Activist Walter Hudson finds a lack of accountability on the borough council and in the police department.
To the Editor:
It was Lord Acton who coined the phrase, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
In 2010, I accused the Penns Grove Police Department of being corrupt because a black man had died in police custody. I also accused Mayor John Washington of a lack of accountability. Today, my contentions remain the same.
During a national controversy over police brutality, a Penns Grove police officer was charged this month with illegal distribution of prescription pills. Yet, Mayor Washington has not given a statement about ensuring the public safety of the community in connection with this matter. Nor has Washington called for a judicial review for residents who were affected by an arrest, summons or testimony from the accused officer.
Problems with Penns Grove governance have been illuminated in different ways. In 2015, Fox 29 (WTXF-TV) reported that Councilman Carl J. Washington Jr. (no relation to the mayor) was driving while on the suspended license list. Because of his elected office and position on the council's police committee, it seems as if other elected officials and the police administration had a sudden case of amnesia about the incident.
Penns Grove Police Chief Gary Doubledee is eligible to retire. If he's decided to do so, there will be little leadership or accountability from the chief. It does not help when Councilman Clifford Poindexter, who has a cozy relationship with the police, heads the council's public safety committee. Instead of checks and balances, Poindexter seems to be OK with the status quo.
The Salem County NAACP and the black clergy in Penns Grove have been silent on these matters. There should be a push for Mayor Washington to resign. The people of Penns Grove deserve progressive leadership, not incompetence, as the norm.
Walter L. Hudson Sr.
Penns Grove
Founder
National Awareness Alliance
Editor's note: Councilmen Washington and Poindexter, both Democrats, are running for re-election on Nov. 8.
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