In a dramatic shift, the Forrest County Coroner, Butch Benedict, publicly apologized for the first time to the African American community regarding statements he posted on his social media page during a press conference held deep in the African American community at Vernon Dahmer Park, named after slain Hattiesburg's Civil Rights Activist, Vernon Dahmer, who was murdered by the Klu Klux Klan for registering blacks to vote which was first published by WJTV News in Jackson, MS.
He spent the early part of the morning reaching out to African American leaders apologizing for his actions, including speaking with Councilman Nick Brown, who represents the biggest area in the city, which is predominantly black, and the honorable Clarence Magee, President of Forrest County NAACP, the largest branch in the State of Mississippi. Both community leaders, Magee and Brown were receptive.
After going on almost 2 weeks of refusing to apologize, Coroner Benedict came forward to be held accountable for his remarks which he admitted were ignorant at best toward the hostilities that African Americans face on a day to day.
Forrest County Board of Supervisors struggled with how to address his remarks which many blacks believed were racist and demeaning of the newly elected Vice President Kamala Harris, in which many believed he indirectly called her a monkey, a claim he absolutely denies. The Board, however, cited it had no real power over the coroner. He couldn't be censored, impeached, or recalled according to state law, neither could they suspend his salary or fire him because he's an elected official, hired by the voters not the county.
Calls for him to resign by the highest of elected African American were ignored, including calls from Deborah Delgado and Nick Brown, the only two black members of the Hattiesburg City Council. No white elected official however called for his resignation. Protest were subliminal at best with no more than 20 or so people protesting, not the 1,000's blocking streets and major intersections seen across the country.
However tensions were rising and the number of protesters were growing which were flamed by Hattiesburg Police shooting of a 14 year old black teenager near Hattiesburg High School. No public statement has been made by Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker to address either issues despite protest in front of City Hall demanding accountability and transparency.
But things changed early Tuesday morning when the coroner had a meeting with a powerful young community leader, Derrian Moye, commonly referred to by local media as a local celebrity known throughout the community as Mr. Hattiesburg. Moye had recently created the historical Mississippi March, the Black Lives Matter protest of 5,000 or more peacefully protesters that marched from both Mobile Street & Vernon Dahmer Park to downtown Hattiesburg, the biggest demonstration in Hattiesburg's history.
Moye for his part has successfully guided the African American Community through several crisis before including standing up against a powerful Hattiesburg lieutenant displaying a hanging noose in his locker that turned into a national story in which the officer later resigned as well as creating the largest disaster relief in the city's history after a deadly EF3 tornado destroyed much of the African American community. He was later dignified by the University of Southern Mississippi with the prestigious honor of "Hometown Hero."
Benedict reference during the press conference it wasn't until he had a meeting with Moye that he understood how his comments had offended blacks in the community. Moye explained to the coroner that his comments disrespected black women and the black community as a whole. Moye explained using the word "monkey" in any context politically has generally only been used to demoralize blacks, specifically Black women in politics, something the coroner says he was unaware of, but still refused to apologize, citing it would be seen as guilt.
Benedict consistently argued he didn't mean anything racial by no means and the fact that so many of his friends he's known for years thought he did moved him to even more frustration. He thought, "Why apologize for something I didn't even mean it the way some people think I meant it? Then that means I did mean it like that and I swear I didn't."
Moye demanded a public apology as he knew tensions within his community was mounting with frustrations among the mistreatments and disregards of blacks. Moye knew the idea of a public apology let alone the coroner resigning was far fetched seeing as since the coroner had already spoken with members of the Board of Supervisors and others had called for his resignation to no avail, people with much more influence or power than he.
Yet once again, as he did with the lieutenant, he stood up for his community, this time a little weaker than in times past having health complications. Nevertheless, he didn't back down but continued to demand he be held accountable publicly, so the entire community could see his statement.
The coroner dug in with refusing to apologize as he was advised it would simply go away acknowledging the fact no one had any authority over him to manifest any consequences. He felt it would do more harm than good if he said anything publicly.
But after 47 minutes, Benedict conceded and agreed to apologize after Moye made it clear the bigger issue is, 'powerful white men' can do what they want to offend others without any consequences or even acknowledgements of wrong doing & that time had come to an end.
Benedict explained he's not a racist. He shared how horrible he felt about offending African Americans, specifically black women. "God I'd never say anything to disrespect or hurt women, especially black women. That's not me! That's just not who I am!" He went on to say, "I grew up around black people. I was raised up with black people. Some of my best of friends are black people! I'll do anything I can to make this right! You just tell me when and where!" he told Moye.
He originally wanted to do it Friday or next week, but Moye insisted on something soon and moved forward with giving him only an hour to prepare his thoughts and a statement.
Most leaders of the Black community didn't think he would actually go through with the plans to apologize. They felt like it was a waste of time because he wouldn't show up. They all stated they would be shocked if it actually happened given the fact so many people had reached out to him before, including elected officials and he always declined anything publicly.
Benedict for his part agreed it's bigger than politics or party. A group of people, including his friends, community, and most importantly, voters of both races had been offended by his words and as a God fearing man, he should do exactly what the Bible says, stand up and apologize for offending his brother.
After hearing a different perspective from Moye, he felt convicted by God to follow his heart to apologize especially to African Americans instead of following the advice others had given of letting it pass and attempt to let it die down.
So a few hours later the two men stood not in front of the coroner's office or downtown at the county administrative offices, but in the heart of the African American community before cameras and on live stream with African American kids standing in the background.
Standing next to the coroner Moye was dressed in all black wearing a 'Black Lives Matter' hoodie that depicted a large picture of Dr. Martin Luther King being arrested by two white men.
As the coroner explained how he grew up in the same black neighborhood he was standing in as the only white to play football at Mary Bethune school in the 5th and 6th grade, he began to apologize:
"Sometimes we can become offended by, hurt by, or angry with one another. Most of the time these offenses are totally unintended and often the person that causes an offense is not even aware that it has taken place. I realize that I have offended someone by the words that were written. I am truly sorry if the words used offended you, but the words written were in no way meant to offend anyone. I am truly sorry if I offended you."
Benedict stated that if he had previously known the context of how those words had been used in the past to offend blacks, he would have never used those words at all. He said he learned alot from the situation in general and alot from talking with Moye.
Moye said, "A white man that's an elected official for a county named after the leader of the Klu Klux Klan has come to the park named after a black leader the Klu Klux Klan murdered to apologize to the African American community for remarks that outraged African Americans is a huge step in the right direction. He didn't have to do it and nothing obviously could be done about it, but he did."
Moye said he and the coroner also talked about other ways that the coroner can help contribute to the African American Community in the near future.
He ended by saying, "Let's focus on resolving more issues within the community. As regarding the coroner, he's done something nobody else have done that's offended our community and that's coming out and owning up to it. We've addressed it. He's been held accountable. He's acknowledge it. He's publicly apologized. Now our community is looking forward to bigger issues."
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