It’s getting heavy in Cobb County.
Chairman Tim Lee's attempt to address concerns over police practices – including a controversial cop who told a black motorist "I don't care about your people" – imploded on Thursday evening.
Lee criticized Commissioner Lisa Cupid, who called for a citizen review committee since she had a run-in with the same officer in the summer. She fired back, accusing him of mounting an attack “on the only commissioner that has called for us to even take the kind of steps that the chairman has presented.”
At one point, Cupid appeared to faint outside the meeting, WSB reported.
And then the leader of the local NAACP chapter declared “war” on Cobb County.
Speaking to the MDJ, Cobb NAACP President Deane Bonner called Lee’s actions “absolutely horrible.”
“We as a community, especially the NAACP, have tried to work with Cobb County to make this work, but after today, it’s pure war,” Bonner said. “I don’t know what people think about the NAACP, but you’re going to see a different one now. You will see one that is ready to attack Cobb County government for all of the craziness that we see going on in this county.”
And then there was this:
Ben Williams of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference told Lee that he and other activists have made a point of publicly supporting law enforcement, but that Lee "refused to hear" them or acknowledge that "there's some dirt" in the department.
"Tonight you devolved to the lowest level by communicating through your words that the rogues in the department need not have any fear because you got them covered," Williams said to applause. "It is clear to me that you were speaking to a segment of our community and that is low down. That is a lack of leadership and the ultimate example of disrespect."
The newspaper reports that Lee ended the meeting by apologizing for his tone.
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