Despite being in the minority in the population and in the state legislature, African Americans in Mississippi continue to show-up in the news and on the winning side of significant issues. They lost several such battles, including the battle to restore the franchise to felons who have served their sentences, the adoption of full-fledged Medicare expansion, and the adoption of an effective ballot initiative measure.
Nevertheless, seeing the success of voters in Enid, Oklahoma, to recall openly white nationalist city councilman Judd Blevins, realizing that the federal government itself has publicized the manner in which Alcorn State University and other Black colleges have been short-changed of agricultural funds, and knowing that the federal courts in several neighboring states have ordered the re-drawing of their congressional maps, many Black residents have been inspired or further motivated to stage well-publicized social/political protests for progressive change.
This week we examine the protests to oust Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, who has been under pressure to resign since the days when the so-called Goon Squad was exposed in Rankin County last year. The protest has been an effort that is reminiscent of the heydays of the civil rights movement.
Members of the Goon Squad who have thus far been exposed are Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Joshua Hartfield, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, and Daniel Opdyke. They all pled guilty to federal and state charges of abusing two Black men – Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker – in their residence. The abuse was physical, mental, and sexual. According to court testimony, it was extensive and sustaining; it was crude and violent. Records also show that there were broad attempts to cover-up the crimes. Nevertheless, after extensive investigations and the presentation of the graphic evidence, the officers pled guilty on August 14, 2023.
The convictions of those white officers represented a new day in Rankin County. Led by attorneys Malik Shabazz and Trent Walker, and backed by strong community support, Jenkins and Parker were able to see some measure of justice rendered on their behalf.
The sentencing of the Goon Squad members, however, was not the end of the story. Before and since the sentencings, the Rankin County NAACP, under the leadership of life-long resident and long-time educator, Angela English has zeroed-in on Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey rather than being satisfied with the conviction and sentencing of the six Goon Squad members. Many residents want Bailey to resign or to be removed from office.
Bailey was just re-elected in November last year, which means that there perhaps has to be some action taken by state executives and/or the courts. Whichever is the case, local NAACP and other community leaders have already secured thousands of signatures on a petition calling for his removal. They are planning to present the petition to Governor Tate Reeves for action. This is a story that bears watching; it will be news for quite some time. Each time a community meeting on the matter has been held, the attendance has been larger. They have sometimes drawn out addition witnesses, adding to the growing testimony.
This sustained “protest” stems from the logical argument surrounding Bailey’s responsibility as sheriff and from the historical reputation of Rankin County racism, especially in the area of law enforcement. NAACP President English and many others who support the effort feel that the truth is on their side and that the times have finally caught up with Rankin County.
Based upon court records and the testimony from which the record was produced, as well as similar accounts from other Black people who have had run-ins with law-enforcement officials over the years, they take the position that as sheriff, Bailey knew or should have known about the activities of the Goon Squad. (There was some testimony that he did in fact know. This he denied, but can and perhaps will be further investigated.) As sheriff, they feel that he would have to have approved the establishment of such a squad; rogue officers could not be expected to operate in the name of his office, with no consequences. They further feel that given the widespread “talk” about abuse in the county, his office should have investigated the matters. President English and her cohorts are aware of the testimony that “aggressive” actions by officers against suspected Black offenders was expected and rewarded in the county. In short, at a minimum, they feel that Bailey should be removed from office because he either knew of and sanctioned such behavior as was engaged in by the Goon Squad or that he should be removed because he was so incompetent as to be unfit for the position. These arguments have been made in most of the public meetings held thus far.
Beyond the matter of his obligations as sheriff, there are arguments that consider the history of such matters in Rankin County. More than a few residents point to years of racist conduct in Rankin County. Prior to the Goon Squad expose, they point to the murder in 2011 of James Craig Anderson by a group of Rankin County adolescents who had for years made it a sport of driving to Jackson to attack lone Black individuals. The racial climate of much of Rankin County, especially Pearl, has long been such that James Loewen references it in his book, “SUNDOWN TOWNS: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism”.
The argument is that over the years the kind of treatment received by Jenkins and Parker has been part and parcel of the culture of the county. As a consequence, the feeling has been that abusing two more Black men raised no eyebrows in the sheriff’s office or in the neighborhood. Under such conditions, whether Bailey was aware of these abuses, or their details, they suggest that he may have felt that things would blow over and be no big deal. This kind of culture, English and the other Black people feel has to be changed and removing Bailey would be an important step in that direction.
In a real sense, it was fear of the spread of such a culture to Jackson that helped cause an alarm when the Mississippi State Legislature expanded the power and jurisdiction of the Capitol Police in the city of Jackson. Former Brandon Police Officer and former Rankin County Deputy Bo Luckey had been appointed to lead the Capitol Police force. Many of the officers employed by the force were also from Rankin County. Although that is another story, it helps strengthen the cause of the effort to oust Bryan Bailey as sheriff.
Meanwhile, the Rankin County NAACP has promised to continue its efforts until Bailey is no longer Rankin County Sheriff. This writer plans to follow the story as it continues to unfold.
