe. In fact, a customer told my boss she was here from New Jersey, and she had come to Georgia because she thought she could shop without a mask. She was upset that most stores were requiring masks.”
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
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In fact, some employees report really positive experiences. Luiz Santos, a bartender at Bar Food, is glad to back at work and out of the house. “I think my positive experience has come from the fact that Bar Food is a neighborhood bar, so it’s a tight community,” he says. “I think everybody was just excited to be out of the house and going somewhere they’re comfortable with and trusting, knowing, that the owners and employees are doing the proper measurements to make sure their guests are safe.” That close Habersham Village community also extends to The 5 Spot, where Mandy Arp works. “When we first went back, I was pretty anxious,” she shares, “but once it hit the three-week point, which was past when symptoms would show up, the anxiety has gone way down. Most of the people that come in are really aware of what’s going on.” Mariah Howington, who works at Service Brewing, is proud to work where she does. “With Service being veteran-owned, the safety and wellbeing of our staff and our customers has been put at number one,” she says. “It makes me proud to represent a company like that. They’re there with us every step of the way.” Thomas Mizelle, a barista at the Coffee Fox, feels safe at his job. “I’m fine with being at work,” he says. “I appreciate that I was able to still work and cut up the monotony of being home. I’ve never felt unsafe.”
Servers are scared, but still have to work. A is a server at a restaurant just outside of downtown. “Everybody working in food and bev or retail right now is literally trying their best,” says A. “It is without a doubt 100% more exhausting on me now to be in the industry than ever. I just feel like I’m giving a lot to do this, and what I’m getting
back just sucks.” “It’s all just a double-edged sword,” says Abbey. “I’m taking the precautions. I’m more afraid that I’m an asymptomatic carrier and I don’t know it, and I could give it to someone else in the community, than I am of getting sick.”
It’s been difficult adapting to the new normal.
“We’re changing how we approach things every couple weeks,” says Thomas from Coffee Fox. “It’s a lot of headache and a lot of work. We’re provided masks; we have Plexiglas sneeze guards.” “We’re changing policies in real time as the news says different stuff,” says Kara from Kayak Midtown. “We try to overcommunicate, but I get walking into a place and being like, ‘What are the rules? I don’t know what to do.’” “When you go to a restaurant, read the signs,” says S the bartender. “If you’re confused, ask for help.”
This is an uncertain time for people in the industry.
Caroline Rose, a bartender at Green Truck, remembers the last shift she worked being very strange. “When we left that night, we were all hanging out, having a couple drinks,” she says. “You look around and are like, ‘Man, I really don’t know when the next time I’m going to see some of these people is.’ If we don’t reopen, or if they can’t afford to not go back. It was weird to think about.” “This industry will stick together. We will support one another,” says Kyle Law of Alleycat Lounge. “The past few months have forever changed the food and beverage landscape, and it obviously does not end there. It would be ignorant and shortsighted to believe we as individuals are alone in this new chapter of societal norm.” “I love working for a small business right now,” says A, the server. “I love seeing people from other small businesses coming in and still being regulars, still leaving us tips. I’m trying to do this for you.”
Have empathy for your servers—and tip! “Everybody should take a step back and be patient with their servers,” says Luiz from Bar Food. “Put yourself in my shoes. How would you feel knowing that you have 50 other people to make drinks for, and take their order? I don’t think customers who have never done this understand.” “Be nice, be compassionate, and tip. Just tip,” says A, the server. “Respect our rules,” says Kyle from Alleycat. “They are there for a reason, and no one ever said we like them any more than you do. Next time you’re sitting in a drive through at Burger King, please fucking be nice to us. Or at least as nice to us as we are to you.” CS
NEWS & OPINION ENVIRONMENT
Motion of the ocean
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography’s Clark Alexander talks special projects, what’s next BY RACHAEL FLORA
rachael@connectsavannah.com
How has the pandemic affected your operations? As part of the University of Georgia, we’re following the guidance of main campus. All of our nonessential research has been shut down here on campus. Our faculty are not conducting research other than essential time-sensitive research that has been approved. Most of the labs are idle at this time. We do have minimal staffing on site to make sue we can respond to emergencies. Our ship crew is here rotating in and out, doing operations on the vessel because there’s always maintenance to be done. Tell us a little more about Skidaway Institute of Oceanography’s mission. We have scientists that examine all the different aspects of the ocean, its chemistry, the physics of the water and the currents, the biology and ecosystems that live there, and geology as well. We cover the basic sciences in oceanography. Our dominant strengths are in the chemistry and the biology of the ocean, although we have some very good faculty and some interesting projects in the physical realm as well. We have a couple new hires here. One is Adam Greer, and he has a very state of the
Clark Alexander, left, is the director of the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, a research institute on the titular island. PHOTOS
art high-tech imaging camera that you tow behind a ship as you move around on the surface of the water. That’s the way you get an idea of who is living in the water in terms of the plankton. We just completed hiring two new faculty members. One is a biologist who looks at phytoplankton pigments using a satellite about the size of a loaf of bread. She’s been working with optical properties of water and how the satellite can see phytoplankton in the ocean. The other faculty member looks at metals in the water and how they interact with phytoplankton. We had to be nimble and flexible to adapt, but we got the whole process done and we were able to get our top two candidates hired. Let’s talk about some of the special projects you have going on right now. One, I understand, is about fish migration. The sound in the sea and the fish migration, that’s all a project of Catherine Edwards, who is a physical oceanographer here. Her mainstay science tool is a glider that glides through the water. It can stay out for weeks at a time. It measures the temperature and salinity of the water, both of which are important physical characteristics. It also has a listening device that listens for tags that have been placed in fish. When it hears one of those tags, it listens for the number and reports back what the
number was, and that’s linked directly to a specific fish. There are groups all up and down the east coast that are doing some tagging efforts. Catherine’s work is done out at Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary. They have a number of tagged fish out at Gray’s Reef, and they’ve been trying to fly the glider around and locate those fish. The other thing Catherine is doing with those gliders is flying them in the water ahead of the path of hurricanes to get a better sense of what the temperature of the water is. With our normal techniques, we can just tell what the surface temperature is, but it’s really what the temperature is a little bit deeper down that’s important for how strong the storms can become. It’s important because unless you know what the storm is going to do in terms of its intensity, it all depends on how much warmth there is in the water for it.
How can people get involved with Skidaway Institute of Oceanography?
Right now, they can’t do anything [laughs]. There are two UGA institutions out here on Skidaway. One is us, whose focus is marine research and graduate education, and then the other unit is the marine extension service which runs the aquarium. They’re really set up to receive the public. If people are interested in research, we’re always happy to show people around and talk to them about the work that’s going on here. Another special project is about your We also have a speaker series called microplastics research. Evening @ Skidaway, where we have our faculty talk about something cool they’re It’s a specialized microscope that has working on. That’s on hold as well, but lasers built into it so you can hit particles that’s well-received. of anything you can collect. It’s been used We want to take what we know and take to identify different kinds of plastics, and it back out to the public. We want to proit’s being applied now to find out whether vide as good advice as possible to people it’s polystyrene or polypropylene. If you’re that have to make decisions about resource finding pieces of plastic that are by definimanagement. We take our job as state tion small, you can’t tell what it was just employees seriously, and we want to give by looking at it, so this tool allows you to back to the citizens of Georgia. We’re tryidentify what kind of plastic it is, and that ing to spread our expertise as widely as it’s will help you deduce where it might’ve applicable. come from. The big question, of course, is We’re poised for a great next 50 years. what are the health risks associated with it. We’ve had a very successful 50 years, and That’s a very preliminary research area. we’re ready for another 50 going forward. I’m really excited to see what is next. CS Also there’s an Arctic trip? For more information, visit skio.uga.edu. 7
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
WHILE IT FEELS like our world is shutting down, the ocean never stops. Neither does the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, the research and training institution that’s part of the University of Georgia family. The institute has been a Skidaway Island regular for half a century, formally joining UGA in 2013. Clark Alexander is the director of the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, where he’s been for 31 years— first as a postdoctoral scientist, then as a faculty member, and now as director. We spoke with him about the exciting goings-on last week.
That’s the Mosaic expedition, and that’s an international project that was basically recreating a scientific expedition that had been successfully carried out in the late 1800s. A guy took a wooden-hulled vessel and a crew of scientists, and they froze themselves into the Arctic ice up near Greenland. Over the wintertime, the sea ice goes from the Greenland/Iceland side of the Arctic Ocean out to the Bering Sea side, and the ice moves that way. If you can’t get to the North Pole to do studies there, you can freeze yourself into the ice and let the ice take you there. The Germans have an icebreaker called the Polarstern and they decided they’d use it as a floating platform for a whole Arctic winter. One of our faculty members, Cliff Buck, had one of his postdoctoral scientists go on that cruise. They were supposed to swap off halfway, but when the coronavirus hit, they didn’t want to chance anyone on the ship getting it. This scientist, Chris Marsay, has been stuck on the Polarstern for an extra couple of months. The problem now is that Chris is on an H-1B visa, and President Trump has issued a presidential declaration that no H-1B visa holders can enter the US from Europe, so he can’t come home. He’ll have to quarantine in Germany for 14 days, and then his home country is the UK so he’s going to go there until the travel ban is lifted. I think he’s disappointed he can’t come back to the lab and start working on his samples.
