Call The Po Po. . Ho

Many of you may have noticed that I was wrapping up the blog and getting ready to shut it down, but just when I thought there was nothing left to blog about, I became enthralled in my own Rodney King moment. Yesterday, I shared a link to wtok.com that had a photo and news story about on of Lumberton’s police officers. Apparently, Darren Dennis “The Menace” Hobson was involved in a domestic violence situation and he was charged with assault. (In an effort to remain transparent, I would like to let my readers know that in 1997, I was charged, not convicted of aggravated assault, and for the record, the fight involved me and another man.) Somehow, five minutes after sharing this link on my facebook page, Hobson came screeching down Main Street and spotted me sitting in my car and he got out and approached me. At first, I didn’t know what was happening, and finally I rolled down my window. He called me by my name, interesting since I’ve never had any contact with him before, and then he started asking me if I had any recording devices (I guess he’s an avid reader of the Lumberton Informer b/c I stated that ppl should keep some sort of recording device in their car in case they have an encounter with the Lumberton Police Department.) Unfortunately, since I was not blogging on a regular basis, I was caught without any recording devices, but he won’t catch me slipping again. Anyway. . He stood back, in a defensive posture, and mumbled a few words, but he was very clear when he said that he just called his lawyer and was going to sue me for slander. (Please refer to previous posts to find the definition of slander and I’m certain that sharing a link to a news story that was reported by wtok.com, News center 11 in Meridian, MS does not fall under the category of slander. BTW. . . while he was informing me that he had contacted his lawyer, he stood there with his hand on his gun and since I perceived that as a non-verbal threat, I proceeded to contact the Chief of Police to file a complaint. I find it amazing that there are so many City of Lumberton employees that seemingly have lawyers on speed dial. Usually, only CEO’s and criminals have lawyers on retainer, but I guess Hobson’s definition of CEO is (crazy, ego-maniacal, officer) but I think he a better fit for the latter category. He’s probably gotten away with this type of behavior for years, but let’s get back to the slander allegations. Did I write the story about his domestic assault? No. Was he convicted of domestic assault? I don’t know what he was convicted of, but he was convicted of something. So, if he was convicted of a crime, how was he hired to be a Lumberton Police officer? Well, I’m glad you asked that question. You know that the first question on the Lumberton Police Department’s employment application is Have you ever been charged or convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony? I don’t have all the details of his conviction, but it took place around March of 2010. Now I’m confused, you say he was convicted in March of 2010 and he was still hired. That’s where the loopholes come into play. . Although he was convicted in March he filled out his application for employment with the City of Lumberton in January of 2010, so he answered truthfully if he said that he was not convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, but according to wtok.com, he was charged with domestic assault in 2008?
My encounter with Hobson was discussed in executive session last night at the board meeting, and I was not surprised that nothing was done regarding the threats made against me by this officer. I just find it interesting that Walmart have more in-depth background checks for ppl stocking their shelves, than we do for the individuals that patrol our streets. Amazingly, I stumbled onto this information through this secret internet application called Google. I know that the board members think that discussions held in executive session are private, but there is no law in the State of Mississippi that precludes the public from knowing what was said in executive sessions. (You can call Eddie Smith and verify that for yourself.) But I would like to answer Rebecca’s question that was directed towards the chief; she wanted to know if I felt threatened by Hobson. Yes, I felt it was a direct threat. First of all, I am a law abiding citizen that was sitting in my car, when this Neo-Nazi reject approached my car, outside the scope of any probable cause, and stood there in a defensive posture, with his hand on his gun, telling me that what he was going to do. But I also found it interesting that Kent Crider, in his infinite ignorance, said that I should have felt threatened by Hobson because of the things I write about in my blog. First of all, Crider and the rest of the aldermen claim they never read this blog and now Kent “Triple K’ Crider is ready to make Hobson an honorary Grand Wizard b/c he did what they wish they had the balls to do. . I almost cussed. And to top it off. . Bobby Gibson and Timothy Johnson did nothing regarding the fact that a law abiding citizen, who happens to be African-American, was threatened by a white police officer. Silence is acceptance. This matter is far from over, and I’m seeking legal remedies regarding this matter b/c I’m also aware of the charges in Hattiesburg and/or Petal. . seems like Mein Kaumpf has an issue with law and order. I am fully aware that the currents of bias and division that fueled the conundrums of racism have truthfully only cloaked themselves in subtler, more nuanced garbs, and as such, require a far warier and sophisticated frame of mind to navigate them successfully.

Coming up Next: My next blog post will be about Kent Crider’s detailed conversation with City Engineer, Gary Hickman.