As each year passes, I hear my parents’ guiding words and principals more and more often – etched in my soul forever. One that comes to mind is my father saying, “Don’t claim your one thing and be another…” Out of the gate, unincorporated North Fulton could have become the “Little Kentucky” of metro Atlanta and true equestrian mecca. Foundation should have been first so one can stand to epitomize the reality of a plan coming to fruition later. Countless municipalities have backed their branding with action. Peachtree City, GA was simple countryside until planners came along wanting to build a golf community. Today, it is so. Wellington & Ocala, Florida and Aiken, South Carolina – all regarded highly as true equestrian communities. The list goes on and on. Unfortunately, the infamous “City” of Milton is an arrogant corrupt façade – nothing more – nothing less. It is the last place you want to keep or bring horses to. Be advised, Kentucky land where million-dollar horses come from cost far less.
What is now the “City” of Milton Georgia DOES NOT have an equestrian history going back a century.
If anything, the “horse country” claim started to emerge in North Fulton during the early 1980’s – prior to that it was cattle, corn, and cotton with farms run by poor but proud white and black farmers. I lived this – did you? Alpharetta disposed of the horseshoes long ago and prides itself on what it is today – a tech suburb.
Those given power in the new “City” of Milton came out of the gate slapping horse logos and claims of a “rural” lifestyle on anything they could find…Goodness – look at the equestrian fencing around the new gas station!
Actions speak louder than words and there was little action behind such. Today, there are no equestrian parks and there are only two developments that allow horses at all.
Within said “City” limits, there are no equine vets, there are no equine farriers, there are no feed stores offering horse supplies and hay, there no saddlery shops – businesses do research and open where they know there is a market. Mayor #2 Peyton Jameson knows this, relaying to me in our driveway that “no one is moving here for horses; the land is too expensive…”
Those elected on the infamous Milton “City” Council to date are not shy about this fact at all. For clarification, let’s dig deeper…
Our beloved horse Liberty, who was conceived on Harjung Farm in Crabapple (Today, another subdivision…) was born in our small pasture in 1980 to Mama Belle.
Horses owned by our family are treated more like big dogs that trophy winners – ridden seldom but loved and treated often.
“Liberty” was named for obvious reasons which sealed the deal when my sister found a dime in the old Food Giant parking lot in Alpharetta.
The coin says many words on its’ small face; one of which is that of “Liberty.” We still have that same dime today; taped on the back of a flat rock.
On February 21st, 1999, we would bury my father in Foley Alabama. That same day, Belle would drop dead on the ridge behind our house. Being out of town, family friends would cover her with a pool tarp waiting for next steps. Liberty kept removing it; she didn’t understand. She wanted her Mama back.
Horses are herd animals. They generate strength from numbers. With such power, this beautiful animal is also referenced as a “fight or flight” being – in other words, they will either take on an aggressor or run from it. Now you know why fireworks and unexpected noise are so dangerous. In addition, equines are a matriarchal society with the girls ruling the masses.
Liberty would venture on in life alone, creating and incredibly strong bond with Mom. Roaming like a sheep dog, she ventured to all corners; even being so smart as figuring out how to open the breakfast room door to snag fruit of the dinner table. Mom would kill pests biting her beloved Liberty with a fly swatter while the sweet mare ate her grain without budging. Pure trust. Carefree and happy grazing and then, one day, she suddenly stopped.
Soon after, Mom would be grooming her and noticed welts all around Liberty’s face and neck. Upon further inspection, areas of injury had various colorings to them.
After speaking with others, we would come to find out the colors were from paint balls. Word along our open road neighborhood started to spread about Liberty’s attack. A neighbor across the street would testify to “City” of Milton Police that they saw teen boys who resided in a home across from our big pasture shooting “some type of gun” into her paddock around the same time.
We tried talking to one of the kids who challenged us when I was filming them along our frontage. By this time, Mom used a little riding mower to travel around as her COPD disease was taking its’ toll with each breath taxing.
He refused to listen and then looked at my 74 year old mother and said “You don’t know who you are fucking with…”and then parted with “Have a nice fucking day..”
As I started to climb the fence for a more in-depth discussion, the coward took off on his four-wheeler illegally across Bethany Road.