NEWS & OPINION CITY NOTEBOOK
You say you want a revolution
Thoughts from the George Floyd protest, and what to do next BY RACHAEL FLORA
rachael@connectsavannah.com
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
THIS past Sunday, I headed to Johnson Square to participate in and cover the Savannah George Floyd Protest, not quite sure what to expect. The previous day, social media lit up with concern as to who the organizer was, fear of the event being infiltrated by counter-protestors, and worries of the protest reaching riotous levels, as we’d seen all through the weekend. Saturday evening, Mayor Van Johnson announced he’d be attending the protest and spoke passionately about the struggles of being a black man in America, solidifying his support for the event. Sunday afternoon, Regions Bank’s windows were boarded with plywood, an ominous sign. But, ultimately, that plywood would have been better served somewhere else. Savannah pulled off a peaceful protest that should make us proud of our city and everyone in it. I decided to get to the square about 30 minutes early to get a good spot. No dice: the square was already packed by the time I arrived, and speakers were already addressing the crowd. With the help of Clinton Edminster and Jon Taylor, I got a great spot on one of the posts at the south end of Johnson Square. By 2 p.m., the crowd filled out the square and spilled into Congress Street. It was electrifying to be in a crowd that large; I wish I knew for sure how many people were there. Aldermen Detric Leggett and Kurtis Purtee gave moving speeches that encouraged action after the protest was over. The crowd knelt in remembrance of George Floyd, fists raised. Someone close to the action screamed, 8 “Some of y’all can’t even hold your hands
up for as long as he held his knee on his neck! How will this end?” in a voice ragged with emotion. After a bit, the crowd was on the move. Originally, the plan was to march one block to City Hall. The organizers rescinded that plan late Saturday, choosing instead to stay in Johnson Square. So the march surprised me a little, but off I went, finding a spot in the window ledge of Savannah Clothing. (I’m 5’1”, so scaling things to see better is not new.) Religious and city leaders spoke, but it was hard to hear them from where I was. The chants by the crowd, however, rang out throughout downtown. That solidified the feeling of community, as did the support I could see in the crowd. A guy on the ledge with me kindly offered me a bottled water. There were lots of people in the crowd offering water to each other, and people on bikes circled the perimeter to keep an eye on things. As Mayor Johnson gave what felt like closing remarks, much of the crowd noticed the arrival of National Guard vehicles on the west end of the crowd, along Whitaker Street. The mood of the crowd changed then. It was a tangible feeling. People began to file out of the crowd. But it became obvious there was a counter-protestor in the crowd, who was also walking east. The crowd moved to chase him out, and things nearly got physical before he eventually went his own way. Someone began beating a skateboard on the ground in agitation, but another person shouted at him to stop, and he did. That displays, to me, that the collective mood of the group was one of peace. The momentum of the crowd pushed us down Bay Street and down one of the ramps to River Street, where it moved up the street westward. Someone let off fireworks up near Williamson Street, and I and everyone around me ran like hell in
the other direction until realizing what it actually was. As we came up MLK Jr. Boulevard, police vans and tactical unit vehicles passed going north, and the mood shifted again to one of anger at the cops. At the courthouse, someone sent a Black Lives Matter flag up the flagpole to huge cheers. Then the crowd was off again to the Savannah Police headquarters on Habersham, where we came across police donning riot gear in a parking lot off the back of the building. At this point, the crowd seemed to splinter. Many protestors kept walking, shouting to let the cops go. But another sizeable crowd faced off with the officers, chanting for them to walk with us. They did not. I speak purely from my own experience, but what I saw was an impressively peaceful protest until the National Guard made their presence known. It wasn’t a surprise that they were there, or that the city was preparing for things to escalate: photos of cops in riot gear at the Civic Center circulated on social media before I even got downtown. Of course, there was no way of knowing what would happen later that night, especially as there were rumors of groups from Charleston coming down to stir up trouble. Thankfully, nothing happened and everyone was safe. I thank and commend all the people who helped keep us all safe on Sunday, which includes both our officers and our fellow community members who looked out for each other. So, what’s next? As many encouraged on Sunday, this is not the end of the road. There’s a lot more work to do. Listen to what black people have to say, and learn what you can do to help. Most importantly, let your passion for racial justice continue past the thrill of the march. We have a lot of work to do. I feel confident that we’re on the right track. CS
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Downtown businesses cited over Memorial Day weekend
Several local businesses, the bulk in the Congress Street corridor downtown, received citations and warnings for violations of state social distancing guidelines during this past Memorial Day weekend. Between May 23-25, SPD’s Alcohol Beverage Compliance Unit “visited several alcohol serving establishments in order to examine their compliance with the guidelines,” a police spokesperson says. The Congress Street Social Club on 411 W. Congress Street received two citations and B&D Burger on 209 W. Congress Street received one citation. The following businesses received a warning: Boomys- 409 W. Congress St. The Escape Company- 30 Montgomery St. Savannah Seafood Shack- 116 E. Broughton St. World of Beer- 112 W. Broughton St. Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub & Grill311 W. Congress St.
Phillip Ryan Smart
PS Tavern- 11 W. Bay St. “Our mission is to ensure the safety of our community members and those who choose to visit,” said Chief of Police Roy Minter. “It is imperative that the businesses in our area continue to follow the appropriate guidelines to safeguard our community. With the amount of people we expected to visit establishments to enjoy Memorial Day weekend, we knew we had to take a hard stance to ensure their well-being.” As far as transportation safety, Memorial Day weekend enforcement efforts resulted in the following citations between
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May 23-25: Speeding- 66 citations Red Light Violation- 3 citations Seat Belt Violation- 18 citations DUI- 5 citations Hands Free Violation- 6 citations
Sexual Exploitation arrest
On Friday, May 22, agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC), assisted the Savannah Police Department’s Special Victims Unit and active members of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
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in the execution of a search warrant at the residence of Phillip Ryan Smart, 31, in Savannah. The search warrant was related to an investigation pertaining to the online sexual exploitation of children. As a result of the investigation, SMART was arrested and charged with Possession of Child Pornography by the Savannah Police Department. Smart is currently being held at the Chatham County Detention Center. This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade. The ICAC Program, created by the U. S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims. ALL CASES FROM RECENT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT INCIDENT REPORTS. GIVE ANONYMOUS CRIME TIPS TO CRIMESTOPPERS AT 912/234-2020 OR TEXT CRIMES (274637) USING KEYWORD CSTOP2020.
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CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
2020 Sav/Chatham County Crime Stats through Sunday May 31
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NEWS & OPINION NEWS OF THE WEIRD Government in Action
In 2013, Chad Dearth of Overland Park, Kansas, purchased his dream car, a 1964 Chevy Impala, and got an “antique” license plate for it. Since then, he has sold the car and moved to a new neighborhood, but earlier this year he received word that seven to 10 collection letters a day were arriving at his old address from state turnpike authorities up and down the East Coast. That’s when Dearth learned that Kansas is one of a few states that assign identical numbers to different categories of specialty license plates, and his old antique plate number matched the number on a commercial semi truck -- the one photographed by one of the authorities demanding payment for toll violations. Lee Ann Phelps, vehicle services manager for the Kansas Department of Revenue, told Fox4 she doesn’t know why the state uses identical numbers, but there are about 625,000 plates in the state that share a number. Kansas has issued a new license for the truck, but in the meantime, the bills continue. Dearth most recently got a letter from the Delaware Turnpike Authority seeking $479.
Green Eggs, No Ham
A.K. Shihabudheen of Malappuram, India, and his wife cracked an egg from one of their chickens about nine months ago and were surprised to see a dark green yolk, rather than the standard yellow. “All the eggs which the hen laid ... were this kind,” Shihabudheen told The News Minute, “and so we started to incubate the eggs. Out of the six chicks which hatched from these eggs, a few have started to lay eggs and those yolks are also green in color.” The eggs taste like other eggs and cause no health problems, the family said. Experts from Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University suspect the feed given to the birds may be behind the phenomenon, according to Dr. S. Sankaralingam, but Shihabudheen says he gives all his birds the same feed.
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
Monkey Business
Egyptian talk show host Lobna Asal abruptly fled the studio mid-interview on May 27 after being attacked by the monkey brought to the set by her interview subject, actor Ibrahim El-Samman, United Press International reported. Appearing on Egyptian channel Al Hayat, the monkey co-starred with El-Samman on his latest project, and at first settled in Asal’s lap for several minutes, calmly listening to the conversation, but then jumped down and attacked her legs. As she ran off, another person arrived to wrangle the primate.
