PERKINS INVITES BIKERS TO SELMA WITHOUT SCHEDULING EVENT WITH CRAIG AIRPORT AUTHORITY
3-31-08
What looked like another opportunity for Mayor Perkins to campaign has turned into a public relations nightmare which has left him with "egg on his face". Without consulting the airport where he wanted to hold the event, Perkins, with much fanfare, announced last week that the Tuskegee Airmen would come to Craig and that the Black Bikers Association would come to town in conjunction with the event and that there would be a Wings and Trails Extravaganza in our city which would bring thousands of tourists and tens of thousands of dollars to the city.
Perkins should have thought this one through before he made the announcement. First, the Tuskegee Airmen still living all have to be between 85-95 years old. Are they really going to fly vintage WW II fighter planes into Selma? Of Course not. In fact, it was NOT the Tuskegee Airmen who were sponsoring this, but instead it was an association called the Negro Airman Association. NAI has their own website and hardly mentions Tuskegee Airmen.
Second, the black bikers riding from the bridge to Craig Field could have been a real fiasco for the Mayor. If you look at the pictures on their wibsite you will be horrified at what Perkins was bringing to Selma. Be sure and read on the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, website about what the Black Bikers did to their city and how Myrtle Beach has asked them NOT TO COME BACK. We would put some of the images on this website but found them to be a little too vulgar. If you wish to see what the images are, all you have to do is google search for images and type in the search words "Black Bikers Myrtle Beach". Many are not fit for family consumption. This surely was something our city DID NOT need.
Third, when Perkins made his announcement about all of the airmen, bikers, vendors, and crowds coming to Craig Field, he had forgotten ONE IMPORTANT DETAIL. He had NEVER asked permission from the Board of Directors of the Airport Authority to have the airport turned over to him to campaign for a day amidst the throngs he expected to take over the base. How surprised Perkins must have been when his appointed Board Members, including James Mitchell and Perkins' uncle Frank Smith along with other Board Members, refused to approve having this campaign event at Craig. We applaud the Craig Board for having the courage to do the right thing and not turn an industrial base over to who knows what!
Once again, Perkins has embarassed himself and our city by not thinking before speaking! We hope he has learned a lesson about trying to exploit brave men (the WW II airmen) for personal/political gain. This city will not survive 4 more years with him as Mayor!
