Wednesday, July 3, 2019

A called meeting of the Many Town Council Thursday, June 27, ended with Mayor Ken Freeman being arrested, handcuffed, led to a waiting patrol car and taken to the Sabine Parish Detention Center where he was booked.

Without question it was a planned event. Rumors of something about to happen were rambling around town Thursday morning. Some folks knew it was coming. A lot of folks were very upset because of the shadow this deed will leave on our little town. KSLA-TV was there to cover it, and the arrest was all over social media as quickly as it unfolded.

And it was all for show and tell. With the manners of a gentleman, Freeman was gracious throughout and retained his composure as the event unfolded. Later he apologized for the embarrassment the staged arrest caused the town.

He was charged with speeding 48 in a 30 mph zone, disobeying a stop sign and resisting an officer by flight. The charges stemmed from the earlier arrest of Greg Bell and the Mayor’s actions on the night of May 16. Details of that evening can be found in the Observations of May 22.

The question is:  If these were serious violations, why did the police wait 42 days to arrest the Mayor? They will say the matter was under investigation. But what was there to investigate? Without question, Thursday’s arrest was a sham for show.

After being booked, Mayor Freeman was released at 1:49 p.m. on a preset bond of $1,667.

The fiasco was perfectly planned, but who were the brains behind it? We don’t think Chief Roger Freeman [no relation] was, although he was a willing participant. It is hard to believe he could have put together such a circus by himself. A crowd of about 70 filled the meeting room, most of them very partial to the Chief. Who got them out? At times they were reminiscent of an Old West lynch mob – ready to lynch the Mayor.

 The word had gotten out, and quite a few people knew the event was going to happen in advance. Somebody had to plan to get the warrant, obtain it, call the news media and plan the timing of the arrest for maximum embarrassment to the Mayor.

But the truth will come out, and we will eventually learn who was behind it.

As the dust settles, we see the ploy backfiring on the Police Dept. The sympathy now is by far with Mayor Freeman. He was wronged and folks who think and are reasonable, see this. After the initial satisfaction of seeing the Mayor arrested, no doubt the ones behind the scenes who are responsible are becoming increasingly dismayed by lack of lasting success. Possibly the efforts to smear the Mayor will continue. We shall see.

This shenanigan by the Police Dept. is just another reason why the vast majority of the people have lost confidence in Chief Freeman and the Dept.

“Reprisal, simply reprisal,” the Mayor said as he was being arrested. After the meeting, as orchestrated as a well-rehearsed play, Officer Stanley Cook approached the Mayor and showed him a warrant for his arrest signed by Judge Stephen Beasley.  Officer Benjamin Shaw then read him his rights as he was being handcuffed. Afterward, Mayor Freeman noted he had never been issued a ticket related to the charges in question, which he said he would have paid promptly as he would expect any citizen to do.

There was a smattering of applause and verbal comments from the Chief Roger Freeman-friendly crowd as the Mayor was led to a patrol car.

The special meeting was called to consider an ordinance to place a proposition on the November ballot to change the Chief of Police position from elected to appointed. On a motion by Bobbie Jackson seconded by Mary Key Brocato, the Council passed the ordinance. If the proposition is approved by voters, the City Council will appoint a Chief of Police. In that case, the Chief would be answerable to the Town Council instead of only being answerable to himself.

If the proposition is passed by voters, Chief Freeman would remain in office until his current term expires in 2021.

In beginning the meeting, Mayor Freeman said that for a year now the Council has received complaints about the operation of the Police Department. The problems have been discussed with the Chief at previous Council meetings and also in private.

Mayor Freeman listed some of the complaints, adding, “People don’t feel safe in their homes anymore and [the issue of] using public vehicles for private use. We have attempted to work with him,” the Mayor said of the Chief.

The Mayor said some are under the impression that the Chief is answerable to the Council, but he is not. The Chief alone is responsible for the operation of the Department.

Mayor Freeman said that in earlier private meetings with officers, patrolmen have said that the Chief not only lies to the Council, but also to them. He said it was stated they fear reprisal if they speak out.

After the vote, the Mayor opened up the meeting for questions. Some of the comments made by Chief Freeman’s supporters were stupid. Some were merely foolish. A great number had nothing to do with the matter at hand.

Concerning the rash of break-ins by juveniles in Many, Chief Freeman said two have been arrested and two more will be arrested today. “We have been busting our tails,” he commented.

During his comments, the Chief said he had “helped just about everybody in this room.” He said he spends time helping people out on the streets. He said he had back surgery and has been recovering lately, so has not been as active.

It was stated that Dewayne Brumley is the Assistant Chief and is in charge when the Chief is away. Brumley said, “I am not allowed to come to City Court or the Council meetings because he [pointing toward the Mayor] doesn’t like my attitude.” Perhaps Brumley’s actions with two Councilwomen following the meeting display why Mayor Freeman does not want him at the public meetings.

According to an interview given to KTBS-TV by Alderwoman at Large Mary Key Brocato, Officer Brumley approached Brocato and Councilwoman Bobbie Jackson outside City Hall and called Brocato a “bitch.” He repeated the name calling, and when Jackson attempted to dissuade his remarks, Brumley said to her, “She’s a bitch and you’re not worth a sh**.” It is reported that as the two were attempting to leave in Brocato’s vehicle, the officer leaned into it and said, “Slap me, slap me. I dare you to.”