Another Job Threatened
Massachusetts-based Boston Dynamics has partnered with the New Zealand 10 robotics company Rocos to develop a
NOW MORE THAN EVER, SUPPORT LOCAL FARMS!
robotic dog, Spot, to herd sheep. “The age of autonomous robots is upon us,” Rocos chief executive David Inggs told United Press International. The dog can be controlled remotely as it guides sheep through mountainous and difficult terrain, according to the company. “It just needs to walk with intent toward the sheep and they seem to respond,” said Richard Stinear, Rocos chief technology officer. In other words, they act like sheep.
Bird Brain
Security agencies in India thought they may have captured a Pakistani spy after villagers in Manyari, a border town in the disputed region of Kashmir, delivered the courier to police, but the mole wasn’t a mole at all; it was a pigeon. According to Sky News, Kathua Police Superintendent Shailendra Mishra said the bird flew into a home on May 24 and a “ring was seen attached to one of its legs with some numbers on it ... Some called it a coded message.” Authorities are trying to decipher the message, as pigeons have been used for espionage in the disputed region in the past. Meanwhile, the BBC reports that a Pakistani man named Habibullah is claiming the pigeon is his, and the number on the ring is his mobile phone number. Habibullah, who lives just a few miles from the India/Pakistan border, has asked for the pigeon’s return and told local media India should “refrain from victimizing innocent birds.”
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The Allure of Junk Food
-- San Diego police responding to a burglar alarm at a Wells Fargo bank in Chollas View, California, around 3:30 a.m. on May 27, found a broken window by the bank’s drive-thru. Alarm company personnel told officers surveillance cameras showed a man inside the bank’s break room, using the microwave. Police gained entry to the bank and arrested the unnamed man, who told KGTV he had gone into the bank only to warm up his Hot Pockets. Asked if the Hot Pockets were worth the arrest, the man said, “Hell yeah it was worth it.” -- City Parks and Recreation employee Zach Morris was cleaning up storm damage in Wynne, Arkansas, at the city’s sports complex on May 24 when he noticed that someone had broken into the concession stand. “The whole place was just looted,” Morris told WREG. The stand had been fully stocked for games scheduled before COVID-19 lockdowns began, and thieves helped themselves to drinks and candy, even taking the time to prepare nachos and popcorn before they left. Police are hoping the culprits will confess. “The right thing to do is take responsibility for the mistakes you made,” Morris said.
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ROCK N’ ROLL: a conversation with Garden Giant’s Devin Smith Garden Giant bandleader reflects on new album, several years in the making
BY SEAN KELLY
sean@connectsavannah.com
GARDEN GIANT formed in Savannah, and still feels like a Savannah band, but its members are currently spread apart in various cities. Determined to stay together and continue creating despite the physical distance between them, the band recently finished, mixed, and released Kitty Kats & Rattlesnakes, their second album. Guitarist and singer Devin Smith is effectively the leader of the band, and currently lives in Atlanta where he runs Volition Studios—the commercial studio he started after working out of his house in Savannah for many years. It was at both locations where the band’s latest effort was recorded. Smith, alongside drummer Luis Salazar (currently in New Orleans) and bassist Bradford Shields (still in Savannah), spent the last couple of years putting the music together and recording the album before things were essentially put on pause. Quarantine prompted Smith to open the sessions and finish the project, and the results are a compelling slice of indie rock. We spoke to Smith about the album and the process of continuing Garden Giant remotely.
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
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A lot of times, bands tend to get together and bond over shared influences. Was there any of that with y’all? How exactly did you meet?
Most of this album was recorded in Savannah, and then it was basically just the vocals and final mix/master that I did up here. Really just the last 10 days or so. I work well with deadlines, and we had no deadline, so it kind of got put on the backburner because I had plenty of things going on. But with COVID, I had no more excuses [laughs].
We like Arcade Fire, and sort of clichesounding indie rock references. But overall I don’t think it was music so much as just friendship that really kept us together. We all played in different projects before. I came from more of a folk type of thing, and Brad I think was a little more punk. Brad and Luis actually met on Craigslist, and they’d gotten together and started playing. I met them at a music video shoot that I was directing, and I just chose two random people together to fight next to a bathroom. It ended up being them, and we just talked later that night. We all have very vast libraries of music that we listen to; I don’t think we’re super pigeonholed in that way. So when it got to us playing together, we sort of got jam band-y. Long songs that we’d then narrow down and say, “Oh, that part’s good. Let’s do something with that.”
Was it written over a long period of time, or was it condensed with the goal of writing a record? Did you go back and rework anything upon re-opening the recordings?
The record is really cool because it really sounds very faithful to the three-piece lineup, with the exception of the occasional overdub. That’s really hard to do on a record in terms
How exactly did this record get finished, and how long did it take to complete?
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So, we met in 2014 and that’s when we started playing as a band. We put a record out in ‘16 and played shows, you know, every few months. Most of these songs, I’d say, were written by 2017. Everything was ironed out already, and all of the instruments were recorded by May of 2018 because Luis left in June. It was just sitting pretty much unmixed, and maybe some vocals have matured or adapted over those couple of years of hearing the instrumental tracks. But writing wise, it was already completed. Honestly, after two years there’s a layer of nostalgia for something that hadn’t even been made yet. So I was very happy with how everything sounded [after two years]. And I had new ears in the new studio, in terms of mixing and sculpting it.
Album art
of making it sound full enough. Yeah, absolutely. Luis keeps a little sampler next to his drum set, and he would load up triggers. So actually, pretty much every sound you hear is live as well. My experience with recording in the past, with a project I had with Anna Chandler called General Oglethorpe & the Panhandlers—when we recorded, we were going to do everything we could [laughs]. We ended up maybe overcrowding some things. Maybe it’s just a maturity thing. But yeah, the realization of leaving your brushstrokes and not adding too much is definitely on this album. It’s a really, really great record. Do you have a favorite? “People In The Corner” might be my favorite song so far. That’s interesting—I’m getting a lot of good feedback from that song, and I think it’s the poppiest song we’ve ever done [laughs]. It’s interesting, especially if you listen to what we sounded like when we first started playing shows. We were very grungy [laughs]. As a listener, it feels like this is a record made by a band that hasn’t reached its peak yet. Do you feel that, even as you’re living in different places? I think we’ve got a lot of things left to do. We have probably another album’s worth of songs that we’ve written but not recorded. That might fall to the wayside because of how our new process work. Luis is creating a bunch of samples in NOLA right now, and Brad can just do anything. Whatever Luis and I start to do, Brad can make it better. CS Garden Giant’s new release Kitty Kats & Rattlesnakes is available now at gardengiant. bandcamp.com
MUSIC SPOTLIGHT
LIVE MUSIC IN THE SOUNDGARDEN WED, JUN 3 7:30PM
THU, JUN 4 7:30PM
FAMILY FEUD
FRI, JUN 5 7PM AN EVENING OF SONGS & STORIES W/
JASON COURTENAY & JARED WADE
Tavern Tuesdays feature prominent locals performing classics. PHOTOS PROVIDED
The Olde Pink House launches Tavern Tuesdays
SAT, JUN 6 7PM
BACK N BLACK
BY SEAN KELLY
sean@connectsavannah.com
IN A NEW virtual concert series aimed to help local nonprofit organizations, business owners and community leaders will take the stage at The Olde Pink House and Planters Tavern to sing standards and classics. Accompanied by Kenny Munshaw and David Duckworth on piano, prominent locals including Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker, Commonwealth Group president David Neises, The Fiduciary Group’s
associate investment advisor Bess Butler Brunson,and Thomas & Hutton marketing manager Cecilia Arango will sing the songs of Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mercer, Elvis Presley, and more. The first four installments of the Tavern Tuesdays, featuring the aforementioned performers, will benefit America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. “This performance series is designed to celebrate Savannah, to showcase the city’s business leaders and to support local nonprofit organizations that are giving back to our community in important ways,” The Olde Pink House’s Craig Jeffress said in a
statement. “Second Harvest plays a vital role in our community. It’s an honor to have this opportunity to support their mission.” The series launched officially on May 26th, and will continue with virtual performances from The Olde Pink House’s Facebook page. Viewers can make a donation during the live streams to Second Harvest. CS For more information on Tavern Tuesdays and The Olde Pink House, find the restaurant on Facebook or visit theoldepinkhouserestaurant. com
SUN, JUN 7 7PM
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CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
Virtual concert series benefits local nonprofits
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BY SEAN KELLY
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
sean@connectsavannah.com
14
