DOZENS MARCH FOR EX-DEPUTY

Nearly 150 Friends And Family Of David Glisson Take To Streets Around
Government Center

Katie and LeRoy Glisson taught their family that they were as good as most
folks but better than none. They were white folks living comfortably in a
segregated world until their daughter came home from junior college in Florida.

"Guess what? My roomie was black," Darlene Glisson said. "Linda Williams
was the first black person my age that I had ever sat down and talked to. I
went to her house and she came to mine. I found out she was just like me."

Darlene Glisson describes herself as "a certified civil rights activist,"
the first in her family. In the late 1960s, she went to work for the Metro
Columbus Urban League.

"I was the token white," she laughed.

Those days crossed her mind Tuesday morning as she joined her parents at a
march around the Government Center in support of her brother, David
Glisson. He is a lifetime lawman who shot and killed an unarmed black man
13 months ago. Glisson has lost his job and his health, but he hasn't lost
the backing of those who love him.

"When I was involved in civil rights, my brother was right there behind
me," Darlene said. "My granddaughter is bi-racial. Her father is black.
David loves that little child. What I want the public to know is that my
brother is not the personality he's been portrayed to be. David did not
casually take someone's life. It was a tragic accident."

On Tuesday, nearly 150 people walked and carried hand-lettered signs
supporting Glisson, the former sheriff's deputy who killed Kenneth Walker
during a narcotics investigation on Dec. 10, 2003, that ended with a
traffic stop on Interstate 185. Nearly a year later, a grand jury decided
not to indict Glisson, who had been fired by Sheriff Ralph Johnson 10
months earlier.

Allegations of drugs led to the stop on I-185, but from the beginning the
issue of race was inescapable. On Tuesday, all of the marchers were white
though two unidentified black men interrupted a TV interview to shake LeRoy
and Katie Glisson's hands and tell them they were thinking of them.

Even now, Glisson's legal future is unclear. A civil suit is pending,
federal authorities could get involved and the case could be brought in
front of another grand jury locally. Next month Glisson goes in front of
the city's personnel review board alleging wrongful termination.

In light of these ongoing legal and administrative proceedings, Glisson has
been unable to talk openly about what happened the night of the shooting or
about what has happened since. Family members aren't so constrained.

"My son is not guilty of murder," Katie Glisson said. "He loved his job too
much. He's as sorry for this as anybody."

Carrying a sign that proclaimed: "I'm David Glisson's Mother-in-Law and
Proud of It," Gloria Etheridge was also among the marchers. "Consider all
the facts and leave David alone," she said, breaking into tears before she
could finish her sentence.

In the year following Walker's death, several rallies have been held to
honor the former high school basketball star and his family. Tuesday's
event was the first for Glisson. It was organized by Tim Delbridge, creator
of www.friendsof-davidglisson.com.

Delbridge and his wife Melinda -- who believe the veteran deputy ought to
be reinstated -- made posters with a variety of slogans:

"No Bill Means Not Guilty."

"Justice for Everyone."

"An Accident Is an Accident."

"Justice Has Not Been Served."

Marchers included two of Glisson's daughters along with friends who had
known the 48-year-old lawman since he was born. There were people with
walking sticks and even a tall blond woman in four-inch heels that were
hardly made for walking.

The only conflict was with a Phenix City man who had issues with the Metro
Drug Task Force. When the lone counterprotester began taunting the Glisson
supporters, Columbus Police escorted him away.

David Glisson and his wife did not take part in the rally, and Delbridge
pointed out that he spoke only for himself.