Bury The Hatchet - And Response (3)

I hate to see good people feud among themselves. That’s what we have with our local DA and our local black clergy organization.

I think we have an outstanding attorney general. Also this clergy organization are all good and decent men. I have worked with several of them through the years to better our community, including Kevin Adams, Ternae Jordan and others. I have seen their passion to better our community.

Actually our DA and clergy are working on the same cause - to lower our crime rate in our inner city and to end gang violence.

So how did this feud come about? The clergy were upset about the black police chief being indicted on a 17-count residency indictment. They thought it was overkill and it probably was.

Thinking that it was DA Wamp’s doings, they went to the front door of her office at the courthouse protesting the issue. They were wrong. She had recused herself from the case.

The better choice would have been for her to go outside and simply explain to them that they were mistaken and she had recused herself.

Unfortunately, she was upset that they had come to her office and made a spectacle so she went out and lashed out at them - saying they needed to look in their own neighborhoods, they have been.

Then to add to this, our DA fanned the flames recently in a speech. She was talking about crime in our inner city and again somehow included the clergy.

No. Stop this. You are all fine people, well respected.

Please bury the hatchet and work together to better our county and city.

Russell Bean

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Mr. Bean,

What chutzpah you have. Bury the hatchet. Maybe you should bury the hatchet you're wielding at the moment against DA Wamp. She's doing her job. The clergy....not so much, but they do want to play that race and gender card no matter the real issue.

Let's sum up. Your DEI Mayor Kelly wanted to check some boxes and hired a black American female from Atlanta for his police chief. She was hired to enforce the law and, by her choice, broke a few laws. She didn't work out. She was to resign or be fired. She resigned. That's called accountability for her unlawful actions.

DA Wamp recuses herself from the Mayor Kelly police chief case. But wait....what do the clergy do? They stage a press conference at DA Wamp's office to chastise her (she's not involved) and make the police chief issue a race and gender issue....which it isn't/wasn't. What part of "breaking the law" does the clergy not understand? It's not race. It's not gender. It's a police chief breaking the law. She was being held accountable because of her unlawful actions. The clergy must not have gotten that memo and decided "race" and "gender" were the real issues.

And Mr. Bean, as a former judge and for you to concur the 17-count indictment as "overkill", is disingenuous. Seventeen counts went before the Grand Jury and a 17-count indictment was issued. You know how the judicial system works. Bury your hatchet.

As for DA Wamp, she is attempting to and has said as much, to engage the clergy to assist in tamping down the crime culture that exists in the inner city. Yet, you criticize her for doing so and I quote from your letter "........our DA fanned the flames recently in a speech. She was talking about crime in our inner city and again somehow included the clergy." Bury your hatchet.

To really understand DA Wamp's stance on inner city crime and the clergy, I suggest you read the article from this publication dated Monday, July 1, 2024 titled Group of Mainly Black Leaders Say They Stand Behind Chief Murphy; DA Wamp Fires Back. Then you can bury your hatchet for good.

As a reminder, here are the 17 counts against ex-Police Chief Celeste Murphy:

One count of illegal voter registration
One count of false entries on official registration or election documents
Three counts of false entries in governmental records
Three counts of forgery
Three counts of perjury
Six counts of official misconduct

Phil Snider

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I find it interesting that Phil Snider said the fact that Chief Murphy is a black woman makes her a DEI hire. The realty is that black folks are just as qualified as anyone else for positions in this city, however statements like Phil Snider make it hard to hire us. After all who wants to make a DEI hire?

Chief Murphy had all the qualifications to do her job, she just had a lapse in judgement.

Shakir M. Rashed