Are Black Politicians Under Attack?
As we get closer to the end of silly season (Election Day), the most ridiculous things start to come out of the woodwork. The latest accusation is that Indianapolis’ Black politicians are under “assault” and there is a “conspiracy to get them.” I am not making this up. There has been a lot of news about misdeeds and missteps about some Marion County elected officials, but I don’t think it’s a conspiracy. Let’s walk down the recent list of events and you tell me if there’s a conspiracy afoot.
Ron Gibson – Back in July he got into a confrontation with a Sheriff’s Deputy outside a nightclub. The officer says he shoved her and threatened to have her fired. A special prosecutor was brought in to look at the case and filed misdemeanor battery and public intoxication charges against Gibson.
Kenneth Ackles – The Marion County Coroner’s Office has been accused of mishandling money and cremating the wrong corpses. A search warrant was served this week on the office to prevent records from being destroyed.
Carl Drummer – The Center Township Trustee has leased space (although no one has seen the actual lease) to politically connected insiders to put a bar in the Carson Center. The proposal circumvented many of the traditional zoning procedures.
Monroe Gray* – The President of the City-County Council oversaw the passing of a budget with more holes in it than the Swiss cheese in my refrigerator. He also failed to disclose his wife had an interest in the above-mentioned bar. And he told the Indianapolis Recorder the Bar was necessary for black people to have a place to go. He also has been notorious for playing politics with public safety.
Heather Bolejack – The former head of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute was let go on grounds of official misconduct. And the night before she was fired her photo showed up in Intake Magazine with the same person she was accused of giving a state contract who did no work for the money.
Frank Anderson – There have a number of controversies this past year involving the Sheriff. A witness was put in the same cell as the person they were testifying against. A jail employee was caught selling pre-paid cell phones to inmates. Desmond Turner, who is charged with the Hamilton Avenue murders, was caught smoking pot in his cell. Anderson got a $50,000 raise during a time the city was struggling to find money for public safety. He later gave it back.
Looking at that list of Black officials, notice who isn’t on it. Former Council president Roselle Boyd, Council members Vernon Brown, Sharron Franklin, Bill Oliver, Ike Randolph, Patrice Abdullah. Let’s add some more people to the list like State Senator Billie Breaux, State Reps. Carolene Mays, Greg Porter, Bill Crawford, Mae Dickerson, and Pike Township Trustee Lula Patton. And don’t forget IPS School Superintendent Eugene White and school board member Olgen Williams. For some strange reason all these folks have managed to stay out of trouble. I wonder why?
Now you may be thinking at this point, “Hey Abdul, what about Eric Dickerson? He was arrested for domestic violence back inn 1991. Isn’t he a victim of the conspiracy?” Well no, because the person who brought up the accusations was Julia Carson who’s Black, so he doesn’t count.
But if you compare the list of the people who’ve been accused of dropping the ball versus those who haven’t you’ll see there is actually something there that is worth looking into. There is no conspiracy. Because to be frank, I don’t think the “other folks” are smart enough to pull one off. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes individuals’ bad luck is no one’s fault but their own.
P.S. I put an asterisk by Monroe Gray’s name because I won’t be fully convinced he’s black until I see a birth certificate.
