Call The Po-Po Heaux: Here We Go Again

This past week has been interesting to say the least. For the past seven days, I've had interactions and conversations about the Lumberton Police Department. Last Friday, there was an incident involving a part-time officer. The situation bothered me but I showed a little restraint and decided to report the matter to the Chief of Police, Elsie Cowart. The only problem at that point was waiting until Monday. As I explained to Cowart, it shouldn't have been necessary to call the police if the officer on duty was patrolling. The possibly dangerous matter went on for 3 hours and I know we have a skeleton crew of officers but I think 3 hours is more than an ample amount of time to patrol a city the size of Lumberton. It has been rumoured that this particular office spends the majority of his shift parked and conversing with friends so it's easy to see why this matter was never addressed. I would hate to think that an officer would witness something like this and refuse to address the matter because of personal reasons or familial affiliation. I don't know what steps were taken to address the actions of this officer but I think I will follow up by filing a formal complaint, in writing, so I can have a record; in case something like this happens again.

Earlier this week, I was engaged in a conversation with someone alleging abuse by a Lumberton Police Officer. I was given a few names but the officers no longer work here. During the first hour of our conversation, I was more concerned about how this person knew where I lived than what he was saying. I find it amazing that I live in a self-proclaimed "no-snitch" community but a person that don't know me from a can of paint can ask people where I live and they give them directions as well as a description of the wreath on my front door. After conversing with this man, I realized he's very biased but he had a lot of details about the former and current municipal judges; details I'm not comfortable repeating even with the protection of the word allegedly. On yesterday, I was contacted by a person that said she was arrested for questioning the clerk about a lock placed on her water meter. As I was listening to her story I was thinking to myself, here we go again; history is repeating itself. My mind immediately went back to the Reign of Hobson and how a young mother was handcuffed and threatened with a taser when she went to city hall to get answers about an ongoing problem. Once again, history is repeating itself. One of the main reasons why history repeats itself is the fact tnat no one listens and every time history repeats itself, the price goes up.

I still cannot understand how questions about your water bill ends with handcuffs. Everybody knows the clerks working in the water department have very rude dispositions and they spend a lot of time conversing with office visitors. Unfortunately, their patience runs thin when it comes to interacting with customers that are there to handle business. I can't tell you the number of eye rolls and deep sighs I receive when I call or when payimg my bill but I'm not phased by their lack of professionalism. As a matter of fact, their lack of professionalism is expected. When I received the call about the encounter, I believed everything I was told because I know they can be lower than the belly of a snake on a sand dune. I just don't know any other city that arrest citizens because they're disgruntled about having a lock placed on the water meter of a paid account. Who wouldn't be upset?

I hope yesterday's event was an isolated case and I hope we're not going back down the road of perdition by using the police department as a shield when addressing the city clerk and deputy clerk. The seasons are changing and everybody knows that the temperature is not the only thing that gets heated in Lumberton during the Summer. Right now, we have cars using Myrick Avenue as the Hub City Dragway, the natives are beginning to stake their claims on the corners and soon the 2015 fight season will be in full effect. I think our police department is going to be very busy and their time could be better utilized to deter crime instead of being used to muffle the voices of those that dare question a clerk. We know this Marshall Law mentality was permitted during Hobson's Reign because the board supported his barbaric behavior. However, it will be interesting to see if the person that was taken into custody yesterday will follow up by addressing the board. It will be interesting to see how the board address this matter or will they sign off and let the clerks continue to villify any citizen that question their decisions. I know people think I blow things out of porportion but I urge anyone that's not afraid to speak up for themselves to make sure you never go to city hall alone or record your interaction with the clerks. It may seem unnecessary but it could keep you out of handcuffs. Seriously, do you think a person that lies constantly about billing errors and listening devices wouldn't lie and say you're threatening them? Allegedly speaking, of course. I don't like people that use their position to attack citizens but all dogs don't go to heaven.