No Struggle, No Progress
No Struggle, No Progress
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Monroe’s southside city council members held a press conference at noon on November 18, 2024, to address the critical street tax vote scheduled for December 7, 2024. District 3 Council Chairwoman Juanita Woods, District 4 Councilman Bishop Rodney McFarland, and District 5 Councilman Verbon Muhammad convened in the council chambers with members of the media and concerned citizens to voice their opposition and highlight concerns over the potential passage of the tax measure. The December ballot proposal has been a topic of intense debate since s...
Some employees of the Monroe City Schools District (MCS) may find themselves frustrated after receiving their November 2024 supplemental sales checks without the proper federal taxes withheld. Due to this oversight, employees will now have to determine how much they owe the IRS and handle those payments themselves. Sources report this is not the first time the district has failed to withhold taxes correctly, placing an undue burden on employees whose responsibilities do not include accounting. Reportedly, this is the third incident involving su...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. An Ouachita Parish firefighter was injured during a high-speed pursuit near Crawdaddy's Restaurant on Hwy 165 on Friday, November 15, 2024. According to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO), the alleged suspect, later identified as Joseph A. Seay, was reportedly fleeing from Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office deputies while heading toward Ouachita Parish. At the time, firefighters and parish authorities were managing an...
So, Donald Trump is now an OG among young Black men? Well, if one paid attention to how Trump went after the Black vote among the brothers, one would think that he hung out in the hood all of the time. If there were ever an opportunity to use the old "Trojan Horse" gimmick to sneak in the back door, Trump did it with great success. It probably was easier than one thinks, especially when he had two of the most outspoken surrogates in the form of Tim Scott and Byron Donalds. Scott got on stage and told the world that he "loves" Donald Trump, as...
A Black businessman in Richwood believes he is being unfairly targeted, as his business has been repeatedly shut down by town officials. Breaux's Kitchen and Cocktails was recently closed due to alleged water issues. When the owner attempted to resolve these issues, he was initially told that Code Enforcement was “not available,” only to be informed later that the water issues had “been resolved.” However, by then, it was too late for him to open during a busy weekend, resulting in a significant loss of revenue. After reopening, the busines...
Laws prohibit shooting guns within city limits, as stray bullets can unexpectedly injure or kill people. Anyone in an area where there is gunfire is at risk. When a gun is fired, a bullet can penetrate windows or walls in residences without warning. Law enforcement raced to south Monroe to investigate reports of numerous shots fired. A shooting was reported in south Monroe late Tuesday, November 12, 2024, prompting deputies to respond. According to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office, deputies responded near Deloach and Miller Streets. in Monr...
Presidential candidate Kamala Harris reiterated, “We’re not going back,” but one wonders: did voters hear and understand that message? Is it merely a coincidence that racist text messages were sent to Black and Brown individuals, particularly young people, a day after the presidential election? That is a question many in the justice system, whether state or federal, seem unprepared to answer. Is it surprising that such messages would surface across multiple states, targeting minorities? The texts, addressed by name to many young people of co...
Well, it appears that Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry will get what he "couldn't wait for," following a recent federal court ruling. District Judge John Wheadon deGravelles struck down a Louisiana law that required the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school and university classroom. The law, passed by a Republican-dominated legislature and signed by Republican Landry, was challenged almost immediately after Landry’s signature dried. Landry’s "can't wait to be sued" statement, made shortly after the signing, served as an inv...
Though the presidential election has been over for a week, there may still be millions of Democratic voters reliving Wednesday (Nov. 6) morning comparing it to waking up from having a bad night. The kind of morning one has when you had a little too much the night before and you want to get it (the night) behind you. But you can't get it out of your memory. By now, we have heard countless reasons why Kamala Harris lost her bid to become the first woman to become president of these United States. Everyone has their opinion, but what's done is...
