MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Shelby County Commissioner said she wants legal action after years of harassment from white supremacists.
For almost four years, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer says she’s been harassed by George Johnson of Mississippi. He is believed to be a member of a group called Confederate 901.
Johnson was accused of threatening Sawyer in June 2021. He was also caught on camera yelling profanities at Sawyer while waving a Confederate flag during the removal of the remains of Confederate leader Nathan Bedford Forrest
“I was speaking at a press conference, and he was standing behind me waving the Confederate flag and singing Dixie,” Sawyer said. “He told me he would beat my behind.”
From there, Sawyer says Johnson was charged with assault, which is a case she was willing to let be dismissed in court Monday until new threats surfaced.
“This past weekend, I received an inbox with video and photo proof of George Johnson and his friends inciting people to send me harmful messages,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer also said that one of the messages read “mail me cotton so that I can know who really runs this country.”
She plans to file a police report and contact the FBI because she said the new threats should be taken seriously.
“In light of what we saw last year on Jan. 6, after watching the video where he says ‘Memphis watch out. Y’all got something coming to you after Jan. 24’ pretty much retaliate on either me or the city,” Sawyer said.
In a statement, Dyersburg Assistant District Attorney General Andrew Hays said, “I have advised her to report it to the police. As a prosecuting attorney, I do not have power to issue an arrest warrant.”
Sawyer says with D.A. Amy Weirich and a county judge rescuing themselves from the case due to conflict, she wants action.
“Martin Luther King Day just passed and everybody loves to quote him,” Sawyer said. “Are you going to stand up for justice or are you going to give into the terror?”
A trial date has been set for March 31.
