D.A. King     Image: DIS

Gwinnett Daily Post
15 Sept 2019
Curt Yeomans

D.A. King responds to petition by Duluth councilman Kirkland Carden with petition of his own

In the latest turn in an ongoing battle between Dustin Inman Society founder D.A. King and a pair of local Democrats, the controversial immigration enforcement advocate has launched a petition calling for the condemnation of Duluth Councilman Kirkland Carden — for starting a petition calling on county leaders to condemn Gwinnett Sheriff Butch Conway.

Carden started his petition shortly after Conway invited King to speak at a 287(g) forum hosted by county Commissioner Marlene Fosque in late July. His petition, which was presented to county commissioners late last month, calls for the condemnation for inviting King to participate in the forum.

Democrats were quick to condemn the invitation, citing the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is labeled King’s organization as an anti-immigrant hate group. King and his supporters, however, have argued that the SPLC is a discredited organization which has mischaracterized the Dustin Inman Society.

“The main goal of the shameful effort from Kirkland Carden is to attack Gwinnett’s Sheriff Conway for standing against the leftist open borders mob that will do or say anything to end immigration enforcement in Gwinnett, Georgia and the U.S.A.,” King wrote in the petition.

“We hope you will send a message by signing this petition asking the Gwinnett Commissioners and the Duluth City Council to condemn Kirkland Carden.”

King wants both the county commission and the Duluth City Council to take action to condemn Carden for circulating his change.org petition against Conway. King’s petition is also listed on change.org, with a photo taken from Carden’s campaign website.

Carden, who is running for the county commission District 1 seat in 2020, said he is not deterred by King’s petition and reaffirmed his stance that he views comments made by King about immigrants as racist.

“Despite his attempt to distract people with his defense of 287(g), my decision to start the petition was based on his racist and bigoted statements,” Carden told the Daily Post Friday.

Since the 287(g) forum, there have been ongoing rounds of verbal and written shots being taken back and forth over whether King should have been invited to participate in the forum.

In addition to Carden’s petition against Conway — and now King’s petition against Carden — Fosque has denounced Conway for inviting the Dustin Inman Society founder to participate in the forum. King responded to that by filing an ethics complaint against Fosque last month.

In his petition against Carden, King accuses Carden of spreading “hate-mongering smears from the anti-enforcement race-baiters.”

“Carden hopes that Gwinnett voters will not see the truth about the SPLC, that D.A. King has the support of a wide array of diverse Americans and has been favorably profiled on the front page of the New York Times,” King wrote.

“Even that liberal newspaper makes it clear that King (and the Dustin Inman Society) is opposed to the crime of illegal immigration and is not “anti-immigration.”

A link to the petition, which can be viewed at bit.ly/2lTNfvK, was also circulated on the Gwinnett-based United Tea Party of Georgia’s Facebook page. The Daily Post is listing a link to the petition since it included a link to Carden’s petition in an article about that effort in early August.

But Carden said the petition defamed him and another man, named George Chidi, who King accused of advising Carden.

“I have consistently made the point that my issue was with D.A. King representing our sheriff and the sheriff’s department at a public event and his close relationship with Sheriff Conway that the Sheriff has defended,” Carden said.

“To put it simply, I welcome this discussion and will not be intimidated by the critics.”   Here.