The saddest part about all of this sorry mess is the sad light it puts on our town, which is home to a lot of hardworking, good people. Where has civility gone? If you wonder why the police department is in trouble and folks say it is out of control, just look at this incident.

A Happy Fourth of July to all our readers.  We appreciate your readership and interest each week in Observations.

Many Alderman at Large Mary Key Brocato announces that a contract has been let to repair 400 pot holes in the Town of Many. And she said the work is guaranteed.

It started out as a billboard and ended up being some sort of sign. That was Rep. Frankie Howard’s House Bill 457 to have the Village of Robeline erect billboards announcing to motorists that it is a speed trap town. The matter was handled in the session of the State Legislature recently ended.

The bill was referred to the House Committee on Transportation, Highway and Public Works where it was unanimously reported out with an amendment to change the sign from Speed Trap to something like a Strictly Enforced Speed Zone. The House then passed the bill 97-0.

The bill then went to the Senate Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works. Rep. Howard said as he walked to the meeting, he saw Sen. Gerald Long talking with Robeline Mayor Bobby Behan, Chief of Police Gordon O’Con, Patrolman Brad Raynes and possibly Council Members Glida Jenkins and Pamela Jennings.

In essence, Long got the bill deferred – meaning it would not be voted out of committee, thereby not going to the full Senate for a vote.

An agreement was reached that the State Department of Transportation would erect signs in Robeline about the speed limit being strictly enforced. The signs will be paid for by the Village of Robeline. Gerald said the agreement was reached on a handshake, and he added it was to a rousing round of applause from the solons present.

Gerald is quoted as saying, “It was a bad bill and not in the best interest of government.” Say what? You need to explain that one.

Rep. Howard said Gerald got Sen. Jim Fannin to work out the deal at his request.

Former long-time Robeline Mayor Tommy O’Con, publisher of Around The Town, had this to say on his Facebook page:  “Sen. Gerald Long has always represented our community and his district well. We hate to see him leave the Senate due to term limits. We thank him for the action he took in the Senate Friday in regards to HB 457 authored by Rep. Frank A. Howard. Thanks, Sen. Long, and may God Bless you and your future endeavors.” O’Con’s brother is the Chief of Police.

But there’s more. Rep. Howard asked the Department of Transportation to raise the 45 miles per hour speed limit in Robeline to 55 mph. And being the man of action he is, the signs were installed that day. The short 35 miles per hour limit in the downtown area will be left as is.

In a report in the Baton Rouge Advocate dated March 9, 2019, Long is quoted as saying “I also get phone calls from those getting the tickets.” Then in a later report, Long is quoted as saying he did not receive any complaints. Which is it?

Actually, speed trap towns are not a new issue. The Legislature has been wrestling with the problem since 2008. They have tried various solutions. The number of Louisiana towns in which fines make up at least half their revenues has risen from 15 in 2007 to more than 25 in 2018. For 60 other municipalities, fines and forfeitures account for more than 30 percent of revenues.

According to the Advocate, Robert Scott, head of the Public Affairs Research Council, said, “That’s the symbol of a broken system when you have to depend on preying on people to pay your bills. If you’re protecting people, that’s okay, but if you’re protecting services, you need to re-examine.”

 “For some of these towns, tickets have been a major revenue producer that has been the difference between providing services and not providing services,” Long said. 

Since 2007, Louisiana ranked 13th on the National Motorists Association list of the worst speed traps in the nation. The Thrillist web site puts the state at seventh. Louisiana forbids officers from having a ticket-writing quota. In 2008, legislators tried and failed to cap at 20 percent the ratio of fines to overall revenues for towns with populations of 1,000 to 3,000.

“Fines are now a way to run a government. It speaks to the need for a more diversified and stable tax base,” Jan Moller, executive director of the Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Budget Project, which advocates on behalf of low and moderate- income people, told the Advocate.

There is also great consideration of whether speed trap towns hurt tourism in the state. In considering whether the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association should include speed traps in tourist guides, lawmakers asked the Legislative Auditor’s Office to determine the extent of which speed limits and their enforcement are based more on revenue generation rather than public safety.

Recent Legislative Audits showed that Robeline received 84.4 percent of its income from fines. It ranks fifth in the state, behind Fenton at 94.9 percent, Georgetown at 92.2 percent, Baskin at 89.3 percent and Henderson at 84.6 percent.

In Sabine Parish, Fisher ranked 18^th with 62.23 percent of its revenue coming from fines.

Florien ranked 25^th with 49.7 percent of its revenue coming from fines.

Slow down, folks, in these “Speed Trap Towns.”

Once more, we wish you and yours a safe and happy Fourth of July! Please call or write to share your ideas and suggestions for future Observations. Call me at (318) 332-8653 or send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com. For recently archived Observations, follow the pages below. To find older ones, visit our Facebook page, where they are listed under Photos and Albums by date. To save, send or print this week’s column, please click on the appropriate icon below.

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