Detrick Massey dedicated 24 years of her life to the state of Louisiana, working for the Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) at the Swanson Youth Facility in Monroe. Massey would still be working as a Shift Manager/Juvenile Justice Specialist 5 (supervisor) if she had not been forced to retire in May 2024. In May 2022, during a riot at the facility involving two dormitories, Massey severely injured both of her knees, which ultimately required surgery in December 2022. A total knee replacement was performed on her right knee. According to Massey, s...
A lawsuit filed by the state of Louisiana against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) for the town of Richwood should raise concerns among citizens due to the potential for serious health risks. The health concern involves an individual at the Richwood ICE facility who allegedly has a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis, potentially exposing other detainees at the facility. The infected individual is described only as a Asian woman apprehended at the southern border in California in September before being transferred to...
By Eddie D. Gillis There were high hopes, high expectations for the future, and a continuation of the nation moving forward. " We're not going back" was the rallying cry for millions of people who believed that America was about to make history again. America will not have her first woman president (for now, vice will have to do), but instead give the keys to the White House back to the one person who may be regarded as someone who showed no respect for the office. November 5, 2024 will be a day that will be written about by historians trying...
By Eddie D. Gillis The last remaining Louisiana State Trooper who allegedly was implicated in the death of Ouachita Parish motorist Ronald Greene, is a free man. Kory York was one of the troopers allegedly seen in a video savagely beating Greene after he had surrendered to authorities on a May 10, 2019 night following a chase that wound up in Union Parish. York, who was charged with Negligent Homicide, pleaded "no contest" to eight misdemeanor counts of Simple Battery in a Farmerville courtroom. Though this will be seen as a conviction (the...
Blacks are under attack at an alarming rate, and no community is safe from gun violence. If this vicious cycle continues, future generations will perpetuate the violence. Over time, Blacks could become a slim minority if these trends persist. We must not wait for others to save us; we must act now to save our youth while there is still a B.A.L.M. available to help. Another family will mourn, and another will face the loss of a loved one to life in prison. When will we stop this vicious cycle? Shootings continue to reverberate across northeast...
A Ouachita Parish road infrastructure project where the goal is to improve safety on Hwy 165 in the Monroe area, appeared to move one step closer. A second meeting was held in the gymnasium at Wossman High School to give concerned residents another opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns as the project moves forward. The project's improvements on the major north-south artery will consist of sidewalks, crosswalks, changes to existing median openings and the construction of j-turns....
By the time these words will be read by Monroe Dispatch readers three days from Nov. 5, 2024, the nation should know who the next president of the United States will be. This writer says "should know" because coming off the heels of the last presidential election, the trust in this nation's electoral process of counting votes has been seriously eroded. The kind of turmoil, anger and bitterness by the side that lost over the results of 2020, showed us how much some will go to cling to power. As voters head to the polls in a few days, there is wi...
A Richwood businessman is bewildered by actions taken against him by the town that severely curtailed his weekend revenue. The business, located on Hadley St. right at the cusp of Monroe, but in Richwood, was abruptly closed on Friday, October 18, 2024, by Richwood Code Enforcement. According to the business owner, he received a notice from town officials stating that he didn't have the necessary water supply to operate his food business and, therefore, it would have to close. When he went to...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Two men are behind bars for their alleged involvement in a series of thefts committed at area Dollar General stores. According to law enforcement authorities from Ouachita and Lincoln Parishes, the suspects, identified as 29-year-old Jeremy Hardyway and 32-year-old Dominique Richards, have been arrested in connection with the thefts. Authorities stated that on at least two occasions, the suspects entered the Dollar General...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Details regarding a recent shooting on Hadley St. have been disclosed by the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office. According to the Sheriff's Office, 36-year-old Courtney Burton is the alleged shooter who fired at an Ouachita Parish man, striking him several times. The shooting occurred on September 21, 2024, around 1:50 AM. After being shot, the victim managed to drive himself to a local hospital for treatment. Authorities reported...
