A Conspiracy of Corruption: Lumumba Lied, Black Apologists Cried, and Electoral Politics Failed…Again!
Part I
Part I of this article documents and analyzes the actions of the mayoral administration of Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and his recent indictment on federal bribery and other related charges. Since Mayor Lumumba’s ascension to public office in 2017, he has largely turned a blind eye to police-state murder and abuse by giving cover to Jackson Police Department officers who conquered and killed working-class Black Jacksonians. Mayor Lumumba’s projection of his rise to power as a people’s victory while discarding political principles and initiatives that he claimed to represent is discussed. After providing the larger context of Mayor Lumumba’s shinning government of the damned for readers who may be unaware, the author discusses the meaning of the Mayor Lumumba’s indictment in the broader context of a bankrupt criminal punishment system. The contention that the federal government’s indictment of him is a political attack to prevent his re-election is briefly discussed. The dissection of this claim will be expounded upon in Part II.
“Brother, you haven’t supported us on anything since we’ve been in office,” Jackson, MS Mayor Lumumba stated. I briefly quipped, “Y’all haven’t done anything worth supporting.” That was 2019. It was the last time I spoke with Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. We were in a conference room in Jackson’s City Hall. It was not a meeting that I requested. Looking back, our exchange was brief but necessary, particularly given Mayor Lumumba’s recent federal indictment and, perhaps more disappointingly, his swift acquittal among Black apologists.
Brothers Gonna Work It Out
My brief exchange with Mayor Lumumba was a reminder of a consensus on one thing between us. I had taken part in a radical democratic (democracy means majority rule) movement whose transparent goal was to build a social motion based on popular assemblies and cooperatives. Language was used to dress up this goal as a renewed vision of Black autonomy informed by direct democracy and workers self-management — political values I still believe and the mayor and his minions never took seriously. Mayor Lumumba never supported such a vision and, at his best, thought it was a mere discardable veil for his aspirations to city-state power above society.
The Arrogance: The Mayor Thinks that He is the Movement
Mayor Lumumba was arrogant enough to think the essence of the movement was him holding office as the ruler of the city. The status of the post-civil rights Black freedom movement and assorted other liberation aspirations is so thin and empty, it has no concern for the content of the new society we are trying to bring closer. The Black Lives Matter, Black Girl Magic, and Cooperation Jackson pretenses have exposed this beyond a shadow of a doubt. 2019 is now 5 years ago. If we look back on the history of the Black Power movement, 1966–1971, 1969–1974, there were widespread discussions about the difference between Black Power as embodying a new society and the myth and irrationality of Black capitalism. These discussions found in movement politics and popular culture were organic to the contradictions and actual behavior of the new mayors and police chiefs. In other words, everyone wasn’t trying hard to be radicals and revolutionaries. But the circumstances forced the questions we should be asking into our lives. Further, the turning point between the old world and the new — the demise of Jim Crow and the emergence of the Black political class — was obvious.
Investing in the City and Its People
Early on in Mayor Lumumba’s regime, he made it clear that he intended to open Jackson and its people up for capitalist exploitation. In some of his early State of the City Addresses, he continued to woo capitalists by saying he wanted them to come and “invest” in Jackson under the condition that they also “invest” in “the people.” “Invest” in this context means little more than exploit the city and ordinary people. The only time capitalists “invest” anywhere is to receive the highest return on their investment regarding the profit motive. Patronage politics allows for the elected official facilitating the permanent plunder, to accrue money, power, and influence for themselves.
A People’s Victory or Political Prostitution?
Mayor Lumumba’s early pronouncements indicated that not only was he willing to politically prostitute the city of Jackson and commoners as a source of cheap and expendable labor, but he was also willing to sell himself. The handwriting has been on the wall for quite some time for those who wanted to see what was in front of them. Unfortunately, too many people, mostly Mayor Lumumba’s supporters and admirers and nationalists and pan-africanists who viewed his ascension above society as a “people’s victory” of Mayor Lumumba’s regime, refused to heed what their lying eyes and ears made evident. In retrospect, the mayor’s announcement on November 6, 2024, that federal authorities indicted him and other local elected officials in a bribery scheme should come as no surprise.
The author previously wrote about the possibility of corruption in the Lumumba administration shortly after he gave a State of the City Address vowing to fight corruption. At the same time, one of his closest political allies and member of his transition team was awarded a contract with the city and was paid over $50,000 more than what Jackson’s City Council approved. The mayor claimed that this was an honest mistake. The larger context should’ve at least raised question about this transaction.
