Racial tensions intensify as black leaders locked out of “private” meeting
C.D. "Slitherspoon" Witherspoon???
Slideshow: A look inside the "secret" meeting
The long awaited and highly anticipated meeting of Jewish and African American leaders took place last night, without any real black leaders in attendance other than a few select. The meeting organized by Cortly ‘C.D.’ Witherspoon – commonly referred to outside as Mr. Slitherspoon – was the most outrageous and ridiculous atrocity of mismanaged leadership I have ever witnessed in this town. Being a former resident of Park Heights for years, growing up down the street from this planned meeting on Belvedere and Park Heights Avenues, I saw the real leaders of the community I still represent to the fullest, standing outside in the cold, while lacking the proper invitation to this circus of a meeting.
Witnessing countless Jewish leaders enter the building adjacent to the Jewish Community Center located off of Park Heights Avenue, there were little to no real African American leadership present. Banning all media outlets from attendance, only allowing for a brief photo shoot of the attendees in the beginning of the meeting, they [participants] acted as if this was some sort of Fraternity of Masonic Order with secret codes and hidden messages, as no participant spoke as the media were attempting to get the very limited coverage we were allowed. Being disrespected and spoken to as if we were second-class citizens by organizers, the fourth estate that these so-called leaders call on timelessly to get their message out to the mainstream had no hesitation in treating this group of cold and tired hard working men and women as if we were a pestering bunch of parasites.
As community leaders and citywide patrons began to appear trying to gain entry in the meeting that was originally scheduled for 6:00P, they soon found out that this was only for the political and Jewish elite. The meeting was originally set for a different location in lower Park Heights’ Zeta Center (the black community); it was later changed to the Jewish community without advanced knowledge or invitation to try and hide it from the real community and citywide leaders! Fearing these persons inside did not represent their interests; protesters began speaking out against this foolish attempt at solving a problem that is an underlying constant each day in these neighborhoods.
Not invited were people such as Pastor Lunn, the 36-year Reverend for Park Heights’ oldest black church Berean Baptist, as well as Coach Owens, President of the Columbus Drive Improvement Association who said that “it is a shame these people are doing this without the input of us community folk and leaders. However, I came, got turned away and now I am off to the real meeting with the real community leaders at the Zeta building.” This second meeting the Coach was referring to was organized by the group who put together Saturday nights meeting which was covered only by this Examiner on Monday (found here).
However, people such as Keith Snipes and Chris Blake weren’t as reserved and statesman-like as the Pastor and Coach, speaking with an inflamed passion for being disrespected. “This is about some people gaining self-indulgence and some sort of personal prestige by quickly calling a meeting on a story they jumped on without having all the facts and knowing all the players,” said Blake. Yet Snipes stated in his remarks, as chants were echoed of “Slitherspoon strikes again”, that “his sense was that people’s pride and so-called accomplishments seemed to take over their rational mind. We have a black mayor who is not here; a long list of black elected officials who were also not invited. Yet when they have a meeting in the Jewish area of Baltimore they bring out the cavalry to protect them.” Referring to the three squad cars, paddy-wagon and several uniformed officers’ stationed out front of the building.
However inside, as I had eyes and ears reporting back to me from inside the room, there was a bunch of confusion with very little accomplished? Beginning the meeting and lasting almost forty-five minutes, Councilwomen Sharon Greene-Middleton and Rochelle ‘Rikki’ Spector started their barrage of verbal attacks on Mr. Witherspoon about why they were not invited, as this was their districts and stating they never seen him anywhere in Park Heights, at community association meetings, events, clean-ups or even at a northwest store. “I informed them that there would be no meeting without me,” stated Spector to me outside the meeting building. “Sharon and I just found out about this and it is very disrespectful as we were the persons elected to represent the interests of these citizens, not Mr. Witherspoon.” However after a tiring combined effort of “who are you and why are you here” styled questioning of CD, he then proceeded to throw a tantrum, as usual, and stormed out of the room attempting to leave his own meeting. It was left to Councilwoman Belinda Conaway, who was originally left out in the cold being held off the list while her Court Clerk father was present from the start, to actually bring the young and childish Witherspoon back into the rooms.