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THE METAL scene has come in waves in Savannah, with perhaps its biggest surge happening in the mid 00’s because of the popularity of bands like Baroness and Kylesa. Recently, that scene has been starting to see a bit of a resurgence—thanks in no small part to Tim Walls and his AURA Fest shows. Because of AURA Fest, bands like Vacant Flesh have been given a platform and have themselves begun to play a role in revitalizing that scene. That’s what made it all the more disappointing when everything came to a halt due to COVID19—AURA Fest shows were planned at the Sentient Bean, and Vacant Flesh was right in the middle of recording their first full length release. “When the whole thing first started, we didn’t really get to jam and meet up for about a month and a half,” vocalist and guitarist Aiden tells Connect. “It halted the recording process for the full-length we’ve been working on. We were put at a halt really unexpectedly. We were really
disappointed for a bit, but we’ve worked things out and are taking things as they come.” When things stopped, the band had just completed drums for the album and they were about to start working on guitars. “That was a huge blow,” Aiden says. “I think we have to wait until August to pick that back up again.” Having some time away from the process, Aiden says, has given them perspective on the songs. For the most part, the band feels confident in what they’ve worked up and haven’t felt the need to majorly change anything they’ve started on the album. “There have been times where we’ve changed little things in some of the first songs we wrote, when we were just starting to write music. We’ve come farther than our abilities were in terms of writing music,” he says. “In that way, that’s been something that’s been cool for us because we can look back and make adjustments.” Going forward, Aiden says the band’s plan is to finish the album and then see where things are at in terms of being able to play shows and promote their product. It’s something a lot of artists have
struggled with, and has led to a lot of postponed album releases. With so much uncertainty, Vacant Flesh plans to just keep pushing ahead. “We definitely want to get started with recording again as soon as we can, and hopefully by that time we’ll be able to play real shows and promote the album that way,” he says. The upcoming AURA Fest live stream show from the Sentient Bean, which is taking place on Sat., June 6 at 8 P.M., will be the band’s first performance in quite some time. Aiden says he’s appreciative of Walls’ efforts to keep the scene thriving and continue doing the work he’s been doing to bring rock and metal to Savannah on a regular basis. “It’s been really cool to see, just in the last year, how many little bands have popped up in Savannah. Ever since AURA Fest started doing shows more, it seems like there’ve been more bands happening because there are more opportunities,” he says. CS Vacant Flesh @AURA Fest Live Stream Sat., June 6, 8 P.M. Stream at facebook.com/aurafestsavannah
MUSIC REVIEWS
Album reviews sean@connectsavannah.com
Nightingale News - Bell Rope
Coy Campbell’s Nightingale News is something of a musical revelation, at least to my ears. Immediately upon first listen of the band’s (which is seemingly more of a collective) 2019 release Bell Rope, I thought of a fellow Lowcountry band, Band of Horses. There’s a very similar approach to melody and chord progressions between Campbell and BOH’s Ben Bridwell. Of course, Campbell’s music is more roots oriented and acoustic-leaning than Band of Horses. But there’s a similar spirit in the songwriting that couldn’t be ignored, from the minute you hear “Ophiuchus.” What’s great about Bell Rope is that it’s painted with a very dark and moody brush, but the instrumentation typically lends itself to a facet of folk and Americana that is usually much more jubilant and even celebratorysounding. That’s the brilliance here, though—it’s like if the Avett Brothers made a Sparklehorse record. There’s darkness and bright light mixed together in the production and delivery. Take “Mob Surgeon,” for example. That song accomplishes the very difficult task of marrying ambience, acoustic sensibilities, and melodic darkness. It’s not done in a “House of the Rising Sun” kind of way that you hear so frequently with storyteller Americana these days. It’s done very authentically and doesn’t adhere to any standard in terms of how a song like that should sound or be performed. In fact, the whole record is like that. It’s folk music for people who’ve maybe heard too much folk music. It strives to sound different, and succeeds. Campbell is a remarkably effective and profound writer, who isn’t afraid to weave weird sounds
and noises into his recordings or approach acoustic music with an indie rock mindset. There have been artists to do this before, of course, but Nightingale News can certainly join the ranks of those who do it right. For more on Nightingale News, visit nightingalenews.bandcamp.com
Basik Lee - 7
I covered Basik Lee’s album, 7, when it was released in early 2019. I wanted to take the time to review it, though, because it deserves its due. This is a concept album that, in just seven songs, accomplishes what concept albums with double the songs aren’t often able to do. Lyrically and thematically, it achieves its goal but it also goes beyond just feeling like a concept album. What that means is, the songs are just good. The production is ridiculously great. Basik has a flow that I really can’t compare to anyone else. Of course, there’s influences here from different eras of hip hop, but what he’s done is fuse different styles of delivery and create his own stamp. That’s hard to do in any genre, especially these days. Songs like “Supreme” and its follow-up “The Storm” are prime examples of this. Basik solidifies his musical voice on this record, and it’s one of the most engaging and thoroughly captivating albums I’ve heard in a long time. There are elements of the classic boom bap hip hop sound, but he approaches lyricism with a more modern twist so it all feels very fresh. If you’re looking for robust, smart, brilliantly-produced local music, look no further. 7 is a statement, and an indelible one at that. For more on Basik Lee, visit basiklee. bandcamp.com
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CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
BY SEAN KELLY
15
CULTURE HISTORY
Yellow Fever at 200
Two centuries ago, plague and politics paralyzed the city BY JONATHAN M. BRYANT
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
ALBERT CAMUS’S novel, The Plague, opens with Dr. Bernard Rieux leaving his surgery and stepping on a dead rat. Rieux kicked the rat aside without a thought, but a moment later felt uneasy. What was a dead rat doing on the landing outside his office? On June 26, 1820, Dr. William Waring of Savannah Georgia probably had a similar feeling. He examined a patient who had an unusual illness. The man was sick with fever. Rather than the usual surge and decline in fever found among malaria patients, this man had an unremitting high fever. Three days later the patient died. Dr. Warring could have simply ignored his unease, but he didn’t. Instead, he continued to visit the same poverty-stricken district near the Old Fort of Savannah, looking for similar cases. Two weeks later he found one. Another resident of Washington Ward “was attacked with Continuous fever . . . and died on the fourth day with haemorrhages (sic) from the nose and bowels.” Soon another man, Patrick Stanton was seized by fever. He died on July 16, after exhibiting “el vomito negro,” the black vomit characteristic of hemorrhagic fever. For Warring the conclusion was clear; Yellow Fever had come to Savannah. While these events took place 200 years ago this summer, the conflicts that developed may seem all too familiar. The warnings spread by Dr. Warring and a colleague, Dr. William Daniell, fell afoul of the political powers in Savannah. Politicians denied the severity of the outbreak. At least three local newspapers published contradictory information that descended into insults. Confused citizens did not know what actions to take as people around them began to die. As Dr. Warring and Dr. Daniell spread word of the deadly contagion, such word was not welcomed by the City leadership. In 1820, the only known protection against Yellow Fever was to flee the infected city. Such a panicked exodus, however, would cause commercial disaster; businesses would die, homes would be abandoned, ships would be quarantined. Politicians and business leaders pushed back against any suggestion of Yellow Fever in Savannah. On July 18, 1820, in response to the “rumours,” the Georgian newspaper printed a report of deaths recorded in 16 June. Of 30 deaths in June among white
Savannahians, only 14 were due to fever. This was not an unusual number, as the newspaper pointedly noted. The numbers used, however, were almost three weeks out of date. Warring and Daniell continued to report cases of Yellow Fever, and rumors continued to spread. These reports were ridiculed by Savannah’s political leadership and in the newspapers. Finally, on August 11, the city government asked four distinguished physicians to investigate and put an end to reports of malignant sickness in the eastern portions of the city. The doctors toured the slum district and found large numbers of poor whites living in crowded conditions amid streets piled high with trash and rubbish. There was sickness, but the doctors reported that it was due to the “want and dissipation” of the inhabitants themselves. In the report released by Savannah City Council and printed in newspapers the doctors concluded they had found nothing alarming. Someone, however, leaked the actual report of the doctors to the Savannah Gazette. Publishing excerpts from the report on Aug. 15, the Gazette criticized the City Council for hiding the truth and announced that based on the report there was Yellow Fever in Savannah. The Savannah Republican responded the next day, condemning the Gazette and suggesting the newspaper was like “an ignorant fellow” screaming “mad dog! In the street.” Reports of sickness were greatly exaggerated, and no person of good habits should be afraid. The Mayor of Savannah also responded immediately, having a notice published in all of Savannah’s newspapers. “I feel myself authorized,” Mayor Thomas U. P. Charlton wrote, “to announce that no pestilence prevails in this city.” The sickness was under control and was confined to “strangers and people of intemperate and dissolute habits.” This announcement was printed regularly in the newspapers for weeks. As the bickering about sickness continued in the newspapers, letter writers launched attacks condemning the doctors who reported sickness. Other port city newspapers reprinted these denials. According to the City Graveyard register, 39 white people died from fever and were buried there in July. In August, 110 who died from fever were buried there. In September, 232 were buried. These numbers did not include African Americans, or those buried in other locations. Finally, even the city leadership could not continue to deny the Yellow Fever
Map of Savannah around the time of the Yellow Fever epidemic.
