The North Carolina town of Kenly, population 2,400, will be without a single law enforcement officer shortly because the entire police force and two administrators resigned after the town council hired a highly experienced Black woman to be town manager, CNN reports.
But before you jump to conclusions that this is strictly some story about racism, pull back on the reins. It’s also likely about misogyny and police corruption.
After a nationwide search that involved thirty potential candidates, Kenly’s town council hired Justine Jones to handle the day-to-day administrative operations for the municipality, prompting the ironically named police chief, Josh Gibson, to submit his two-week notice, along with those of four full-time and one-part time police officers, and two clerks who worked interdepartmentally for the town.
Gibson, who obviously is not related to the great Negro League baseball player, stated that Jones created a toxic work environment which made it impossible for literally every one of the town’s staff to quit. Many locals, however, believe that Gibson was upset that Jones imposed professional standards and practices on the police department, which Gibson had run without opposition for two decades.
There’s also the issue of a white man–all the officers were white–having to answer to a Black woman for the first time in their lives, who imposed a structure to their jobs and accountability for everything from their professional practices to financial dealings.
“I have never had any personal problems with [Police Chief Josh] Gibson, but as a former employee of the town, I know how it works there,” said Michelle Dawes, a former town employee. “I immediately knew, this is someone new. She doesn’t know what, I call them, the ‘off the books rules’ are. Basically, when she came and got hired, she poked the bear by making him accountable.”
Until new officers can be hired, the local sheriffs’ offices from the counties Kenly straddles will increase patrols in the area.
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