After returning from a friend’s funeral later that year, I would find Mom sitting on a swing in our larger pasture. I asked her what she was doing. Looking away, she would share that the same boys flicked her “the middle finger” countless times while cursing at her that day as she sat with Liberty. “Why don’t they just leave me and Liberty alone?” she pleaded as tears came down her face.
I immediate called then “City” Manager Chris Lagerbloom. He would respond by phone that such actions and words were “a form of freedom of speech” and that his “officers deal with it all the time.”
Other acts by these boys against Mom included crank calls (“Do you want to be a part of fight club?”), sexual gyrations, and vulgar screams. This went on for years…
A memory just came to me. Mom, Patrick, and I were headed into Alpharetta to do some grocery shopping at Food Giant when I was a boy. As we turned by Cronan Cabinet Shop, we would see some teenage boys with a rifle in hand on our right; on the left we saw a small bird; moving to expiration quickly as it flopped about the ground. Seeing this, Mom asked, “Why would they shoot an innocent little bird?” Truly.
How many men reading this paper would be ok if such treatment were bestowed upon their mother, wife, daughter, or sister?
Elder abuse is a crime. “Under Georgia Law, it is a felony for any person to knowingly and willfully exploit, inflict physical pain, physical injury, sexually abuse, impose mental anquish upon, unreasonably confine or deprive of essential services an elder person or disabled adult as defined under O.C.G.A 30-5-3. Example 1 of those given power at the “City” of Milton BREAKING State of Georgia Law BY NOT ENFORCING THE LAW.
We then started watching Liberty more intently on a regular basis. We caught the same boys screaming at Liberty, revving various engines, as well as shooting fireworks into her pastures to scare her. Even with evidence including video, witnesses, and used bottle rockets, those within the “City” would do nothing to the guilty after a supposed “investigation”. Not even a warning.
What Milton Police Detective Hewitt DID do was tell said offenders that if they wanted to shoot off fireworks, to shoot them off from the back of their property and “ignore the Enloe’s.” It should be noted that at this time, fireworks were ILLEGAL in Georgia. Thus, Milton Police Detective Hewitt told these individuals TO BREAK THE LAW.
It was also shared later that the mother of these criminals had been given evidence we had submitted under oath prior to the investigation being complete and before being interviewed. Curious, how does one in a dispute gain access to said material if such had not been made public or shared officially? Well, maybe it was due to a mutual friend of both the offending family, a lender that lived next door who had actually handled the loan for said family, and who was also motorcycle buddies with Mayor Joe Lockwood? The ”City” would violate 2010 Georgia Code
TITLE 16 – CRIMES AND OFFENSES
CHAPTER 12 – OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC HEALTH AND MORALS
ARTICLE 1 – GENERAL PROVISIONS
§ 16-12-4 – Cruelty to animals
(b) A person commits the offense of cruelty to animals when he or she causes death or unjustifiable physical pain or suffering to any animal by an act, an omission, or willful neglect. Any person convicted of a violation of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; provided, however, that:(1) Any person who is convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this subsection shall be punished by imprisonment not to exceed 12 months, a fine not to exceed $5,000.00, or both.
Example 2 of those given power at the “City” of Milton BREAKING State of Georgia Law BY NOT ENFORCING State of Georgia Code 16-12-4 – Cruelty to animals.
Mom, always the optimist, then came up with the idea of promoting understanding between equestrian and non-horse owners. Titled “Liberty’s Law”, the proposed ordinance would be featured on WSB-TV, CBS Atlanta, and written about in the AJC. Funny, the “City” of Milton’s “official” newspaper, “The Milton Herald” run by Appen Media, never covered this story even though we had been interviewed by their own reporters. Wonder why they $helved it??
Liberty’s Law would be endorsed via Savethehorses.org and Fortheloveofahorse.com. Countless people would sign the accompanying petition – check out http://libertyslaw.blogspot.com for more.
Excited, we then approached the “City” requesting to present the short power point before council and staff. Claiming to be an “equestrian community”, we were confident that this idea would be met with open arms; especially considering Liberty’s entire existence having taken place in the area -storybook! We were wrong as the “City” denied our presenting numerous times. After which, three horses would die within “City” boundaries due to fireworks. Two would perish at Seven Gables Farm off of Hopewell; one a Thoroughbred named “Robbie” and then a little Donkey named “Sammy.” No one from the “City” reached out. Oh, then there was that horse that died on a farm located on Dorris Road due to fireworks. A farm then owned by…Mayor Joe Lockwood!