Is it safe to say that the storm clouds of corruption were gathering around the Lumumba regime well before his announcement of his indictment on November 6, 2024?
Ahead of the Storm: Mayor Announces Pending Indictment by Federal Government
On the afternoon of November 6, 2024, Mayor Lumumba preemptively announced on social media that his legal team had informed him of a federal indictment on bribery and related charges, seemingly in an attempt to get ahead of the government’s official announcement and press release. The looming charges were the standard fed prosecutor’s recipe: a heaping of corruption allegations, a cupful of bribery, simmered in the salacious broth of a strip club, and with some Black vernacular sprinkled in for good measure.
For his part, the mayor expressed disappointment and said that he had never taken bribes of any kind and has always acted in the best interest of Jackson’s residents. While the people of Jackson face real struggles, federal prosecutors cooked up an indictment and the Mayor served them a sugary dose of high fructose public relations spin.
Even though it may have been wise to, Mayor Lumumba couldn’t stop there. Instead, he went on to say that the federal government’s prosecution of him was politically motivated and specifically designed to destroy his reputation and credibility within the community ahead of his bid for re-election for Mayor of Jackson.
Jackson’s mayoral election is not until 2025. Furthermore, why would the federal government be interested in damaging the legitimacy of Mayor Lumumba ahead of his re-election campaign? He has been re-elected before and has never suggested that the federal government sought to interfere with his administrations operation to the point of attempting to entrap or ensnare him in some way. In fact, when one of the Jackson municipal government’s water treatment plants failed leaving its residents without water, it was the federal government that Mayor Lumumba and his administration appealed to for help.
Is the federal government out to subvert Mayor Lumumba or has it been one of its benefactors when his administration failed Jackson’s residents miserably?
lt is important to note that the Department of Justice that investigated and ultimately indicted Mayor Lumumba is controlled by President Joe Biden who is a Democrat, not the big bad wolf Republicans that Mayor Lumumba and many activists for the government like to whoop and holler about. Historically, there have been instances where the FBI has deliberately sought to discredit or harass certain public officials. In such instances, these administrations were viewed as a threat, even if the threat was merely symbolic.
However, I am not aware of any historical instances where the federal government has attempted to discredit an administration that has openly conspired with it, without apology or reservation. Mayor Lumumba’s public relationship with the federal government in Jackson will be discussed further later in this article. What can be said for now is that it makes no sense for the federal government to seek to subvert a municipal government that has done nothing but conspire with it under both President Donald Trump’s first administration and the current administration of Joe Biden.
Lumumba and Alleged Co-Conspirators Appear in Federal Court
On November 7, 2024, Mayor Lumumba and his alleged co-conspirators, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and former Jackson City Council President and current Ward 6 council person, Aaron Banks appeared in federal court to be arraigned. Arraignments are court proceedings that mark the beginning of a criminal case after a person accused of a crime is indicted. Normatively, criminal defendants appear with an attorney and enter a plea of not guilty. Criminal defendants have the option of having the charges against them read aloud in open court by the judge presiding over the arraignment. It is rare, especially for those who have legal counsel to opt to have their charges read in open court because by that time, they understand the charges against them because they have discussed the charges with legal counsel.
Mayor Lumumba appeared, with a group of supporters, including some city department heads, at the Thad Cochran Federal Courthouse. Facing media questions about his possible resignation, Mayor Lumumba emphasized his innocence and stated he is not guilty and so he won’t proceed as a guilty man. Former Ward 2 City Councilwoman, Angelique Lee, is also mentioned in the federal indictment as a person who took bribes from FBI agents posing as developers. Prosecutors allege Councilwoman Lee took bribes at the behest of Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens. Lee resigned in August of 2024 and immediately pled guilty. She was previously scheduled to be sentenced on November 13, 2024. However, the court presiding over her case entered an order on its own motion continuing her case “until further notice of the court”. That is a curious move.
Courts continue cases in state and federal court normatively. There is a myriad of reasons for this. One reason could be the court has a scheduling conflict. Another reason for this could be that both parties, prosecution and defense, agree that they need additional time to prepare for sentencing and the Court doesn’t want to place this rationale into the regular court minutes that could easily be viewed by the public. However, the most logical and likely reason for the Court’s continuance of Ms. Lee’s sentencing is that the federal government intends to use Ms. Lee’s testimony in the prosecution of the alleged co-conspirators Mayor Lumumba, DA Owens, and Councilman Banks, should they decide to proceed to trial. This is what we call a “cooperation coupon” — a punishment discount the feds give cooperating witnesses to use when they checkout at sentencing. It is likely that former Councilwoman Lee is not being sentenced ahead of the alleged co-conspirator’s trial because depending on how helpful Ms. Lee’s testimony is in the prosecution of the alleged co-conspirators, that she will receive leniency and possibly avoid spending time in the Federal Bureau of Prisons for her testimony. There are many possibilities, but only time will tell.
