My Story
My story began in 2008, during the same period that Barack Obama was preparing for his historic transition from Illinois senator to the first African American President of the United States of America. His dramatic rise to the presidency fostered a sense of excitement in the country, and it centered around one powerful word: CHANGE. Little did I know at the time that the word "change" would become a central theme for me, my family, and my hometown of Monroe, Louisiana. The type of change on which Obama campaigned focused on raising awareness, and reducing or eliminating the long-standing abuse of power that has pervaded our land for so many years. Obama's vision of change also included protecting individuals at a Federal level, while respecting the powers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. One would assume that laws enacted, based upon these important documents, would apply equally to every state in the nation. However, the arson attack on my home is both an example of and an exception to this assumption, and illustrates the abuse of power of which I speak. In a flash, I found myself standing alone in my quest to bring about Obama's promise of change in my own life and in my community.
As a young African American minister in the state of Louisiana, I struggled to fight for change in my community, despite overwhelming circumstances. In the space of one year, I was wrongfully terminated from my job as a Mentor/Coordinator for an at-risk youth mentoring program, which was run through the Monroe City Court, a position I held for over six years. Next, I was intimidated and threatened by several anonymous people in an attempt to prevent me from running for City Marshal. Finally, my campaign came under attack when fire was set to my home, while I and my family were inside. Despite these "warnings," I continued on with my candidacy, but in the end, lost the election.
Trouble was brewing as far back as autumn 2007, when I was working as a part-time volunteer weekly columnist for a small, local community paper called the Monroe Dispatch. Two of my articles, Why Are Black People Are So Ignorant? and It's Ok To Mistreat Blacks In Monroe caused an uproar. (Click here to view these articles.) The reason I wrote these articles was to raise awareness (or give words to what everyone already knew but refused to openly acknowledge) of the horrible conditions which still exist in black communities here in Monroe, despite all the lip service paid to "improvements" over time. I wanted to inspire readers to make wise decisions when it came to electing people to represent them in government
Neither article was aimed at any one person or group, but my employers--judges and administrative staff at the Monroe City Court--did not see it that way. They took umbrage at my suggestions, and responded by terminating my successful mentoring program and my job. There was no investigation into my dismissal, nor was there any outcry from community leaders. Even as 108 youths were suddenly left adrift without the steady hand of a mentoring program, Monroe city residents remained silent.
I wanted to re-establish a mentoring program, create a youth academy for at-risk children, and provide a fair and just system of recourse for those in my community who felt civic leaders were ignoring their plight, or doling out unjust punishments.
Toward that end, I decided to run for City Marshal against the current black incumbent. I believed I could bring about much needed change within my community, and reclaim those youths left behind when my mentoring program was terminated. However, trouble began when news of my candidacy was posted on my website (click here to view website) before I made a formal announcement of my intentions. This led to a June 10th phone call from my opponent, threatening me not to run. According to my opponent, he had a file that he could produce that would destroy me and my family, and that I would be sorry if I continued on with my "useless" campaign.(Click here). I taped this exchange, played it for media and local law enforcement officials, but no investigation was conducted. The state fire marshal, Rick Abbot, refused to return this tape to me, even after repeated requests that he do so. To this day, Mr. Abbot has not returned my phone calls.
On July 2nd, 2008, my 42 birthday, I officially announced my candidacy (click here for information) seeking public office as Monroe City Marshal. Earlier that morning, my vehicle had been vandalized with eggs, and my political signs were damaged all over town. The worst incident occurred on the morning of July 14, my home was set on fire with I and my family inside. We were awakened at 3:30 in the morning by the sound of a loud THUD, which turned out to be an accelerant bomb thrown up against our front door. My family and I escaped unharmed, but our home was severely damaged by fire and smoke. The damage was well over $78,000.
My family and I were forced to live in a hotel because our lovely and peaceful home was unlivable from that day until October 10. Concerned citizens around the community came to our aid and provided us with 24 hour security. At first I felt like a prisoner, unable to travel alone, and I worried about my family's safety. I started carrying a weapon for protection. Shortly after the fire, ugly rumors were circulated throughout the community by my opponent that I had set the fire myself in order to win the election from a "sympathy vote." I denied these charges and took a polygraph test, passing it. My opponent and his staff declined to take a polygraph. The Louisiana fire marshal investigated, and concluded that the fire to my home was arson, but I wanted confirmation of this from an outside, independent, and unbiased source. The incident is still under investigation(click here).
On Saturday, October 4th, 2008, election night, as the voting results poured in, I realized I had lost the election, receiving only 31% of the votes cast. My opponent received 69% of only 9000 ballots cast that day. The saddest part of this is not that I lost the election, but that the majority of residents in the city had turned on me and my family. Not one pastor, politician, civic leader, or anyone from the Christian community came to our aid. It seemed as if no one cared if we lived or died, and not one person expressed any curiosity as to why I ran for the office of City Marshal. I sacrificed a great deal in hope of bringing about change and eradicating corruption in our city. The tepid response from the community hurts, and is proof that much more needs to be done to convince people that change for the better is possible.
This website is devoted to seeking justice--for myself, for my community, and for communities everywhere. Remember, change starts at home. I believe my story will inspire others to action. I am confident that my story serves as a reminder that political corruption is alive and well in the state of Louisiana and probably in your community as well. I need your help and support as I continue my campaign for justice.