Speaking of Folksy Joe, we have worked with Savethehorses.org out of Cumming GA to help with rescues. One foster by the name of Cashee was a beautiful old Palimino Mare that had been abandoned. Upon request, we were happy to provide this ol’girl a place to live out her elder years with her having arrived one October. In just two days, a resident chose to shoot off commercial grade fireworks from the new Lake Haven Subdivision.
Startling all of our horses (four at the time), Cashee was having a terrible time. Still trying to learn her boundaries, she started running into the fence line along our Bethany Road frontage; terrified. I reached out to Mayor Joe Lockwood via text captured here, telling him about the dire situation at hand begging again to allow us to present 
“Liberty’s Law.” In text, he refused stating “3% now have horse Tim. You need to accept reality and move. No more fantasies…”
Curious…if you owned horses and lived the equestrian lifestyle, would you want to stay or purchase in an area where the founding mayor suggested such via text? It should also be noted that those who keep horses are responsible for their containment and if they get out, they are liable.
I would meet with Council Member Joe Longoria at “Montana’s Bar & Grill” for an early dinner to discuss “Liberty’s Law” as well. In the discussion, he referenced a situation where a neighbor had a dog and problems transpired. I cannot remember the exact conflict, but the decision was for the owner to remove the dog. As such, Joe Longoria looked at me and asked, “why don’t you move Liberty off the property?” Fascinating. There was no offer of understanding; no proposal of digging deeper to find a solution or address those guilty. Nothing. What he did was suggest we move our horse off the very property where she took her first breaths, long before his subdivision took the place of rural lands. Thus, “Welcome to the Equestrian Community of Milton Georgia! Now, please move your horse off your property…”
Former Council Member Matt Kunz had refused Mom’s countless voicemails regarding the abuse of Liberty and the “Liberty’s Law” proposal. In 2016, Mom’s health started to take a severe turn with hospital visits often. Her last stay would be at Northside Hospital in Dunwoody. Gasping for breaths in her final days, Mom could only say a few things to me. One was “Matt Kunz should return my calls – that’s not right…” and “I need to get home to my Liberty! Those boys are going to hurt her!”
The following day, March 18th, 2016, Mom would be gone forever. Her obituary said much including the following – “In her retirement, she loved caring for her horses and dogs and was active in various efforts to combat cruelty to animals, including pressing for a local initiative called Liberty’s Law.”
As Liberty reached 37 in 2018, she was stumbling often and aging rapidly. Credit goes to the “City” of Milton’s Fire Department for helping us get her back up and standing on numerous occasions. Seeing that the end was near, I reached out to Milton City Manager Steve Krokoff via email on March 13, 2018, begging him to allow us to present “Liberty’s Law” while she was still alive.
He responded in a short quick email offering false sympathies basically saying the laws are on the books. Today, we would not have “Amber’s Alert” or M.A.D.D. if others accepted such.
He then added “I know that this is not the answer you were looking for, but it is the only logical response that I can return” once again refusing us. Liberty died the following week… In another email dated November 29, 2021, regarding tree planting encroachment via the neighbor which will block our barn drive that will be referenced later, Krokoff would state “I want to avoid our staff from being unnecessarily dragged into Mr. Enloe’s drama…”
Countless other presentations and agenda items have taken place before the infamous Milton “City” Council, but never “Liberty’s Law.”
Other Georgia cities, including Fayetteville and Canton, allowed the “Liberty’s Law” presentation. Funny, neither claim to be an “equestrian community.”
The 34 plus acre 60 plus year old English Farm that borders our property off the back will be destroyed for yet another subdivision. A retention pond will be built less than 200 feet from our barn where our horses are kept. We emailed many at the “City” out of concern due to equine encephalitis; a deadly disease carried by mosquitos. Mayor #2 Peyton Jameson, “City” Manager Krokoff, The Milton Equestrian Committee and others have yet to respond.
Such ponds are notorious for increasing disease carrying insect activity; enlarging potential health risks to any horse we keep on the property now or in the future. This fact was referenced at a recent planning commission; not one member expressed concern or commented. NOT ONE.