Dr. Brent Vidrine, a northeast Louisiana educator and former superintendent of the Monroe City Schools District, has been indicted. According to a news release, Vidrine was indicted by the Criminal Division of the Office of the Attorney General on October 21, 2024. He faces two counts of Filing or Maintaining False Public Records, two counts of Malfeasance in Office, and one count of Unauthorized Use of a Movable. Vidrine had been under investigation since the start of the 2023-24 school year by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor's Office,...
The Monroe City Council, at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, confirmed Louis Tolliver as the new head of the city's Public Works Department. Council members voted 4-1 to confirm Tolliver, with council member Bishop Rodney McFarland recusing himself due to a personal relationship with Tolliver. The confirmation occurred without discussion before the vote, a stark contrast to the lengthy process leading up to the final confirmation. This decision may be seen by some...
It has been a long season of campaigning, one that literally started right after President Joe Biden was inaugurated, as it would only be a matter of time before Donald Trump became the Republican party nominee. The biggest surprise had to be Joe Biden deciding not to seek re-election even though his heart appeared to be in it before he was urged to step aside in favor of a younger challenger. Donald Trump on the other hand, it seems, is running not because he wants to (he is old and tired), but in a last-ditch effort to stay out of jail. Gone...
A Ouachita Parish woman says that she was wrongly evicted from her apartment over allegedly about her income. The woman said that when she filled out her application, her income was verified through her job which was a low paying one. After living at the complex for about seven months, the woman said that she was allegedly told by apartment administrators that she didn't report her income. But it was alleged that there was another application that allegedly showed the woman having two incomes listed on the day of the application. Where did a "d...
A Ouachita Parish couple is upset with the Ouachita Parish School System over the way they were treated by officials at East Ouachita High School. The couple stated that they wanted to register their child at the school, but their experience was anything but professional and cordial. The child's father initially went to the school to handle the registration but was told that because his name was not on the address where the child lives, he could not be listed as a contact in case the school needed to reach a parent or guardian. He was informed...
A Ouachita Parish woman is going through an experience that she would not want any parent to go through. Darlessia Williams said that her 11-year-old daughter was arrested and taken to Green Oaks Detention Center for allegedly making threats to students at her school. Williams said that her normally mild-mannered child has been the victim of school bullying, having had to encounter several episodes by other students where no punishment was administered to them. Williams said that the bullying started at the beginning of the school year where...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. An argument over clothing led to a physical altercation between two individuals, resulting in one person being arrested and the other injured. According to a report from the West Monroe Police Department (WMPD), on October 7, 2024, at about 12:29 PM, officers responded to a residence on Ransom St. regarding a stabbing incident. Upon arriving at the scene, officers reportedly observed Josiah Avery, identified as the suspect, standing in the doorway of the residence. When he spott...
It has been over five years since Ronald Green died at the hands of Louisiana State Troopers on a night when he should have lived. Some argue that he was a fugitive from justice, suggesting that if he had stopped his vehicle when confronted by an officer in Monroe instead of fleeing to Morehouse Parish, the outcome might have been different, but does that justify his death, especially when he eventually surrendered to the officers? Was his life worth losing when he offered no resistance, pleading for his life, only to be brutally beaten by...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. A shooting that occurred on I-20, resulting in the death of a female victim, has led to the arrests of three suspects. The shooting took place in May 2024. Officers from the Ruston Police Department (RPD) responded to reports of gunfire near Exit 84 on I-20. Upon arrival, they found a female who was unresponsive. The victim, identified as 18-year-old Halee Newton, was taken to a local medical facility where she succumbed to...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO) has captured one of the alleged shooters involved in a shooting in the Swartz area. According to the Sheriff's Office, on September 28, 2024, deputies responded to an area near Smoker's Express located on Hwy 139 in reference to the shooting. No injuries were reported. When deputies arrived, the suspects had already left the scene. However, during their investigation, deputies were...
Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis recently appointed Pastor Ike Byrd as the Director of the Monroe Civic Center. Pastor Byrd, who had previously been considered by Ellis for the position of Director of Community Affairs, was turned down by a 3-2 vote from the city council. The announcement of Byrd's new appointment was controversial from the start, as there was tension between the mayor and several city council members, particularly when it appeared the mayor was bypassing the council’s approval before officially appointing Byrd. However, with B...