epidemic. On Sept. 12, the Republican finally reported there were cases of “dangerous fever” in the city, some of which involved the black vomit. On Sept. 14, after almost two months of denials, Mayor Charlton retracted his statement that there was no pestilence and confessed there was a “malignancy” in Savannah. On Sept. 19, the City Health Committee finally admitted there was Yellow Fever in Savannah. Over the previous three and a half weeks, they revealed, at least 202 whites had died of it. Within a week, just as Savannah’s leaders had feared, lurid reports of the Yellow Fever spread across newspapers nationally. As one Savannah businessman reported, “No business is doing in consequence.” Niles’ Weekly Register was the closest thing there was to a national news magazine in 1820. In mid-October, Hezekiah Niles reported that more than 6,000 people had fled Savannah, and only 1,400 whites remained in the city. Despite this exodus, more than 200 white people died of Yellow Fever in October. Three of the four doctors who had been asked by the City to investigate the situation in August died. Even Mayor Charlton’s wife Emily died. His denials of Fever through July, August, and September must have haunted him. No one counted deaths among Savannah’s black population. However, there was one group who was being counted. In July, soon after the Yellow Fever began, 258 captives from an illegal slave vessel named the Antelope had arrived in Savannah. At first they had been confined at the race track, but then in August were moved into homes throughout Savannah. By the end of the epidemic in December, 46 of these captives had died, or a death rate of 18 percent. In December of 1820 Henry P. Russell began to market an “Official Register” by name of Yellow Fever
deaths in Savannah. He listed 695 white victims by name and confessed he had no names for the black victims, but estimated there were at least 200. This was probably a dramatic under-estimate. The 1820 census counted 3,657 enslaved and free African Americans living in Savannah. The white population was placed at 3,866. If 695 whites died, as counted in Russell’s register, that is almost exactly 18 percent of the white population, congruent with the percentage of Antelope captives who died. The same rate applied to the census count of blacks in Savannah would be 658 deaths, not 200. Physicians who investigated the epidemic afterward estimated a death rate of twenty percent. In other words, there is a strong argument that the mortality from Yellow Fever in Savannah was substantially greater than the usually published figure of 700. It was likely to have been twice that number, or at least 1,400 dead. No one wanted to know the true number of dead. In a city whose population probably varied between 9,000 and 5,000 people depending on the season, publishing the true number would have been devastating both politically and economically. Hit by the national economic panic of 1819 and the great fire of January 1820, the Yellow Fever epidemic was a blow to a city already staggering. The 1830 census showed that even a decade later Savannah had a smaller population than in 1820. Other than efforts to pay planters to keep fields dry near the city, little changed in Savannah’s preparedness for Yellow Fever. Cases of Yellow Fever cropped up regularly in Savannah, and additional mass epidemics struck in 1854 and 1876. Throughout the nineteenth century Yellow Fever proved an unsolvable problem for the city of Savannah. CS
CULTURE THE ART•BEAT OF SAVANNAH
IN 1975, Dell Belew picked up her first paint set from Kmart. Something about painting had caught her attention, and she wanted to try her hand at it. When she brought the set home, it raised her then-husband’s eyebrows. “He said, ‘What did you buy this stuff for?’” she recalls. “‘You can’t paint!’” For all he knew, he was right—Belew had never painted before. Determined to prove him wrong, she painted an arrangement on her kitchen table. When she showed it to her husband, he was impressed, but he challenged her to replicate a painting they’d bought from his coworker’s wife. “Well, if you can paint, paint that,” he told her. Sure enough, the next day, Belew had replicated the painting to look exactly like the original. “He said, ‘Well, I think you need to go take some classes,’” she remembers him saying. Years later, Belew is an accomplished painter and has an exhibition of her work on view in June at the Jewish Educational Alliance. The show, “My Quarantine Challenge,” includes new and revised paintings created during the quarantine. “Early in our nation’s lockdown, I decided to be purposeful in the way I ordered my life,” she says. “I had my share of misfit and discarded painting and ideas floating in my head that I had not pursued, so I challenged myself to get some things
Dell Belew’s work shows versatility and expertise. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DELL BELEW.
often works from her own photo reference. “I’ve been doing more plein air paintings the last, I’d say, year and a half,” she estimates. “I go out with a painting friend when weather permits, but generally speaking I take a photograph and I finish in my studio. I’m a very slow painter. By and large, I’d say I probably work from my photographs more often than not.” Belew loves photography as a medium on its own, so when she takes photos, it’s not specifically for painting. “Photography for photography’s sake is not necessarily the impetus for painting,” she says. “Sometimes they’re very distinctly different, but if it appeals to me to photograph, I’m usually going to find some way to get it on canvas at some point.” Belew’s versatility is a great asset, but back in the day, that trait was not seen as an advantage by her professor. “I had a photography professor who was commenting on my work at the end of the quarter and he said, ‘You know, you really need to decide on a focus: either your photography or your artwork or your writing,’” she recalls. “So I mentioned that to a friend
and she said, ‘Oh, that would be so boring!’ If you got it, flaunt it.” It would be the second time that Belew’s creative talent was nearly stifled by the opinion of another person, but Belew has always stayed true to herself and her own purpose. While she’s multifaceted, Belew considers her greatest calling to be her writing. She’s an author of over 20 books, most of them teaching inspirational books. At 73 years old, Belew is still refreshingly passionate about bringing her work to others. Since retirement, she considers herself much more productive; last year’s exhibition had over 50 paintings, and this exhibition also features quite a lot of work. She’ll continue to create work that she enjoys. “I paint out of my own desire and need,” she says, “but I don’t need people to like it—that’s not the point.” CS “My Quarantine Challenge” will be on display at the Jewish Educational Alliance at 5111 Abercorn St. through June 30. For more, visit dellbelew.com.
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
BY RACHAEL FLORA
rachael@connectsavannah.com
accomplished as if I had been given a gift of several months in which no one was keeping me from making it a productive and satisfying break in my life.” The exhibition, which is one of our art community’s first returns to a physical gallery showing, was planned for April, but coincided with the JEA’s Holocaust remembrance exhibition. She graciously allowed her exhibition to be moved to June, right before everything shuttered. “I think it might have been providential,” muses Belew. In her artwork and in life, Belew is a bit of a chameleon. In addition to painting, she’s also a photographer, a painter, and an ordained minister. Her faith is a major part of her creative process. “When I approach anything, it’s by faith; I know it’s from a spiritual being,” she says. “It’s hard to put an exact point on it insofar as painting is concerned.” Even her pride in her paintings comes from a spiritual place. Originally, she was hesitant to take pride in her work. One night, she worked in her studio until 3 a.m. and was torn between pride and humility in what she’d accomplished. “I felt like the Lord was saying, ‘But it’s okay, because I was proud of my son,’” she says. “When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came and said, ‘This is my son and whom I am well pleased.’ And I thought, ‘Okay, it’s alright to feel good or even brag about myself.’” Belew’s talent is certainly something to be proud of. As she learned with that first painting experiment in 1975, she’s adept at replicating a scene and capturing its spirit. Because she’s also a photographer, she
17
CULTURE VISUAL ARTS
QUESTIONS
WITH
Nikki Zuaro BY RACHAEL FLORA
rachael@connectsavannah.com
NIKKI ZUARO’S process-oriented art speaks to the idea of futility. The Long Island native was first interested in abstract art, but after taking a conceptual art course, the scope of her work changed. Zuaro creates objects that don’t function in the way they should, like a shovel made of bubble wrap or canvas, and records video of herself using the objects. We spoke with Zuaro last week.
1. How did you end up in Savannah?
I was looking for a graduate program. I was working in New York City for a little while after I graduated undergrad. I was interning at Christie’s and I decided that wasn’t the career path I wanted to go on. For me, I’m not a type of person that likes to sit at a desk under fluorescent lights all day, and that’s kind of what I was doing the majority of the time. I was an intern for the Impressionist and modern art department, so I was doing a lot of research for the higher ups. I just couldn’t do it—it was not my thing. I’m grateful for the experience at Christie’s because the knowledge I obtained from my internship has impacted where I am today and helped me to forge my own path by pursuing a higher degree in my education. So I started doing my research. I’ve always wanted to be a professor of painting or in the fine arts, so I found SCAD and I applied and I got in. I’ve never been to Georgia, I’ve never visited, I just decided to take the plunge and move here. It was wild because when I left the airport, we were driving down the road and I was like, “Oh no, where am I?” I was so nervous. Then once we hit the city of Savannah, I was like, “Oh my God, thank God it’s beautiful here.”
