By Angela Buckner
JA Contributing Writer
Since the Justice for Leon and Morgan Seals peace rally at the Pearl Police Department June 29, 2024, organized by Emily Dawn Escolas, National Advocate and Director of Unite 2 Thrive, and the regularly scheduled city board meeting July 2, more residents are lining up in support of the Seals who they believe were wrongfully arrested by Pearl law enforcement on Father’s Day. Leon was also tased.
According to police records, officers received three calls about a fight in progress involving a gun with over 100 spectators, all happening in close proximity to the Seals’ home. By the time police arrived, no gun was found but tempers remained high. Police contend that numerous attempts to de-escalate the situation ended with the arrest of the couple. There is speculation that the gun involved belongs to Seals, and was hidden by him when police arrived on the scene.
After speaking with Zyion Catchings, who was involved in the actual altercation, he stated, “The police found my gun in my car when they arrested me and my gun was in my car the entire time. I bought my gun with my own money. I tried to go and get my police report and Pearl Police Department would not give it to me. They said they couldn’t give it to my mother because I am 18. They even told me they couldn’t find my police report. I spent a whole night in jail and how is it that they can’t find my police report? Leon never had my gun. I don’t think Leon ever saw my gun. I think it’s wrong what they are doing to Leon and his wife. That man was on his own property. He tased that man in his own house and arrested the wife for what, because she wanted you to get off her porch? Are they psychotic; do they drug test their own officers?” Catchings said he was never charged in regard to the police call that led to the Seals family arrest that night.
Those supporting the Seals believe the Father’s Day incident is just another chapter in the never ending saga between the Seals and Pearl police, starting three years ago with the issuance of several citations for property code violations.
“I wasn’t even aware of a 9-11 call and knew nothing about a gun that belonged to anyone. My doorbell camera can verify that I never had a gun on me anywhere. I am a law-abiding citizen who really would like to comply with the City of Pearl. I am not proud of how my property looks right now. I hate to admit that my hands are tied because there is an unauthorized family living on our property, and whenever I schedule to get the job done, like the City of Pearl has mandated, I am the one to get arrested, not the squatters.”
Prior to Escolas coming on board to organize the June rally, Leon Seals took to social media explaining the hardships associated with attempts to remove squatters from his property, which is located in Rankin County, notorious for victimizing people of color.
“The purpose of the rally was to raise awareness regarding the City of Pearl’s alleged conspiring and continuous violating the family of Leon and Morgan Seals over his own property,” said Escolas.
According to Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party President, Cardell Wright, “Leon’s story can appear to be a bit convoluted, but it is simple. No one has the right to infringe upon another’s rights in this country. The matter pertaining to Leon Seals and the City of Pearl is a pervasive issue and ongoing around this state including Holmes County, Mississippi.
“The State of Mississippi is allowing squatters to trespass and take property that does not belong to them in an attempt to strong arm wealth from black and brown people. Case and point, senior citizen, Mr. Joe Johnson of Lexington, Mississippi, is under attack in his own land war where various white hunters from the Mississippi gulf coast have unconstitutionally blocked him from accessing a vast portion of his own land for over 10 years. Keep in mind, this is approximately 800 acres of heirs property willed to Mr. Johnson from his late father.
“This unjust legal system sided with the white squatters for a matter of mere sport and the purpose of luxury. This story is finally being talked about in the press today.
“We saw this in the national media with 94 year old Mrs. Josephine Wright who fought until she died for her prime coastal heirs property that had been passed down to her from the Civil War Era.
“Mr. Seals currently sits on a few acres of land, nevertheless, it is still his land, legally. The State of Mississippi needs to rectify both of these matters in an effort to make these Mississippi residents whole.”
On Seals’ Facebook page, a video dated June 16, 2024, shows a Pearl Police Shift Commander, identified as Lieutenant Richard Tyler Lents, yelling in close proximity to Morgan Seals to “shut your mouth.” She was immediately arrested. Not long after, Lents tases Leon Seals as he stands on his porch. Although the couple was taken into custody, it is not clear what happened prior to the video recording, which is the reason why the family is demanding the body cam footage be released in its entirety. Mrs. Seals bond was set at an exorbitant amount of $50,000, Mr. Seals, $70,000.