Hurricane Helene came and did what all-natural weather systems do when they strike highly populated areas in countries where they are known to happen. The thing about hurricanes is that they give us ample warnings before they strike thanks to modern weather technology. Most people will heed the advice of trained meteorologists who spend hours analyzing where hurricanes are most likely to strike. Have you noticed one thing when meteorologists are disseminating critical information, that is one of the things that some politicians deem "not...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Crimes of sexual assault continue to be a serious concern in the community, as reports of the alleged criminal activity leave families devastated. What was once considered an adult-on-adult concern for law enforcement to grasp, we see more and more reports of children being victims of sexual assault, where race and gender are not separate and where the victims seem to be getting younger. According to authorities at the Monroe Police Department (MPD), a local man is behind bars...
It was like any other day for Wossman High School Building Supervisor Aubrey Crawford that May 31, 2024. Crawford who is known as the "Voice of the Wildcats" doing football season, was his usual, normal self, making his rounds at the school until he was about to enter into the library lab. All of a sudden, at a moment's notice, he collapsed and couldn't get up. Crawford knew that something was terribly wrong with him. He struggled to move, but couldn't. By God's grace, School Librarian Angela...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. An out-of-town individual was arrested after being involved in a shooting that allegedly occurred on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. The Sunday, September 22, 2024, shooting resulted in the arrest of 28-year-old St. Mary Parish resident Devin A. Trouilliet shortly thereafter. According to the Monroe Police Department (MPD), officers on the scene allegedly observed approximately 16 bullet holes at the property where a weapon was...
It has been a year since the public was made aware of a pending investigation of then Monroe Schools Superintendent Brent Vidrine's alleged "misappropriation" of retirement payments. A year later, the former superintendent has been arrested for what some have alleged to have been crimes committed without having to pay for his alleged transgressions as some others in the system have done. Vidrine has yet to answer to the four charges against him that include, felony, malfeasance in office and 2 counts of falsifying records, that must seem as a...
As the 2024 presidential election trudges on, voters will hear and see things that are true, while many of them will not be true. Campaigns, especially dishonest ones are notorious for saying things that they know are not true, but as long as they don't have to prove what they are saying, it's the old "trust me" con that their base will believe. Donald Trump is famous for saying at his rallies for telling his voters “What he heard" without offering any substance to some of the wild things that he tells them because they are "like Mikey", t...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It is hard being a child these days. In their world, they have to contend with growing pains, peer pressure, school shootings and in some cases, domestic issues at home. Sexual assault on a child is a traumatizing ordeal for a child, male or female, as those alleged to having committing such acts, deserve the full brunt of the law. An 8-year-pld victim was taken to Glenwood Regional Medical Center recently because she had been...
If there was a honeymoon period between Mayor Friday Ellis and members of the Monroe City Council before they began to butt heads, it was a brief one. At Tuesday night's September 10, 2024 regular council meeting, the issue of vetoes and repeals took center stage as two ordinances were introduced. One ordinance sought to repeal Ordinance No. 12,225, which relates to purchasing and bidding procedures, and the other was Ordinance No. 12,220, which concerns the special tax election. District 4 Councilman Rodney McFarland and District 5 Councilman...
Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis seems to be gaining a reputation as an official frequently absent from his duties. There has been talk around town of the mayor seemingly stepping back from his open door policy, which was intended to make him accessible to the public. At a recent city council meeting, one councilman noted that he has yet to secure an audience with the mayor. Citizens are beginning to wonder what happened to the mayor who once promised to listen to the people of "Oneroe." Adding to...
Disclaimer: These are Pastor Ike Byrd's comments, not of the Monroe Dispatch. The words, "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. remain as relevant today as ever. His thoughts emphasize that those who are trapped within the confines of their own minds will never experience true freedom. When your mind is enslaved, you become your own greatest obstacle to liberation. There has been significant discussion among Monroe citizens following the city council's decision to reject the appointment of...
