Upcoming Freaknik Bash prompts high alert




Councilwoman Vickey Bates waved a copy of the “Freaknik Bash” flyer while she warned the event is not a positive occurrence.

Councilwoman Vickey Bates waved a copy of the “Freaknik Bash” flyer while she warned the event is not a positive occurrence.

An approved Juneteenth festival to take place on Woodslands Road in Waynesboro turned out to actually be a “Freaknik Bash”.

Waynesboro City Manager Valerie Kirkland said she and the Council were misled by applicant Melissa Brayboy, owner of Scramblerz Coffee Bar in Midville. Brayboy never informed Waynesboro city officials the event was an adultonly party. According to an event proposal signed by property owner Jacquelyne Telgren, the festival was to consist of music, water games, vendors and a cool-down station. Last month, Telgren approached the Council asking for the approval of Brayboy’s application for what the city understood would be a family-oriented Juneteenth festival. Instead, a circulated flyer presents a less-than-wholesome image of what is to take place. Councilwoman Vickey Bates warned the panel that the event is associated with drug use and prostitution.

Representatives from both the Waynesboro Police Department and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office will attend a meeting with Brayboy Wednesday, May 31 to discuss security concerns. WPD Investigator Angela Collins promised that with the first sign of anything going astray, officers will shut down the party. The WPD has asked all officers to be on-call and the Georgia State Patrol has been asked to assist. Kirkland will provide Brayboy with a letter listing a host of actions that will not be tolerated.

“These Freaknik events in the past have been major security issues (involving) guns and fighting,” said WPD Investigator Angela Collins. “This is not good for our community.”

As part of the application process, Brayboy agreed there would be designated parking on Telgren’s private property. Kirkland said in her opinion the second someone parks on Woodlands Road, she would like to see law enforcement officers shut the party down. Promising a stern approach, she recommended that an infraction of any city ordinance should result in citations issued to both the event organizer and the property owner. If officers see anyone consuming alcohol, she hopes they will shut down the party immediately.

“This was not discussed and that’s what bothers me,” Kirkland told council members May 25 during a Recreation Committee meeting. “I really don’t want the event to happen.”

The controversial movement has made a resurgence in recent years. Freaknik began in the early 1980s when songs like “Le Freak” by Chic and “Super Freak” by Rick James rocked the airwaves. Dozens of Atlanta-based Black college students picnicking in a park during Spring break played the popular “freak” songs on a boom box. Combining picnic with freak, the event received its name; “Freaknik.” The festival grew into a citywide bash with concerts and partying in the streets. However, the celebration fizzled out in the late 1990s. During Freaknik 1998, four rapes, six sexual assaults and four shootings were reported, along with 481 arrests, according to the Associated Press.

The True Citizen attempted to reach out to both Brayboy and Telgren, but calls went unanswered. Multiple stipulations attached to the approval of the event have yet to be met. In the event they are not met by the deadline, Kirkland promised to bring the issue back to the council during a special called meeting to give them the opportunity to revoke the approval of the application.

Brayboy had Midville officials scrambling in March when a circulated flyer informed the City Council of a Freaknik Bash scheduled to take place at the city park.

However, Brayboy cancelled the event after she was informed the event would require the council’s approval.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.