After the meeting finally adjourned, though leaders such as Frank Conaway Sr. (Papa Bear) and Clarence Mitchell III (the Bear) tried to come to some sort of agreed upon solution, apparently nothing was accomplished by this monumental waste of time. Joseph Armstead, the outgoing NAACP third vice-president of the Baltimore Branch, was in attendance and stated that, “No resolution was found last night, but a start to some helpful dialogue was hopefully started.” Hiding from the media cameras, as he arrived an hour early and snuck out the back doors in his exiting the meeting, Mr. Witherspoon had no comment regarding this meeting and his possible attempts to continue to represent the Park Heights community. One thing was certainly missing from this very important meeting…the child who was assaulted, along with any of his family members, lawyers or representatives.
However about ten blocks down the road, at 4501 Reisterstown Rd. (Wylie Ave.), the real meeting was taking place. Members of the original meeting on Saturday were present, with about 3-times the size of the Witherspoon meeting and open to the public; this group also included those members that could have a long lasting affect on this situation. NAACP leaders, Pastor Heber Brown, Willie Flowers and others were joined by the Northwestern Police Major, along with the Northwestern High School principal who oversees the school in this district that the young man who was assaulted attends. Lasting a few hours and allowing full participation by the community, this group was also later attended by those who were at the upper Park Heights meeting.
Calling on the Councilwomen (Spector and Middleton) who decided to sit in the back and talk amongst themselves, they arrogantly took this time to slam the first meeting alluding to their concentration on this matter and others they continuously do each and every day. Hearing their names called, standing up Middleton audibly announced for some to hear her, “Finally,” as if they took too long on calling on her “expertise”. Taking the stage to close out the meeting, Spector ended it with the words that seemed to wrap up the night’s events. “Tough times are for tough people. For tough times shall pass, however tough people shall remain to fight others!”
These past meetings and division amongst the African American leadership of who shall take the lead in resolving this matter, has seen many of the original leaders ostracized, either recanting previous positions or clarifying current ones. As Mr. Witherspoon was the first to respond to this matter regarding the original Baltimore Sun article about the young Northwestern High 15-year old black man being allegedly assaulted by a 23-year old former Special Forces officer and current community “watchers” group, Shomrim employee. (Also covered by this Examiner originally here) This Jewish group saw its officer possibly place this entire cities political and racial reputation on the line based on one act of blatant stupidity. Yet as former NAACP Baltimore Branch President Marvin ‘Doc’ Cheatham was originally one of the valiant and most vocal supporters of these efforts in the black community, calling for at least a suspension of the Shomrim group throughout this period of investigation, as black groups were such as COIL; he now has retracted such statements and positions, placing a letter-to-the-editor in the Sun saying the following:
“I am now and always have been a strong supporter of citizens on patrol groups. I am not one of those who have called for the Shomrim community patrol [group] to be disbanded?”
This is not what I recall being said by the former president in Saturday’s meeting and a later discussion with him via telephone the next day? However I may be wrong? Also clarifying his stance, along with that of his group, in which he is the current Vice-President, was Reverend Heber Brown III of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. “I am NOT connected to this meeting. In fact, I have not even officially been given details about it [meeting]. The organizer of this meeting is Rev. C.D. Witherspoon,” said Brown in a statement released through his Pleasant Hope church list-serve which was later posted by Kinji Scott here. Continuing on to ensure those following these efforts are not confused or misinformed about the convoluted process, the young pastor states the following:
“I told Rev. Witherspoon on the evening of Thursday, December 2, 2010 that I had reservations about being a part of his 'dialogue effort'. As Rev. Witherspoon's meeting has taken greater shape, I've become increasingly uncomfortable with it given its lack of community participation and the restrictive nature of the details about the gathering.
Let me repeat. I am NOT connected to this meeting and given what I know about it at this point, I can not in good faith lend my individual support to it though I pray that something substantive comes out of it. My focus has been and will continue to be justice for the 15-year-old African American male and a full accounting of all who were involved in his attack.
Furthermore, let me also be clear that the press release disseminated by the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA) was in fact, a statement crafted and sanctioned by the organization. On Thursday, December 2, 2010, President Alvin Gwynn, Sr. appointed a committee to spearhead the IMA's response to this issue and asked me to lead the committee. I've been working diligently to keep all members of the committee abreast of the latest details of this rapidly developing story. I was asked by President Gwynn to connect with WBAL (Jayne Miller) for an interview and that's what I did. In addition, other media outlets also contacted me to speak further on the IMA's position.”
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