The REAL Story About the Pulpit Forum Press Conference: An Easter Allegory featuring Robbie Perkins

The News and Record has a story this morning about the Pulpit Forum press conference.  This event was intended to bring more pressure to bear on Mayor Knight over his comments regarding the selection of Chief Tim Bellamy.  I am not certain why the paper grants such extensive coverage, and front page placement, to a group like the Pulpit Forum that has been thoroughly discredited.

The story indicates the Pulpit Forum gang is calling on "City Council members to support or denounce the mayor’s comments at their meeting Tuesday".

In fact, my understanding is that a resolution or some other type of vote is being sought.

We have previously discussed here the merits of Mayor Knight's statement; and also the deficiencies with respect to Chief Bellamy's performance as chief, particularly during the first couple of years he served.  We will not cover that ground once again today.

But I am told a couple of things about this latest series of events.  First, my understanding is that Skip Alston was in attendance at the press conference yesterday.  The Rev. Cardes Brown, however, did not openly criticize Alston for his statement regarding News and Record Editorial Page Editor Allen Johnson.  Recall that Alston charged that Johnson got his job because he was black.  The Rev. Brown did not discuss those comments yesterday, as far as I know.

One other thing I have learned is that Robbie Perkins approached Mayor Knight about this issue seeking some kind of resolution.

This issue presents somewhat of a dilemma for Perkins.  Recall that he has been the embodiment of the Melderec con Simkins crowd on the City Council.  He has been described as a Republican, although it is sometimes difficult to know why.

In any event, will Perkins continue to side with T. Diane Bellamy-Small, the Simkins PAC and the Pulpit Forum as they prepare their next maneuver against Mayor Knight?  Does Perkins think Mayor Knight is right, and does he support him?  Who does he choose?

As we approach this Easter weekend, we see Mayor Knight being marched up the hill by the bloodthirsty Roman forces, and with crowds on the side chanting, "Crucify him!" 

The question is whether Robbie Perkins chooses the role of Judas Iscariot; whether he inconspicuously melds into the crowd; or whether he supports the mayor as he is subjected to venal attacks. 

Comments

[beelzebubba]

beelze 20:23-24...and Robbie spat on the mayor and cried out, " give us nelson johnson, OJ and Madoff." Then he cast lots with other members of the council for the mayor's garments and gave the mayor drano to drink.

[Joe Guarino]

Beelze, thanks for your dark humor.

What is amazing about this whole thing is the absurdity. The Pulpit Forum crowd has been wrong about so many things, repeatedly. Meanwhile, Bill Knight was absolutely right about Tim Bellamy's selection as chief. But the local political and media culture will try to frame it differently.

[Brandon Burgess]

According to Yes!, Knight's comments were also directed at Chief White. I think Yes! was taking advantage of the mayor's stumbling over his own words while attempting to articulate his position on a controversial issue. I could be wrong and if I am, Knight should clarify.

Also, the Pulpit Forum is requesting an apology and Bellamy-Small said that an apology from Knight would end all of this. I don't understand that. If he apologizes for a statement that played a significant role in his election, the Pulpit Forum will just forget about it? I think not.

[Dr. Mary Johnson]

Beelze, you really need to compile your gems in one place somewhere.

[whom]

White police chief incorrectly accused. Truth unknown, gso hires black replacement. If they had hired a white chief, all hell would have broke loose. Candidate states what he believes to be facts, opposition counters with race card. Press cowards to pressure, ignors other news like church street give away to perkins and gso partnership storys,

[Joe Guarino]

Brandon, I think you are correct that the Pulpit Forum will never be satisfied-- even if their identity politics DO prevail.

Whom, thanks, and I agree. Here is a great question. Does anyone truly believe that Tim Bellamy would have been selected to be chief at that particular moment in time if he had been white? The very idea is preposterous.

[whom]

Seems like skip and robbie are backed into a corner. Scared. Therefore prone to high risk, irrational and dangerous responses. Also seems like the local press is fence sitting, until someone comes out and goes on the record in opposition. Watch for an allen johnson memo that doesn't take a stand. Unfortunately gso's online community is rarley read by most. So this ends up being a conversation among the few that the widely read and the players use to develop strategy. You know council and coomishs are reading. Same with a chunk of police. But most have not, are not and will not. They take their cues from the n and r and the rhino which are owned by those in political power. We don't have a free press in gso.

[beelzebubba]

dr mary: what a kindness. but now i worry that i am understood.

[Dr. Mary Johnson]

Never fear, Beelze. I won't be going down that road again;)

[Doc Alexander]

The truth can be an indelicate thing. Mayor Knight spoke the truth about Tim Bellemy. Which is more than what we can say for the former chief of police. On Jan. 31 he resigned and said not word one about the Mayor's comments affecting his decision. Two weeks later: surprise! It was the Mayor all along.

Bellemy was a second rate police chief and remains a second rate intellect. No way in hell this guy would have been allowed to run a hotdog stand much less the GSO police department if he wasn't African-American.

[Ken Hill]

Video, no comment from me. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNZczIgVXjg&feature=player_embedded

[Jordan Green]

Brandon: I appreciate that you've treated me with kindness in the past, so don't take this as a cheap shot, but I wasn't trying to take advantage and I don't think Mr. Knight stumbled over his words; I think he offered his opinion about the merits of a sequence of police chiefs. The quote comes from a recording, and it's meaning seems pretty clear to me.

