Resolution

SELMA — A majority of the city council here has rejected a resolution saying it has no confidence in its president, and has refused to ask him to step down.

Sam Randolph of Ward 5 and Bennie Ruth Crenshaw of Ward 7 voted for the resolution. Corey Bowie of Ward 8, Susan Keith of Ward 2, Dr. Monica Newton of Ward 3, Angela Benjamin of Ward 4 and B.L. Tucker of Ward 6 voted against the resolution. Council President Cecil Williamson abstained.

Randolph introduced the resolution, which accused Williamson of being a racist, having helped organize the Friends of Forrest group, which celebrates Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest.

The resolution also charged Williamson with being a member of the League of the South, which Williamson has not denied. A couple of weeks ago in a video interview Williamson said he left the League of the South when he realized it was not what he expected it to be. Connie Tucker and others have accused Williamson of still having ties to the League.

In a 10-minute soliloquy, Crenshaw condemned Williamson for being a racist, but said he was honest about his beliefs.

The resolution was introduced at the end of a long meeting, which at one point Williamson had to gavel into recess because some members of the crowd became unruly and noisy.

During the public comment part of the agenda, held early in the meeting, Rose Toure, wife of state Sen. Hank Sanders, charged Williamson with being a racist and vowed to continue to disrupt meetings if he continued as president.

Volunteers from the Freedom Foundation, a non-profit group, showed their support by making loud statements. At one point the foundation’s leader, Mark Duke, stood up and yelled with others for Williamson to explain his position on race and whether he supports secession of states from the Union.

Toure read from some e-mail exchanges between a fictional neo-confederate made up by one of Toure’s supporters and Pat Godwin, a friend of Williamson’s. The e-mails discussed views of neo-confederate, such as honoring old Confederate war heroes, succession of states and states rights.

“Those e-mails did not come from me,” Williamson said. “They do not reflect my position.”

Toure passed around a letter from Edward H. Sebesta, co-editor of “Neo-Confederacy: A Critical Introduction,” and of The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader: The ‘Great Truth’ about the ‘Lost Cause.’ In the letter Sebesta said Williamson should not hold public office.

Officers from the Selma police and fire departments cleared the council chambers after the meeting recessed at 5:30 p.m., just 30 minutes into the business. The meeting resumed about 30 minutes later with only media present. Toure was also present because she represents 105.3, the radio station owned in part by she and her husband as Imani Communications. Others listed as incorporators are the late J.L. Chestnut, Collins Pettaway and Perry Varner.

People were allowed back into the council chambers slowly, warned if they became disruptive, they would be escorted out.

Later, Toure was escorted out because she would not be quiet.