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"It's not only the racial situation, but the issue we'll bring to Department of Justice also is concerning allegations of abuse and brutality" in the Lee County Adult Detention Center, said Kenneth Mayfield, a Tupelo attorney and the spokesman for the Coalition of African-American Organizations.
He told the Daily Journal on Tuesday that the complaint would be filed soon.
Mayfield and two other group members raised the allegations to the Lee County Board of Supervisors on Monday. They brought with them some 50 supporters who crammed into the small meeting room on the first floor of the Lee County Justice Center.
Among the accusations was that the Lee County Sheriff's Department hires too few minorities. They also complained about a lack of minority representation at the department's top levels.
According to statistics provided by County Administrator Sean Thompson, the Sheriff's Department employs 134 people. Of them, 26 are minorities - about 20 percent.
Of its 34 supervisors, 14 are minorities - about 41 percent.
That's compared to the 28 percent of minorities living in Lee County.
Sheriff Jim Johnson, who attended the meeting, did not publicly respond to the claims. But he told the Daily Journal afterward that he doesn't hire based on race; he hires based on who is best qualified for the job. He also said he has nothing to hide.
During the meeting, however, Johnson did read a statement saying the group's claims were a convenient ruse to publicly attack him for his position on the state Board of Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training.
The board holds hearings for officers whose professional certification has been denied by the state, and it's likely to hear the case of recently hired Tupelo Deputy Police Chief Robert Hall, who is black.
Hall lost his certification when he resigned from the force in 2007 after pleading guilty to misdemeanors resulting from his release of an intoxicated hit-and-run suspect a year earlier. He was rehired more than two months ago.
The city hasn't yet applied for Hall's recertification. But Johnson said he has heard rumors that that he's trying to prevent Hall's recertification, which he deemed untrue.
Mayfield acknowledged Tuesday that Johnson's involvement in the Hall case indeed sparked the recent complaints.
"We were concerned with the Robert Hall incident," Mayfield said. "We were told (Johnson) was working undercover to prevent the Robert Hall thing, so then we got to looking at the Sheriff's Department."
He said the lack of diversity in the department's staff disappoints him. And after what he termed a non-response by the board and the sheriff, he said he'll file the complaint.
Lee County Board of Supervisors President Darrell Rankin said there's not much he and his colleagues can do beyond encouraging more diversity. They didn't hire Johnson; residents elected him. They only approve the budget and new hires.
"If we go and start cutting funding to the sheriff's department, we're not hurting the sheriff," Rankin said. "We're hurting the citizens of Lee County."
Contact Emily Le Coz at (662) 678-1588 or emily.lecoz@djournal.com.
Lee County Minority Ratios
Resident population
Total: 81,913
White: 72%
Minority: 28%
County personnel
Total: 365
White: 85%
Minority: 15%
Sheriff’s personnel
Total: 132
White: 80%
Minority: 20%
SOURCE: LEE COUNTY, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
Sheriff’s Department Minorities
■ Total number of department
employees: 132
• Of them, 26 are minorities
(20 percent)
■ Total number of supervisory
positions: 34
• Of them, 14 are minorities
(41 percent)
SOURCE: LEE COUNTY
But I find it hard to believe that there are only 3 qualified writers who are racial minorities in the NEMS area that Journal Inc. products service. (One of the minority writers resides and works from Corinth.)
What about sales? No racial minorities in the Journal Inc. sales staff. Must not be any qualified racial minorities in the sales area in the whole 16 counties either, huh?
What about admins? I remember only 1 racial minority in an admin position at Journal Inc. Must not be any more racial minorities in NEMS who have administrative skills.
I could go on, but you get the point.
HAS THE COMPLAINT BEEN FILED YET ?
Better hurry. End of week is near
In fact, Journal Inc. itself doesn't have very many racial minorities, at least not in white collar positions.
There are only 5 blacks in white collar jobs that I can recall, and only one in a "management position" and she's a first line manager. They have one Asian writer and no hispanics.
