S.A.F.E. Investigations

Community Notice: September 29, 2025

Jonesboro Mayor Dr. Donya Sartor, has once again publically used her position as Mayor to infringe on the First Amendment Rights, pertaining to students of the Jonesboro Youth City Government “Jonesboro Youth Council” by coercion.
In a recent gathering of the youth participants and their parents, Mayor Sartor was confronted with the accountability that the “City” was not in a financial position to send the youth to the 2025 Youth Symposium in Savannah, Ga. (A state-wide youth conference)
In the attached video you can hear Mayor Sartor and Councilman Alfred Dixon (Council member sponsor for the youth council) in a heated exchange where he calls her fiscal mismanagement into question.
During the meeting there are several moments of great concern. Especially a moment when Mayor Sartor (commits coercion) by telling the youth that if they speak during the public comments section of the Jonesboro City Council meeting in reference to the Youth Council funds, they “would not” be allowed to attend the Savannah event.
[advanced_iframe src=”https://joinsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mayor-of-Jonesboro-Kid-Video.mov” width=”100%” height=”600″]
Listed below are the moments of the conversation where Mayor Sartor commits coercion:
  1. (1:30) – Heated exchange between Councilman Dixon and Mayor Sartor on the accountability of the funds for the youth council.
  2. (1:55) – Mayor Sartor declares the students “WILL NOT” go to Savannah. This follows the exchange between her and Councilman Dixon.
  3. (2:06) – Mayor Sartor states “If y’all (referring to the students) go up and make public comments, you will not go to Savannah” – The students were planning to speak in regards to the funds that were not allocated to the JYGC but were by amendment.
  4. (2:17) – A student (Youth) speaks up and states “Yes Ma’am, WE won’t go up” and then Mayor Sartor responds and says “Thank You”
Following the release of this clip in audio, Mayor Sartor has once again called a “Special Meeting” of the youth and their parents. This meeting was called only after she learned of this recording from the meeting. It is scheduled to take place this upcoming Tuesday, September 30th.
The Mayor’s comments and request to the youth violate the students  First Amendment Rights by way of viewpoint discrimination and preemptive prior restraint.
  • Viewpoint Discrimination: This Legal Term Applies When A Government Official Silences A Speaker Because They Disagree With The Speaker’s Message Or Ideas. The First Amendment Prohibits Officials From Restricting Speech Based On Its Content, Particularly In Designated Public Forums.
  • Prior Restraint: This Legal Concept Refers To Government Actions That Prevent Speech From Occurring In The First Place.
A formal request is being sent to the Attorney General’s office.  The youth were allowed to attend the conference, however, the public comments of the youth that spoke were heavily modified to reflect the Mayor’s desire.  In addition, Councilman Alfred Dixon has identified several areas of fiscal concern with the youth council budget under the direction of the Mayor.