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
holes without a purpose. I was trying to heighten the futility and make the shovels that weren’t functional. Scrubbing is also based in futility. I wanted to bring painting into it as an aspect of scrubbing and trying to show a different type of labor. It’s almost more domestic in a sense, yet it’s a little bit harder and tougher, I’ve found. By scrubbing, I’m showing the pain I was feeling through my paintings. I started off by scrubbing blue canvas and muslin and scrubbing it until it started to fall apart. I’m destroying something I’m creating—that’s the whole point of it. Creating something that is eventually going to be destroyed is futile in itself because I’m accomplishing nothing, so I accomplish everything. For the “Scrubbing Blue is Nothing But Shoulder Pain,” that was going through my head at one point because I was like, “Oh my God, my shoulder is killing me.” It’s so physical that it was just hurting me, so I decided to become obsessed with that and repeat it. Repetition is very prominent in my work Tell me about your artistic as well, because I’m repeating the motions practice. over and over and over again. For me, the most frustrating part was It’s all based out of futility and frustration. painting it on the raw canvas because I had The futility of labor, really, is the essence of to keep re-wetting my brush. That’s more my whole practice and ideology. I created frustrating than anything, trying to get the shovels in particular because in my heavy body acrylic paint on a canvas, then video work, I was digging these holes and waiting for it to dry and then prepping my 18 producing action to show futility, digging solution.
2.
“Bubble Wrap Shovel,” “Cardboard Shovel,” and “Blue is Nothing but Shoulder Pain.” PHOTOS COURTESY OF NIKKI ZUARO.
I use bleach and water as a solution to scrub my paintings so it helps the process of the destruction of it and the disintegration of it a little bit faster. Then I just bring it outside and scrub until I can’t scrub anymore. It takes a few day to get to the point where I’m just done with it. It’s mainly to when my body is so exhausted—that’s when I’m done. I’m not going to push myself over my limit, but I’m going to push myself to that limit. I’m not that type of person that would hurt themselves for their art at all. That’s just crazy. So I go until I can’t really go anymore.
3.
Has your work always looked like this?
They’re artifacts, really. They’re the artifacts of the end result, and that’s how I see them. Even with the shovels, because that takes a long process to do as well because I’m making something that won’t function and I’m going to use it anyway. They ended up getting destroyed in the process, too, especially the cardboard one. I have an unfired ceramic one, I have a papier-mache one. Some of them get more destroyed than others. To me, they’re artifacts of the action that happened.
5. What’s next for you and your work?
Oh no, absolutely not! I came from a totally non-representational, abstract background, and I was really interested in street art. I came in using spray paints and different types of mediums and methods and practice than I’m doing now. It wasn’t really until I took a conceptual and experimental class at SCAD, which is where it really opened my eyes to a lot of different things. I absolutely fell in love with process. I felt like process for me was so much more satisfying than the end result. To me, process is [more] my true artwork than it is in the final product.
For my work, I see it expanding on this whole futility thing. If it starts gearing in a different direction, I’m totally okay with that. I’m not going to force something. My ideology shifts all the time, so I’m totally okay with and open to change. Professionally, I would love to keep showing in galleries, both small shows and larger shows. I’ve been applying to stuff like that, maybe picking up a residency in the future. For more stability, I would love to be a professor. That’s my goal; that’s why I came to get my MFA. I think I’m going to stay in Savannah for maybe a year or two and move on, but it’s really open. I’m open to going anywhere. CS
video work relate to each other?
For more, visit nikkizuaro.com or follow her on Instagram at @wasteland_trash.
4. How does your 3D work and your
FOOD & DRINK SERVING THE COMMUNITY
Meals for Medical organizer Jennifer Smith Green reflects on her movement rachael@connectsavannah.com
IT MAY FEEL like years ago now, but in March, Savannah was in an anxious holding pattern. As COVID-19 ravaged the rest of the world, we donned our masks and watched the numbers for our area rise each day. Jennifer Smith Green was one of us, watching the virus and wondering what she could do to help. On Facebook, she came across a photo of New York ER workers eating lunch. The caption excitedly thanked whoever had brought the food to them that day. “It just stirred something in my head,” said Green. A former PA, Green reached out to her nurse friends to ask about the possibility of starting something similar for Savannah’s nurses. If she collected donations and sent food, would that be a welcome idea? The answer was a resounding yes, and Green headed to Facebook to start asking for donations. Before she knew it, her post started gaining so much attention that she created her group, Meals for Medical. “It went from having the idea, thinking I would maybe send a meal or two and I was going to try to hit each ER, to turning into this huge success where, before I knew it, I had money coming to where I was able to expand to add the ICUs, and then the isolation units, and then the Chatham EMS, and then we started doing day shift and
night shift for a couple weeks,” remembers Green. “Once the momentum got going, it just kept going and going. It turned into a really big thing.” Armed with a legal pad and an Excel spreadsheet, Green worked tirelessly—and mostly alone—to coordinate with restaurants and nurses to get meals made and delivered. “It was almost overwhelming at the amount of support and phone calls and people wanting to donate, businesses wanting to donate, restaurants saying, ‘Hey, how can we get in on this—literally, the phone was ringing off the hook,” says Green. “I’d be on the phone and have another phone call or two come in. I’ve never been that busy. I was working more hours than I did as a full-time PA, but I didn’t want to lose the momentum. I was like, ‘I’m just going to do as much as I can, because clearly, people want to donate. Everyone wants to help support medical workers.’” Green was onto something. For those first few weeks, as we waited for the other shoe to drop, it was easy to feel helpless. Meals for Medical was an easy way for people to help, and it benefitted both medical workers and local businesses, two groups who’d be hit hardest by the pandemic. While she’d originally planned on filing for nonprofit status, Green realized that Meals for Medical was more of a shortterm need. As such, she informed each donor that their donation was not tax-deductible, but
the warning fell on deaf ears. “People just left and right said, ‘We don’t care about the tax exemption. We are just happy we can do something to help,’” says Green. “It was very much that feeling that this was their little part they could do to help.” Part of Green’s planning hinged on which restaurants could keep up with the demand. Some restaurants were able to make the required 360 meals a day, but others just couldn’t keep up.’ So, some days Green supplied meals from just one provider, and some days she used multiple meal providers. “Some days were more logistically challenging than others,” she admits. “It literally is just me; I don’t have a team. Of course, I called on my cousins and my friends—‘Hey, can you please get this delivery and take it for me?’ “Ultimately, most of the restaurants did their own delivery, but there there were definitely—especially in the beginning—a lot that I had to personally deliver to make it happen.” Much like the Facebook post that inspired the idea, the medical workers were so appreciative of, and moved by, the meals they received. “One of my friends one day texted me and said, ‘Is there anything coming today? We’ve already coded so many patients this morning—it’s been the worst day ever,’” says Green. “They look forward to some brightness. They might be going to get a pack of crackers out of the vending
machine for lunch, but instead they had something in the break room that was good. We were providing this little bit of peace, or this little brightness with having something exciting and different for lunch.” Green says that ultimately, there were over 12,000 meals delivered, but that doesn’t include donated items that didn’t make it onto her books. “It’s a great feeling to know that even though this hasn’t necessarily changed the course of coronavirus or made any huge impact in those kinds of ways, it makes me feel like I accomplished some type of community spirits, that we provided something that was a need during this crazy, unexpected time that no one really knew to plan or prepare for.” What’s next? Green isn’t sure. She certainly plans to continue supporting local business and has run a few ideas by business owners. She also hasn’t ruled out forming a nonprofit in the future if there’s a continued need. But above all, Green wants people to continue to appreciate and thank their medical workers. “It doesn’t always have to be a meal or something, but just remembering to say thanks is huge,” she says. “It’s such a rewarding feeling to have a patient or someone you cared for tell you, ‘Thank you for what you did for me.’ That means more than many of the other things that come along with medicine.” CS 19
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
BY RACHAEL FLORA
FOOD & DRINK COPING
BY KRISTY EDENFIELD
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
A FRIENDSHIP brought together by a hurricane has been cemented by a global pandemic. Angelina McDonald, mom of four boys all under five, and Shannon Harper, the parent of a 4-year-old son, first met in a moms group and supported each other while evacuating in Hurricane Dorian. When the pandemic started, McDonald, originally from Rochester, NY, saw a group of women surprising each other with bottles of wine. “I thought, why don’t we make something like that happen down here?” The first person McDonald drafted to help her was Shannon Harper. The pair started a Facebook group and made their first post on April 21. Six weeks later, they boast a membership of nearly 20,000 women, with another 7,500 membership requests waiting for approval. Generally, a member of the group will announce she is going to “dust” some 20 women and asks for people to drop their
addresses in the comments. Participants can ask for addresses in a region of Georgia, or narrow it down more by requesting a specific neighborhood. Once the fairy is ready to “dust,” she will leave a basket containing a bottle of wine and other items for the recipient to find. Basically it’s ding-dong-ditch for women over the age of 21. Recipients of the wine baskets will often post photos of their swag in the group as a means to thank their wine fairy. Harper says, “we were overwhelmed at first.” But after dusting a few more women and being “wined” themselves, they realized that they were onto something good. Wine Fairies can be found all over Georgia. “That was not the plan,” says Harper. “When we realized it was catching on, we expended.” McDonald laughs, “We wanted to take over Georgia. Why not? I always wanted to do something in my community that would lift people up.” McDonald says one of her sons will ask, “mommy, are you going to deliver wine?” And upon receiving an
Kevin Tomberlin, founder of Beer Bastards of Georgia, bringing beer and cheer.