The VAST MAJORITY of the minorities are back in the back in production where the paper is printed or in circulation (carriers, etc.).
I'm not sure what the Journal Inc. percentages would come out to, but in the white collar positions it's well below 10%, while the blue collar positions are probably 80% .
It seems that Journal Inc. "likes to keep the white people up front and their minorities in the back".
So, they're certainly not a company that can throw any stones when it comes to racial diversity.
Funny how you chose to skirt the issue about you constantly coming to the aid of Hall and Waide on this forum. Instead, you simply state that I criticized others for exercising their rights as Americans--presumably the right of Mayfield and others to complain.
Please point out in my post where I even implied that Mayfield and his cronies did not have the right to complain to the board of supervisors. The fact is that I couldn't care less if they cry to the board or the DOJ.
The point of my post is that, for months, anytime the name Robert Hall or Jim Waide is mentioned on this forum, within a matter of minutes, you feel the need to respond, and keep responding until you have the last word. I think it is funny, and makes you look like a fool. You have proven my point.
Have a nice day!
Then when my department was vindicated it would be clear that this complaint and investigation was an obvious attempt to get help with re-certifying someone whose prior actions and abuse of power while wearing a badge make him unfit for re-certification.
Then, I'd turn around and file a suit/complaint against the group, Mayor Reed and the City of Tupelo for the obvious blackmail attempt.
Sheriff Johnson, stick to your guns (pun intended)!! So, far you're the only one in this whole mess who has shown even a semblance of ethics and integrity.
BTW, I'd be willing to bet that the minority numbers of most companies in this area not as good as the Sheriff's Dept.!!
Your response to my post does not surprise me, but does make me smile.
I did not mention you, yet you feel such a reaction to what I've written that you had to respond directly to me.
The way you've responded tells volumes about the type person you are. There is no need for me to elaborate on that.
You are one of those people that let others fulfill your military obligation and feel you still have the right to sit around and criticize others for exercising their rights as Americans.
But that is okay. We who did our duty knew that it was for folks like you too. Just keep on spewing it out - its only making you miserable. The rest of us are used to it. You're a paper tiger.
Peace Out
Your instant and continuous response on this forum to any who dare criticize Robert Hall or any of his ilk is laughable and makes you appear exptremely foolish.
Do you have a real job, or any other semblance of life, that would divert your attention from this forum, even for a moment? Apparently not.
I have surmised that you are either Robert Hall, our dishonest, uncertified, convicted criminal, assitant chief-of-police; his attorney, Jim Waide (enough said there); or, even worse, some flunky of the two who simply trolls this forum for comments about either in exchange for love or money. Either way, you are quite a tool.
I am certain that you will respond by referring to the race card and explaining how and I and most others on this forum are crackers.
Good luck.
But alas, there is still such a large element (many who post here) who cling to the romantic notion of how it used to be when white folks had complete rule of society and Negroes "knew their place".
For that very reason the Federal Government created the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
"The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, created in 1957 by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all individuals, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status and national origin."
Read more at:
http://www.justice.gov/crt/activity.php
Once they get here Dynomite Johnson can showcase his ethics and get all of this mess cleared up. Who knows what they may find when they get to looking...
Peace Out
I had a black co-work told me that if people could not find a job they would break in people's houses and steal. He talked in a way that it was "OK". That comment raised the hair on my neck.
The word of the day is entitlement. When these folks complain about what looks good and fair remember this is the force which is driving them--entitlement.
I'm glad I'm retired and don't have to argue with such idiots. As President Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Go to school, work hard, harder than the next guy, and you can make it anywhere.
No one should want anything for which they are not qualified. Stop whining and be thankful this is not the 1950's.
Business must be getting bad. He needs more contributions to support the cause I guess. His cause.
I feel sure the DOJ has a running total on his complaints over the years all with standard M.O.
Of course if there is something wrong this time.....go for it