[Brandon Burgess]

Green, no problem. To be honest, I could swear I was present when Knight made that statement and I didn't recall him mentioning White (was this at the Unity forum?). I could be wrong though. If he did mention White, than I'd like to know more. I was to young to remember or understand the political climate when White was hired. (

[jaycee]

If the Mayor caves in to pressure from the pulpit forum it's just the nose of the camel under the tent.
The mayor will have publicly knelt to the pulpit forum and will forever be in a subservient position and be forced to apologize for any and every thing that occurs from here on out. Reminds me of the wife who accepts the first beating from an abusive husband and is doomed to a life of mental slavery. Or the frog placed in a cold skillet and unsure when to jump when as the heat increases.
It's all about power. The Mayor has it and the pulpit forum wants it. If they can force the Mayor to acquiesce to them, it's all over for representative government in our town.

[Brandon Burgess]

Jaycee, I agree. I really don't see how an apology would make anything better. Would it heal Bellamy's hurt ego? No. Will it change the fact that the city celebrates giving an upper-hand to minorities while those who benefit deny the effect of the city's policy on their career? No. Will it increase racially-motivated opposition to the mayor? More than likely. Will failure to address the inherent discrimination in such policies help heal the rift between Greensboro's black and white communities? Not a chance.

[Doc Alexander]

It's not like we didn't all see this coming. A white male replaces an African-American female in the Mayor's office. Just like how the media is trying to make opposition about Obamacare all about race, the far left "civil rights" community is seeking to paint Mayor Knight as an out-of-touch bigot. The only thing we should be surprised about is why they didn't start sooner.

Welcome to Greensboro, the home of the perpetually aggreived and terminally unhappy.

[Fred Gregory]

Yes indeed Doc Alexander,

Sooooo spot on.

Thank you.

Bill Knight is a good and decent man. Shame on those who try to smear him,

[Joe Guarino]

Thanks for some great comments in this thread.

John Hammer pointed out in this week a topic on which Brandon touched briefly. The east Greensboro political community has historically advocated for minority set-asides and the like. It has placed great importance on having African-Americans is positions of appointed leadership. However, the moment a suggestion is made that a person got the job because of their race, it is regarded as impermissible. That seems like quite a contradiction.

I am told that Assistant Chief Ron Rogers is back at work after his three week suspension, and there still has been nearly no media interest in what truly happened. I have heard a couple of rumors that Bellamy might appoint James Hinson as captain before he leaves office. I do not know whether these rumors are true. But if he is elevated to captain, it will be extremely difficult to demote him after that. In addition, we have not heard much about the hiring of the new police chief; but with the present command staff, we need to be a bit concerned if these people somehow are given more responsibilities if we do not have a new chief by the time Bellamy leaves.

I wonder whether Bellamy was truly hurt by Knight's comment. I wonder if his decision to make this a public issue is somehow related to the circumstances in the preceding paragraph.

[Whom]

I had an oppurtunity to speak with some highly intellectual African American's over the weekend. I raised the issue of the Bellamy situation.

The response to my suggestion that the new Chief would have to have been black considering the belief at the time that David Wray was guilty, was strong objection. That Mr. Knight said "because he is black" meant something different to them than it did to me. It didn't nessessarily have to do with the facts of the case, but of the generalization the statement involked.

That "black people" get ahead only because they are black, which is universaly not true.

But the way they looked at it, was not the way I looked at it. Therefore, there is more than one reality at play, whether we think there should be or not. It exists regardless.

I have family members that have expressed the same conviction in position diametrically opposed to what I considered to be true, yet there was nothing during the series of events that took place that changed their core beliefs, other than time elapsed long after.

I believe the power players who wish to increase political power have taken the issue from those with the most sincere intentions and have created a political/racial weapon to go after their opponents with the backing of the press and the business/development establishment. ie..Robbie Perkins, Simkins and the TREBIC gang v the Knights and Thompsons in town.

[Joe Guarino]

Whom, I largely agree with your interpretation. WFMY and the News and Record are willing to play this particular gambit because they perceive they have little to lose by doing so; and because they do have certain political and sociocultural biases.

The power groups and the "business/development" establishment may be willing to play this gambit further, as you suggest, because they perceive it will increase their political power and diminish their opponents. And they have WFMY and the News and Record on their side.

I suppose we shall see what happens Tuesday night.

One thing is certain, however. These people can be pretty shameless.

[Cyndy Hayworth]

Joe:

I was in Impact Greensboro in 2008/2009 and Tim Bellamy was in my Neighborhoods group. We had several discussions about the police department. He told me that he was going to retire within the next year...at that time, Mayor Knight was not even on the scene. He never mentioned anything was motivating that retirement other than his desire to retire!

Then, earlier this year, Tim Bellamy stated emphatically that the election of Mayor Knight had "nothing" to do with his retirement! Now, all of a sudden it has everything to do with his retirement?

[Joe Guarino]

Cyndy, thanks for your comments. I have heard and read this type of information from at least several sources. I can't help but feel that Bellamy's statements, portraying himself as a victim, were a ruse, and were designed to achieve some other type of advantage.

One can speculate as to whether it is a desire to protect the status quo at the police department; or whether it is part of a coordinated effort to assist the Melderec con Simkins crew by undermining Knight. But I suppose it may possibly be both.

[Vivi]

If Bellamy really wanted an apology it should have been a private matter and he should have some sensitivity training. If he were constantly the one on the front line demanding an apology the matter of him being so hurt would be somewhat believable. @30 people showing up for a press conference didn't show an outcry of disappointment from the community to me.

The words leadership and influence are thrown around a bit to much. If no one is following, one is not a leader. Those who think they are (in many cases) influential are only so by manipulation. Titles don't make a person who they are it merely identifies their role/goal. If given a role and one fails in achieving the goal the result is failure. Yes, folks love titles but rarely you find someone who wants to do the work associated with them in good faith.

[Joe Guarino]

Thanks, Vivi, for sharing these insights.