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The Rinaldi Report by Peter Rinaldi
Dilly-dally Natchez Mayor Jake Middleton and the Board of Aldermen created their own internal crisis by failing to choose a new police chief in a timely manner. The selection process has dragged on for months, when it was clear from the beginning that Interim Chief Danny White was not only a good choice for chief, but the best political choice. Natchez politics always seems to be divided by race. And white aldermen wanted a white chief and the black aldermen wanted a black chief, which left Middleton dangling in the middle, afraid of making a choice. There was the so-called issue of whether a chief has to have a college degree. But the language in the job qualifications calls for a chief preferably with a college degree. It’s not an absolute requirement. Once that small hurdle had been passed, the mayor and aldermen should have made their decision back in February or early March at the latest.
Instead, the deliberative body delayed and postponed and
made the obvious racial issue even worse by failing to make a
decision on the eve of the city primary. The black aldermen walked
out of the meeting in protest, assuring an increase in black turnout
for the primary. The stunt was also a way for Aldermen Joyce
Arceneaux-Mathis and Rickey Gray to show they’re “with the people.”
Both had primary challenges from competitors. Phillip West benefited as well. A pleasantly orchestrated racial incident could help his chances of being elected. The outburst and flare-up was not really orchestrated as much as it was black politicians taking advantage of white politicians’ political stupidity. The bad thing about race politics is that everyone loses and the suppositions underlying race prejudice obscure a true view of conditions. For example, many white voters equate black government with incompetent government. So if you choose a black person to lead, then you’ll get incompetent and corrupt leadership. The problem with that kind of thinking is that we had a white chief and he did a terrible job. So putting in another white is not a guarantee of success. It’s not his skin color that determines his ability to lead. Interestingly, there have been four city-county leaders and department heads that have been in serious trouble with the law or committed major wrong doing in recent years. Three have been white, one has been black. Does that mean that white leaders are more corrupt than black ones? Race prejudice is not just the province of white folks either. A lot of black voters would take it as a slap in the face if city government would choose a white police chief. Natchez is a black city and deserves a black chief, so their thinking goes. If we choose a white chief, he will be automatically prejudiced against black people, including his black officers and staff, and will give preference to whites to be promoted over blacks. The awful thing about racial bias is that it self-cuts both ways to the entire community’s detriment. On the heels of all these progressive job announcements, it’s not encouraging to see Natchez revert to ‘where the Old South, the racially divided South, still lives’ or refuses to die. Most of the mayors and aldermen in recent years have been old people, folks like me, over age 50 and heading past age 60. That generation grew up in the 1960s, during an era of extreme racial turmoil. When you talk to people who are now in their 50s and 60s, they seem to have trouble escaping and moving past that time. The old hurts are still there. Maybe that’s why this current generation of aldermen still has pronounced problems with bias. I see hope in the younger generation who do not share the same prejudicial views as their elders. While bias will never be totally eliminated, I see much more give and take between whites and blacks in their teens, 20s and 30s than in my generation. There is a greater tendency of young folks to accept or reject a person based on his behavior or content of his character and not the color of his skin. I’m personally not much of a fan of interracial marriage, but the phenomenal growth in intermarriage shows that increasing numbers of younger people of marrying age do not consider the racial taboo of intermarriage to be a taboo at all. Race as an issue is on the decline. Even though the aldermen should be able to make a hiring decision based solely on ability and experience, it’s absurd to think that other factors (including race and political necessity) don’t play important roles in a decision. That’s why I felt from the beginning that Danny White, as interim, would bring us forward a bit. He’s competent, well-liked and he’s black in a black town. And so far, you’d have to say his leadership during the interim phase has been good. He may or may not be the absolute best choice for the job. But he is a good choice and a realistic political choice considering our biases. To conclude from this most recent incident that politics and life in Natchez is the same as the old days would be incorrect. Things have changed dramatically since the 1960s in Natchez, much for the good, some for the bad. For a lot of citizens, a resurgence of old-time race biases is simply annoying and no more. Ultimately, positive changes, racial equity and declining bias are inevitable. The old folks, people like me and my age group, we retire, get ill and die. And with us go our political influence and our prejudices. There are many lessons in American history. Surely, one is that as time goes by the country becomes less prejudicial, more open, more embracing of all groups. Two generations ago, a Catholic marrying a Protestant was often a scandal. Today no one notices. Interracial marriage was banned by law in almost all Southern states. Today, people notice a black and white couple, but aren’t really that concerned, figuring it’s the couple’s business. For Mayor Middleton and the Aldermen, this advice is worth remembering. When you have a potentially divisive situation to handle, make a decision. Get it over with. And move on. If the city had chosen its chief in February or March, the racial crisis or showdown would have become old news quickly. Now it’s an important facet of the primary and May 15 runoff. The problem could have been ameliorated, its impact lessened. Instead, we are unhappy and troubled because of the dilly-dally. |
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55 Seargent Prentiss Drive · Suite 4 · P.O. Box 17833 · Natchez MS 39122 · (601) 446-8803
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