The mayor proclaiming his innocence and vowing to fight the charges is what he is supposed to do. Many criminal defendants have defiantly proclaimed their innocence until the bitter end where they find themselves convicted of crimes and facing lengthy jail sentences. Others have come out swinging wild, only to plead guilty later after the fanfare has calmed down and reality has set in. Nonetheless, the old saying that it is easy to indict a ham sandwich, meaning that if prosecutors, on the federal or state level, desire to get an indictment against someone, they can make it happen with very little problems. Historically, the Grand Jury process was instituted to offer a layer of protection to the accused by bringing a group of citizens together to investigate the legitimacy of the charges brought against the accused and only where they found the charges being brought by the state had merit they would return an indictment, also known as a True Bill.
Today, citizens are not called upon to investigate anything. They are brought in and dictated to by prosecuting attorneys who control the entire process. In many instances, the only people grand jurors hear from are police who have a vested interest in a criminal defendant being indicted because they are the individuals who took them into custody and charged them with a crime. Neither criminal defendants nor their defense attorneys are allowed inside of the proceedings, let alone challenge any of the state’s “evidence”. The process is shrouded in secrecy. Properly understood, grand jury proceedings, as they are operated today, are tools of oppression that are merely rubberstamps of a prosecuting attorney’s office on a detective’s investigation and decision to charge a particular defendant(s) with a crime which are many times half-baked at best.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has the capacity to surveil, monitor, and thoroughly document the activities of those who are subject to their investigation for crimes. They are not invincible, but their investigations are much more thorough than state and local investigations that rely heavy on state agencies and/or local police departments who only in recent years have begun accruing the investigative means to expand surveillance and other investigative measures that make it difficult to overcome the evidence underlying charges brought by prosecutors.
The FBI is known to dot its I’s, cross it T’s, and close it’s loops during its investigations. The indictment of Mayor Lumumba and his co-conspirators is over 65 pages long and details how many of the conversations between co-conspirators were audio recorded and some seem to have been video recorded or at least photographed at certain points. This does not mean that Mayor Lumumba should raise the white flag. An indictment is not proof that a crime was committed and sometimes prosecutors cite evidence used to get an indictment that is never presented in court or that ultimately is decided can’t be brought into court because it should be excluded due to some violations of a criminal defendant’s constitutional rights or is in violation of the rules of evidence. Maybe Mayor Lumumba has legitimate defenses. Whatever defense strategies Mayor Lumumba possesses, will have to be more substantial than what he and his supporters have conjured about in the direct aftermath of the unsealing of the indictment against he and his co-conspirators, for sure.
He has Done Marvelous Things
Rukia Lumumba, Mayor Lumumba’s sister and director of the self-proclaimed People’s Advocacy Institute, which has primarily advocated for her brother’s political agenda rather than the people of Jackson, was vocal on the courthouse steps after his arraignment. She proclaimed that they were unbothered and characterized the indictment against her brother as “just an attack and an attempt to assassinate his character ahead of his re-election.” She affirmed what her brother alluded to in his statement as not proceeding as a guilty man and reassured the media her brother’s efforts to seek a third term as Jackson’s mayor would be successful. Her biased declaration that her brother has done “great things for Jackson” was reminiscent of the old Christian hymn “He Has Done Marvelous Things.”
The song sounds nice, with gratuitous soul claps, and may even make one feel good about worshipping and praising their god. Unfortunately, much like Rukia Lumumba’s empty praise of her brother, it does not provide any details about the marvelous feats achieved. As someone who lived in Jackson for eight years (2012–2020), observed the Lumumba administration up close, and had deep political disagreements with the mayor and his minions face-to-face, I can assure the reader that Mayor Lumumba’s actions have been less than marvelous and his track record as mayor less than stellar when it comes to the needs and empowerment of Black commoners in Jackson. By any measure, everyday people of Jackson have no more direct self-governing power than before Mayor Lumumba II showed up.
Part II of this article will be published on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 by 1 pm Central Standard Time.
This post was reposted from Stories by Adofo Minka on Medium