Last year, the “City” hired a consulting firm to draw up the “TSW Equestrian” plan. Trying so hard to put action behind the façade in the ninth inning, the costs to taxpayers was a “contract Price of $35,000.00. To date we have paid the Consultant $24,301.37,” per “City” employee Tammy Lowit. While “City” Manager Krokoff stated that “Much of the work being done began to coincide with the convening of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) and it became apparent that it would be prudent to allow the committee to complete its work.” Yet, in speaking via email to those involved in the proposal, one individual simply referred to said plan as “cancelled.” Actuality – nice!
In October of 2021, commercial grade fireworks would be shot off near Stable Days Farm once again. Countless neighbors reached out with concern about our gelding, Tonka. The following morning, he was found with a severe cut to one of his front legs.
We were very close to having to send him to UGA Equestrian Hospital. Thanks to many and after $4k in vet bills, we turned the corner after three months. Those at the “City” knew of his injury. They did nothing to find the guilty party who shot off the fireworks. Their insurance also refused to cover the bill.
In June of 2021, residents awoke to a recently installed horse statue being vandalized and toppled one mile away in the Crabapple area. “City” Manager Steve Krokoff was front and center offering bloviation; “In just over a year the heart of our downtown became a recognizable and beloved symbol of Milton. The damage to it upset many in our community. And it’s greatly upset us in the city, too, especially as that statue was inspired by and named after our late Arborist Mark Law. Milton Police are investigating and taking this matter very seriously.”
Amazing, those given power are more concerned about an inanimate object promoting a façade than the safety and protection of innocent live animals like Robbie, Sammy, Tonka, and Liberty. Such vandalism also shows that the majority here today could care less about the dying equestrian demographic or anything it stands to represent. To date, no one has been charged. By the way, Mark Law never owned horses or had a farm…
Come November of 2021, I emailed Joe Lockwood at both his city and personal emails countless times asking him why he would text such a suggestion to a horse owner telling them to move while copying many including those assigned to the “Milton Equestrian Council” as well as Police Chief Rich Austin, “City” Manager Steve Krokoff, Council Member Laura Bentley, Appen Media. Not one person responded. NOT ONE. Elected officials who ignore constituents are violating their oath to serve in addition to violating ethics laws. Thus, Reason #3 my parents purchased our property was for “Horses” and as you can see – *NOT PROTECTED*. Example 2 of those given power at the “City” of Milton refusing to follow or abide by State of Georgia Law by ignoring a tax paying constituent.
Recently, I received the following information from another Milton Georgia Citizen…
“Regarding Milton’s anti-equestrian stance, this incident occurred during the Citizens’ Government Academy, facilitated by the City of Milton, on 2/15/2022.
Presentation by Ken Kagy, City of Milton Public Works, Engineer
(Refer to the attached PDF, pages 32-46).
During Ken’s presentation to the class, he stated that horses in Milton were one of the main causes of storm sewers getting clogged. He stated that horses should be required to wear diapers and that horse owners were a big problem and costly for the city. His goals were to have a “green” city, and that horse poop was not good for the environment. I guess that’s the city’s stance on horses…”
Countless times, I asked “City” staff to verify how many horses were left in the area. Each time said contact would reply via email stating they were not required to have that kind of data. Like an average citizen’s monthly budget, all focus on numbers that they believe are of value and matter. The “City” of Milton is an ‘Equestrian Community’? Yeah…
By the way, according to the Georgia Equine Commission, “Georgia’s horse industry has a $2.5 billion impact on the Georgia economy every year. There are more than 74,000 horses in Georgia today with the breeding and care of all these horses generating more than $750 million dollars for the state yearly. Georgia’s temperate climate allows for year-round outdoor training and are better for horses maintained outside.”
Where would mankind be without the horse? We owe this incredible animal our love and appreciation. We owe the gentile being justice. We owe this gift “Liberty’s Law.”
Below is a screen shot from the “City” of Milton website; dated 12.14.2021. The horse in the picture below is LIBERTY. The “City” doesn’t reference her in this article. The “City” never asked us for permission. This is the horse they allowed to be abused for years on end with no resolve. They use a photo of a frail Liberty in her final weeks of life to PROMOTE A LIE. Don’t forget that the “Milton Equestrian Committee” remained silent on my email to Joe Lockwood in late 2021 and others. Hopefully, you now truly SEE.