When asked how he felt about what happened, Seals replied, “I didn’t pose a threat to anyone on my property. I simply went outside to see what all the commotion was about. Telling me to go inside the house is not a lawful order. As I stood in the middle of the doorway on my porch, I was maliciously tased while my children were standing close to me. Lents didn’t warn me or his own subordinates that he was about to cause bodily harm to me. His body cam footage will show that I am telling the truth. I want to know who trained this supervisor to treat citizens like dogs. Where did he get his police certification from? I want Mayor Jake Windham to be transparent about the whole situation. The mayor made it clear in the past that he is in agreement with whatever his officers do to me. I still have charges on me that ex-officer Michael Christian Green lied about, but we know he is now serving 12 months in prison for forcing a man to lick his urine.
“This Shift Commander was out of control for no apparent reason. It wasn’t until afterwards that he can be heard on the viral video saying that he had deployed the taser. Who trained you like that? Lieutenant Lents arrested me and my wife. Morgan has never been in trouble with the law before.
“They let me go home on Father’s Day night, but arrested me again at a later date (Tuesday) because they said they couldn’t find a judge to sign off on my warrant, but they found a judge to sign Morgan’s warrant the same night.
“When they rearrested me, I had to get immediate medical attention while in police custody due to the ongoing symptoms from being tased. The authorities would not allow me to leave without first placing a tracking device on me. Never giving me a reason as to why. I am no flight risk at all. Veteran police officers have told me that they have never heard of a citizen being treated this way before. My bond was so excessive that people in booking at the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department asked me who did I piss off.
“As a mechanic, I am very limited in the services I can provide to my customers right now because the wrist monitor complicates things. The part that has me confused is that there was never a disturbance at our residence. I just recently found out that I have been placed on a terrorist watch list. The Pearl Police Department has hired plenty of terrorists who seem to keep finding jobs in Jackson after they are exposed.
“I have been arrested six times by the Pearl Police Department and I thought they were supposed to protect me and my family. I was so wrong. This agency has been weaponized against me and I truly believe I am being targeted constantly over property that is legally mine simply because the squatters on my land are supposed to be good friends with Mayor Windham. The mayor used to be a police officer in this city. I would love to see their text messages.”
Escolas said her heart goes out to the family and she never viewed Seals as a “crazy person.” In her opinion, Seals is a man she deemed to be a champion and a mentor amongst other great attributes she mentioned. Escolas said, “The people here today unified to show support for the Seals family. They advocated for a safer Pearl calling for release of body cam footage from the incident that happened on Father’s Day showing the arrest process of Leon and Morgan, termination of Lieutenant Richard Tyler Lents and the resignation of Mayor Jake Windham.”
After speaking with the Washington County NAACP former president, Tarsha Parker, she doubled-down on the what Escolas said in regards to calling for a safer Pearl starting with leadership. Parker stated, “We have to dismantle any governmental institution that perpetuates systemic racism, social engineering, and injustices that plague our community that tend to go against what it is designed to do. These governmental entities are designed to serve and protect, provide economic sustainability, establish equity at home and offer equal opportunities and fairness starting from the top.
“I concur with my activist counterparts (Leon Seals, Fred Chambliss, Cardell Wright, Emily Escolas and Sherell Potts) that leadership has to be held accountable and it is their obligation to make sure all citizens of Pearl are being treated, not just as human beings, but as tax paying citizens. As a mother, I fear that Mr. and Mrs. Seals’ children will suffer long-term effects from the traumatic incident they experienced on Father’s Day.
“It is imperative that in demanding transparency the bodycam footage, dashcam footage, official and unredacted police reports are released so the citizens of Pearl will come to understand and realize that this family has been wronged in the worse way.”
Parker was asked why she felt the need to get involved. Parker stated, “I felt the urgency to support this family after hearing in a video, that went viral of this incident, an officer of the law who supposed to serve and protect —belittle and degrade a man on his own property and to add insult to injury the officer disrespected Mr. Leon Seals’ mother when she was only trying to gain clarity in why her son was being mistreated and arrested.
“We will continue to be a voice for the voiceless even when mainstream media refuses to tell this newsworthy material that the general public should be privy to because these stories can help empower others. The ‘Catch and Kill’ strategy’ used in such cases like former President 45 and Stormy Daniel’s case was explained by a popular publisher who implied under oath that the media pretends to cover a story with the intent of covering up the story never releasing the information to the public.”
Parker finished up her statement by saying, “This is America. I will continue to stand with this family because I truly believe what Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Fannie Lou Hamer said—an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Seals has shown documents to various media outlets where Guest Consultants have surveyed the land at an expensive cost to the tune of $3500, in addition to other fees accumulated in court costs and more. Seals said he feels like he has been targeted financially because he said every time he is arrested, it drains money from his family’s budget tremendously. Seals reiterated, “All in all, I am out of about a total in $40,000 since this situation started.”
Court dates have been set for Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