For the second time in two months, Secret Service agents have had to intervene in an incident to protect the life of Donald Trump. The latest incident occurred Sunday (Sept. 15, 2024) at Trump's Florida Golf Course where an armed white male allegedly pointed an AK-style weapon where Trump was golfing. Quick action by federal agents who were protecting Trump prevented what may have been an assassination's attempt, as shots were fired at the individual. As of press time, the individual identified as Ryan Wesley Routh is being held on federal gun...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Children in the company of some adults when left alone with them, can be a formula for heartbreak. This is true whether they are in the company or left alone with a member of the family or in the presence of a "family friend" with whom a female may be acquainted. A sexual assault of some kind will likely occur more than people would like to think. According to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office, on August 31, 2024, deputies...
It has been two weeks since members of the Monroe City Council, by a 3-2 vote, rejected Mayor Friday Ellis's nomination of Pastor Ike Byrd as Director of Community Affairs. Prior to the vote, many believed that Pastor Byrd would be unanimously approved due to his strong reputation within the community. However, three council members voted against Byrd's appointment, not due to personal feelings as some in the community speculated, but because the appointment conflicted with the guidelines...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The Monroe Police Department (MPD) has been investigating an incident near Bayou Bowl, where a shooting occurred. Officers responded to the establishment on August 30, 2024, where the victim was seriously injured. After days of investigation, several out-of-town suspects have been arrested and are now behind bars. According to MPD, 25-year-old Reginald Jackson Jr. traveled from Kansas to Monroe due to an alleged altercation with...
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. A Texas man is under arrest for his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run incident in Monroe LA. Law enforcement authorities from the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office said that the accident that resulted in a fatality occurred on Friday August 1, 2024 on Sterlington Road. Officials said that 28-year-old Billterrious Lewis allegedly crashed his vehicle into the victim while he was crossing Sterlington Road. The unidentified (as of...
Owning a home remains a dream for millions of Americans, even though home prices in some areas are still out of reach for many. However, a former Monroe native is working to change that. Derrick Johnson, who now resides in Dallas, once lived in the same neighborhood as the Powell Community Center in District 3, and he's putting his money where his mouth is. Johnson has been investing in the Monroe area and aims to build affordable homes, as seen with the recent Magnolia Johnson Estates groundbreaking ceremony. Monroe City Councilwoman Juanita...
There are some places in society where respect is not only expected, but demanded when one is present. There is the courtroom, the schoolroom, a house of worship and the place where we all will one day go...the cemetery. Those places are ingrained in our psyche to maintain a modem of decorum because that's the way a society conducts itself where its members congregate. We learn that when we are young and it is something that is passed down through the generations. So, what happened when Donald Trump and his entourage of campaign workers and...
New Day New Way A "spirited" discussion took place regarding the city budget, focusing on how funds are allocated for projects in Monroe. District 4 Councilman Bishop Rodney McFarland and District 5 Councilman Verbon Muhammad expressed concerns at the August 27, 2024, meeting about two projects totaling around $6 million, primarily benefiting the downtown area and a small part of District 4. McFarland was particularly concerned that the project’s impact did not extend into more areas of District 4. Tensions rose as McFarland and Muhammad questi...
Richwood LA "God's Country" has serious issues which when aren't addressed will only get worse. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Those are the sentiments of a Richwood resident who said that the town under Richwood Mayor Gerald Brown is making it difficult for business owners. The actions by the town's council are pushing three businesses to the brink of going out of business. The changing of an ordinance that compels businesses to shut down their business by 2:15 AM, or face the possibility of arrest. The reason the town...
Pastor Ike Byrd has been a fixture in northeast Louisiana for decades as the shepherd of Mount Zion Baptist Church and one of the community's most valued leaders. He has served in various civic and religious capacities, where his passion has been preaching the gospel. Recently, Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis announced Byrd as the city's next Community Affairs Director. A resolution for his appointment was on the agenda for the August 27, 2024, city council meeting, where it was expected to pass but...
