Clergy to Meet with District Attorney Henderson to Urge Criminal Indictment of an Assistant Greensboro Police Chief

MEDIA ALERT:  
PLEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE AFTER 11:00 AM, OCTOBER 25, 2011

For Additional Information Contact:    

Rev. Cardes H. Brown    Rev. Gregory T. Headen    Rev. Nelson N. Johnson
336-273-5579                 336-379-1133                     336-230-0001

Clergy to Meet with District Attorney Henderson to Urge
Criminal Indictment of an Assistant Greensboro Police Chief

A Media Conference Will Be Held on Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 11:00 AM, at Bethel AME Church, 200 Regan St., in Greensboro, to Report on Meeting with DA

Several Greensboro clergy members will meet with the media to share the results of their recent meeting with the District Attorney, requesting him to act on a complaint filed with the DA’s Office more than three (3) weeks ago, documenting a violation of criminal law by an assistant police chief of Greensboro

Clergy members contend that the criminal complaint before the DA is one of many complaints of violations of policy and criminal law by the leadership of the Greensboro Police Department (GPD), which have been covered up by an extremely flawed investigative process or simply not investigated at all.  Current estimates are that more than 20 percent of the current GPD leadership is implicated in the violation of police policy and/or criminal law.   

In the last 14 months, five (5) African American and Latino police officers have been terminated for “whistle blowing.”   In addition, there currently exist 39 EEOC-related legal cases brought by police officers, along with more than 12 racial profiling or discrimination cases filed by private citizens against the GPD with the US Department of Justice.  The clergy and many in the community have alleged a pattern of corruption and double standards within the GPD.  According to one of the pastors, the Rev. Gregory T. Headen, “we are struggling for professionalism and accountability in our police department.”  Some of the clergy persons involved with this community initiative include:   



Rev. Eric Baldwin
Manasseh Baptist Church

Rev. Cardes H. Brown
New Light Missionary Baptist Church

Rev. James Fisher
St. Paul Baptist Church

Rev. Johnny Freeman
United Institutional Baptist Church

Rev. Michael Frencher
Trinity AME Zion Church

Rev. Gregory T. Headen
Genesis Baptist Church

Rev. Nelson N. Johnson
Faith Community Church

Rev. Alphonso McGlen
Bethel AME Church

Rev. Benjamin Mittman
East White Oak Baptist Church

Rev. Eva Ratliff
Guiding Light Ministries

Rev. Clarence Shuford
St. Phillip AME Zion Church

Rev. M. Ruth Smith
First AME Church

Rev. James Woodson
St. James Home of Fresh Start Ministries

Rev. William F. Wright
New Zion Missionary Baptist Church


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