The statue of James Brown, Augusta’s most famous son, stands proudly in the centre of Broad Street, at the heart of the city’s downtown area. It faces north, towards the Savannah River, and points towards an immaculately-kept park which is decorated by a series of engravings on its low walls. One celebrates the city’s “political freedom”, while another honours its “freedom of speech”.
Behind the statue, looking over Brown’s shoulder in the opposite direction, are two crumbling, unoccupied buildings, which once would have been shops. Graffiti is scrawled across the boards, while dirt seeps across the windows. It is a few minutes past nine in the morning, on Augusta’s premier street, but there...