For the Harper family, fairy dusting has become a family affair.
affirmative response, he exclaims, “you’re a superhero!” Their husbands are “all in”, says McDonald “They know every day how hard we work as stay-at-home moms. They’re supportive of our lives because this is bringing us joy and happiness.” Harper says that on a recent outing together, with the husbands and children in tow, her husband Richard parted the way for them by exclaiming, “everyone move aside, we have wine fairy royalty coming through.” One fairy, who has chosen to remain anonymous, recently wrote to McDonald and Harper, “I normally don’t do this, but I wanted you both to know that this group has helped me so much. I just left a bad relationship. I was assaulted after leaving him. I didn’t think that I was going to make it. I have no idea how I survived. He almost killed me.” This fairy said that during the pandemic she was left home without the distractions of work, having to relive and deal with things that she had tried to hide. “Once I started to play the wine fairy, I’ve been closer to being myself. I’m laughing again, I’m talking to people. It gave me normalcy.” Wine Fairies of Georgia is now a LLC and the duo plan to hold events in the future that will raise money for charities across Georgia. What are locals saying about Wine Fairies of Georgia? Yolandra Shipp, who is sometimes called Mama Bird, says, “The few times I saw my fairy, I did not know her. It was a kind gesture. My dustings have included wines, flavor vodkas, chocolate, chips, candy, wine glasses, and more. I love the wine fairy.” Lacy Marsh’s “flying buddy” is her friend Grace. They generally dust women in the Southside Savannah areas. “It has helped to keep hope alive in some ways, spreading joy to others. I’ve had a lot of fun.”
Marsh has dusted 12 ladies, and has been dusted herself three times. “It helps me get rid of items lying around my house, by giving items that someone else can use. It has brought a smile to my face when someone posts the bag I made.” There is now a group for the men too. “The main impetus for beginning Beer Bastards of Georgia for the men was because I started doing wine fairy deliveries with my wife, and had a great time giving to strangers,” says Kevin Tomberlin. “Then, someone wined my wife, I was really touched that someone thought enough to dust her. They got the wine and snacks together, and made the trip to our home. We decided together that the men needed something like this, and that’s where the Beer Bastards originated. It has grown and been built on giving folks a purpose and a connection to our community, and to each other.” “I’m part of a few Facebook groups going on right now to uplift people,” says Kristy Dyal. “I’m on the Wine Fairy page, Snack Fairy page, and though I’m not comfortable with the name of the group for the guys, (Beer Bastards) I’m part of that also.” Dyal has become an experienced fairy during the pandemic, with at least 100 deliveries under her “wings”, drafting her son, Chase, to help make the drops. “I haven’t really kept a count because it just became so much fun. The excitement these ladies get from getting dusted as we call it in the groups, just made me feel so good, keeping count never mattered.” I had my own experience “dusting” someone this week. I brought my husband along to help with the ding-dongditch part. Upon racing back to the car he exclaimed, “What kind of get away driver are you? You don’t even have the car in gear.” CS Both Wine Fairies of Georgia and Beer Bastards of Georgia can be found on Facebook.
Happenings COMPILED BY RACHAEL FLORA happenings@connectsavannah.com
JONESIN’ CROSSWORD BY MATT JONES ©2019 Answers on page 23
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HAPPENINGS IS CONNECT SAVANNAH’S LISTING OF COMMUNITY EVENTS, CLASSES AND GROUPS. VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM TO SUBMIT A LISTING. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR CUT LISTINGS DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS.
CHATHAM COUNTY COMMISSION MEETINGS — The Board of Commissioners usually meets twice a month (except for January) on Fridays at 9:30 a.m.The meetings are held in the Commission Chambers of the Old Courthouse, 124 Bull Street, Second Floor, and are open to the public. All Chatham County Commission Meeting Agendas, Minutes and Videos have moved to a new system that provides live streaming of video of the current meeting. chathamcountyga.iqm2. com/Citizens/Default.aspx. Green Room, Old County Courthouse, 124 Bull Street. CHATHAM COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE — The purpose of the Chatham County Democratic Committee (CCDC) is to foster local Democratic activities and affiliated organizations; seek out and assist democratic candidates for public office; provide voter education; and work with democratic officials at all levels while ensuring they stay true to our guiding principles. 912-4018913. ccdcgeorgia.com. EARLY VOTING — Early voting for Georgia’s 2020 primary election begins May 18 and runs through June 5. Mondays-Fridays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. sos.ga.gov. Chatham County Voter Registration Office, 1117 Eisenhower Dr., Suite E. POOLER CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — Pooler City Council meets the first and third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at Pooler City Hall, 100 SW US HW 80. Variances, Conditional Uses, Zoning Map Amendments and Text Amendments need to be submitted to the Zoning Administrator at least 30 days prior to the scheduled Planning and Zoning Meeting. For more information, visit poolerga.gov. RICHMOND HILL CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — Richmond Hill holds its city council meetings on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at 40 Richard Davis Drive. The public is always welcome at these meetings. You may register to speak at the end of a council meeting when you sign in at the meeting or you may contact Dawnne Greene, City Clerk, at (912) 756-2749 or dgreene@ richmondhill-ga.gov in advance to be placed on the council agenda. For more, visit richmondhill-ga.gov.
SAVANNAH AREA YOUNG REPUBLICANS — Get involved. Meetings are the last Tuesday of every month (except for December) at 7:00pm. Contact number: (912) 657-9623 chairman@sayr.org. sayr.org. SAVANNAH CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY REGULAR MEETING — Join a nonpartisan group that has genuine concern about how climate change is affecting Savannah (and the world) and is researching how the people of Savannah can help mitigate or even reverse some of the worst consequences of climate change. fourth Monday of every month, 7-8 p.m. facebook.com/ events/174811263853917/. Two Tides Brewing Company, 12 West 41st St. SAVANNAH CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — All regularly scheduled meetings are held every other Thursday. The first meeting of the month is at 2 p.m., and the second meeting of the month is at 6:30 p.m. Savannah Government Television (Channel 8) broadcasts Council Meetings live at 2 p.m. on the day of the meeting. You can view a livestream of the meetings at www.savannahga.gov/ livestream. savannahga.gov/458/CouncilMeeting-Schedule. Savannah City Hall, 2 East Bay Street. THOMAS SQUARE/METROPOLITAN HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION — The Thomas Square Neighborhood Association meets monthly via Zoom. Visit thomassquare.org for more information. ongoing. TYBEE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — Mayor and Council will hold City Council Meetings the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.at the Burke Day Public Safety Building, 78 Van Horn. For more information on the Tybee City Council, visit cityoftybee.org. UNMERGE MY UNIVERSITY — FREE: UNMERGE MY UNIVERSITY vehicle stickers. Greater Savannah and Statesboro areas. Visit www.unmergemyuniversity.com for details.
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ACROSS
1 Cocktail “invented” in 2020 that can include vodka, gin, honey, EmergenC, or whatever you feel like drinking 11 Items in a self-checkout station question 15 Out of uniform 16 Model Nordegren once married to Tiger Woods 17 How long USPS bulk mail takes to get across the country 18 Only 19 Tennessee team, for short 20 Part of some fire extinguisher instructions 21 Sink to the bottom 23 Yellow bloomer with a bovine name 25 Key beside Q 27 Bishop’s hat 28 Wee drink 30 Intimidating, unhelpful advice from a coach 32 “A cartoon by Robert ___” (common “SNL” credit in the ‘90s) 35 Part of BCE 36 Org. in TV’s “The Rookie” 37 Hither’s counterpart 38 Sidekick and Samurai, for two 41 “Chandelier” singer 42 Some hosp. scans 44 Exceed 45 Memento accessory 47 Word before mirror or humor
49 Abbr. for some Spanish teachers 50 Hokkaido city known for its beer (and headquarters of Hokkaido Brewing Company) 51 2001 “Lady Marmalade” contributor 53 Over 57 Actress Davidovich of “Gods and Monsters” 59 Advanced deg. 61 Library penalty 62 Pleasant feeling, to reggae fans 63 Figure not found in an appellate court 66 Kind of pay or day 67 Only state capital without a McDonald’s 68 Part of an Einsteinian equation 69 Extra income source, informally
DOWN
1 Migos rapper who received his high school diploma in 2020 (at age 29) 2 Remove from packaging, a la YouTube videos 3 “I don’t want the issue of Hobbes’s reality settled by ___ manufacturer”: Bill Watterson 4 Being green, in a way 5 Output from Frida Kahlo or Mary Cassatt 6 Org. whose March Madness was cancelled in 2020 7 Namely
8 “It’s settled” 9 Society page notation 10 Bugs 11 Request to one’s heart? 12 Like huge favors 13 Legendary bebop trumpeter 14 Showed disdain for 22 CPR administrator 24 Slapstick projectiles 26 Syllable for the Swedish Chef 29 Body officially demoted on August 24, 2006 31 Subject of TNT’s “Claws” 32 Movement with a lot of representation? 33 Halts 34 How book titles should appear when cited, per APA style 39 Video chat company based in San Jose 40 Kinda miffed 43 Blood-curdling cries 46 Water measures, when mixing condensed soup 48 Wagon wheel track 52 Subside 54 Was guilty 55 “Mary Tyler Moore Show” actress Georgia 56 Manufacturer with a green and yellow logo 58 Dispensers with Braille options 60 Coleridge’s “sacred river” 64 “Vive le ___!” 65 Game, in French (the plural is heard in “Games Without Frontiers”)
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
ACTIVISM & POLITICS
21
HAPPENINGS
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
LGBTQ
SUNDAY SERVICE WITH EPIPHANY — Epiphany is a church without walls because we know that love knows no barriers. As we pray, worship and proclaim the Good News together, we also seek out co-conspirators with whom we may promote justice, peace and love. A “different kind of church,” Epihpany livestreams their Sunday morning service. Sundays, 11 a.m. facebook.com/ EpiphanySavannah. FIRST CITY NETWORK — Georgia’s oldest LGBT organization (founded in 1985) is a
local non-profit community service organization whose mission is to share resources of health care, counseling, education, advocacy and mutual support in the Coastal Empire. Members and guests enjoy many special events throughout the year, including First Saturday Socials held the first Saturday of each month at 7pm. Mondays. 912-236-CITY. firstcitynetwork.org. SAVANNAH PRIDE, INC. — Organizes the annual Savannah Pride Festival and helps promote the well-being of the LGBTQI com-
munity in the South. Mission: unity through diversity and social awareness. Second Tuesday/month. PO Box 6044, Savannah, GA 31414. 501c non-profit. ongoing. info@ savannahpride.com. savannahpride.com. T2Q — T2Q seeks to help Trans people become comfortable in their true identities, as well as assist them in getting used to being out among society. Meetings are the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7 p.m. T2Q’s official mission statement: To defend human and civil rights secured by law. Lessening neighborhood tensions views on
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Aries poet Paul Verlaine wrote “Autumn Song” in 1866. It became a well-known French poem, and eventually played a role in a historical turning point. In June 1944, a top-secret British spy organization used the poem as a code to communicate crucial information to the French Resistance, via BBC radio, about the allies’ upcoming D-Day invasion of Normandy. In the spirit of poetry being used to accomplish practical actions, I’m now sending out a burst of code to you, Aries. It’s adapted from another poem by Verlaine: “Delight in good-omened fortune, baptized by the bristling scents of mint, thyme, and clover on the wind of dawn.” Regard this as a signal for you to acquire a necessary resource, strengthen connections with key allies, and intensify your current quest.
CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 3 - 9, 2020
I’m one of the lucky people who has never been addicted to alcohol or drugs. What’s the source of my great fortune? Two kinds of grace are key: I suffered no abuse and trauma when I was growing up, and my genetic make-up doesn’t predispose me to self-medicate with intoxicants. But I am indeed a bit addicted to other things, like fearful fantasies, sexual feelings, and the urge to win arguments. So I’m blessed in some ways, cursed in others—just like all of us! In honor of our season of introspection, my fellow Cancerian, I invite you to do what I just did: Count your blessings and curses. Doing so will bring you just the right kind of healing.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
BY ROB BREZSNY
beautyandtruth@freewillastrology.com
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Nobel Prize-winning Libran author William Faulkner was asked by a cousin if he was drunk when he dreamed up the imaginative stories and characters in his novels. The truth was that on occasion Faulkner did indeed consume alcohol in excessive amounts. However, he rarely indulged while actually writing. His creative ideas mostly came from his fertile imagination, not an unhinged spirit. In the coming weeks, I hope you will be like Faulkner during the inventive phases he enjoyed while sober and disciplined and driven by focused intention. The astrological omens suggest that’s the best recipe for generating original ideas and productive visions.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
“The changes we dread most may contain our salvation,” writes author Barbara Kingsolver. Although I mostly agree with her conclusion, I’ll also suggest that we could come up with less melodramatic versions of it. For example, we might say, “The adjustments we’re resisting may actually be healthy.” Or “The uncomfortable transitions we’re avoiding might ultimately lead to a better version of comfort.” Or “The revelations we’re attempting to ignore and deny could eventually be the source of relief and release.” Do any of these work for you right now, Capricorn? I bet at least one does.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Taurus philosopher Bertrand Russell observed, “The best life is the one in which the creative impulses play the largest part and the possessive impulses the smallest.” That is always an important principle for everyone to embrace, in my opinion. But it will be an especially essential truth for you in the coming weeks. Your creative powers will thrive, even soar and generate blessings, to the degree that you downplay and outwit your possessive inclinations.
“Jacquemus Mini Le Chiquito” is the name of a tiny purse you can buy for $522. It fits into the palm of your hand, and won’t hold much—maybe a single-use strand of dental floss, a shoe from a Barbie doll, a snippet of a loved one’s hair, an aspirin, maybe a few crumbs from a potato chip. In any case, I don’t recommend it for you. You should be surrounding yourself with symbols of capaciousness and roominess. You need influences that inspire you to be a spacious container. It’s time for you to welcome and receive an abundance of blessings, inquiries, and invitations.
“What use is this howling tenderness?” wrote eighth-century Tamil mystic poet Andal. My research on Google reveals that no one has answered her question until now. I decided you would benefit from hearing my response, since you are in a chapter of your life story when howling tenderness could work to your benefit. So here’s my counsel: Howling tenderness is useful because it has the power to shatter mysterious barriers that have been at least partially obstructing you from exploring the frontiers of sacred intimacy.
Some people seem to think of sacredness as being pristine and pious—an immaculate and orderly transcendence of earthly concerns. Author and minister Marilyn Sewell has a different perspective. “Who can order the Holy?” she asks. “It is like a rain forest, dripping, lush, fecund, wild. We enter its abundance at our peril, for here we are called to the wholeness for which we long, but which requires all we are and can hope to be.” I recommend Sewell’s version of holiness to you in the coming weeks, Aquarius. You’re primed to upgrade and deepen your sacred lust for life.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
22
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
the LGBTQ+ Community with emphasis on Trans and non-binary individuals. Conduct public discussion groups, forums, panels, lectures or similar programs. To promote the quantum effect on one’s identity and diversity in all mankind. To give hope to those who feel lost. To lift up our fellow Trans and Non-binary individuals. All because we care. ongoing. T2QTrans@gmail.com. Savannah LGBT Center, 1515 Bull St.
“It’s OK to live a life others don’t understand,” writes author Jenna Woginrich. That’s a healthy attitude for an eccentric person like her, who taught herself by trial and error how to run a small farm with a meager budget while all alone in the middle of nowhere. But does her advice apply to everyone? I say yes, it does. All of us have quirky behaviors and idiosyncratic ideas and odd feelings that other people find hard to understand, let alone appreciate. I bring this to your attention, Gemini, because the coming weeks will be a time when it’s best for you to emancipate yourself as much as possible from the need to be perfectly understood as you express your raw, pure, unique self.
“Worry is a way to pretend that you have knowledge or control over what you don’t,” writes author Rebecca Solnit. “And it surprises me, even in myself, how much we prefer ugly scenarios to the pure unknown.” Your assignment in the coming weeks is to thoroughly incorporate Solnit’s wisdom—and then wield it with tender ferocity as you reshape your relationship with the future. See if you can manage, if only for ten days, to fight off and dissolve the reflex to worry. Here’s a tip: Any time the agitated fantasy of an ugly scenario rises up in your imagination, remind yourself that it’s not objectively true and immediately replace it with a fantasy of a desirable scenario.
Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield articulates the spiritual medicine I think you should seek in the coming weeks. You especially need it, and by happy coincidence, it’s likely to be available. Kornfield writes: “When we have for so long been judged by everyone we meet, just to look into the eyes of another who does not judge us can be extraordinarily healing.” I urge you to identify the people who can perform this service for you, then ask them point-blank to perform this service, even if it has to happen over FaceTime or via Zoom. To generate the good karma that will ensure this happens in just the right way, offer to perform the same service for others.
When Europeans arrived in the New World, the Iroquois Confederacy in what’s now northeastern North American had been practicing participatory democracy for 350 years. The visionary principles of these native people ultimately influenced the formation of the United States and its Constitution. Now would be a good time for you to be inspired by these facts. How? You could draw teachings from the past and use them to create your future. You could study the perspectives of indigenous people and incorporate their wisdom into the way you live your life. You could tune in to and explore the traditions of people you respect and adopt them for your own use.
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CROSSWORD ANSWERS
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