NAACP Secrets and Napoleon Livingston

To quote President Nixon, let me make one thing perfectly clear: No local newspaper (not The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Cincinnati Herald or CityBeat) has received a copy of a much-ballyhooed 1968 policy from the NAACP's national office, according to NAACP officials.

Despite The Herald’s proclamation in a recent article that the NAACP’s Baltimore office sent it a copy, an allegation repeated as fact ad nauseam by local blogger Nate Livingston, an NAACP spokesman says that's simply incorrect.

Here’s the original excerpt from The Herald’s article: “That policy, obtained from the national office by The Cincinnati Herald, stipulates that branch officers or committee chairpersons who seek public office shall relinquish their NAACP office during their candidacy.”

The national office, however, says it never provided a copy of the policy to the newspaper. Here’s the verbatim written response from Richard McIntire, the national NAACP’s spokesman, on the topic that I received several days ago: “I have sent nothing in writing to anyone — just like I left a clarifying msg. for u; I spoke w/a Ms. Pendergast (sic) at another Cincinnati paper; they may have other sources who obtained the more recent ltr. or got it from the judge that is mentioned; we do not release internal documents that often & all my responses on this to u & others have been verbal.”

It’s also true that local blogger Jason Haap, known as The Dean of Cincinnati, recently obtained a copy of the policy, but he did so through good old-fashioned reporting techniques and didn’t receive it directly from the NAACP. Here’s the policy, as reported by Haap:

“Any unit officer or committee chairperson who qualifies to run for public office shall relinquish such office or chair temporarily during the period of such candidacy.

"Any unit officer or committee chairperson who is elected to office shall immediately tender a resignation from such unit or chair to the executive committee of unit which shall, at its next regularly scheduled meeting, vote to accept or reject the resignation. The officer or committee chairperson tendering the same shall make a conscientious examination of the situation and determine whether continued service will be substantially free of conflict and in the best interest of the NAACP. Should the answer to the question be in the affirmative, the officer may continue to serve.”

It should be noted that, for all the criticism Haap receives, he is the only media source who’s actually gotten and published the actual wording.

The NAACP’s Cincinnati chapter issued a press release Thursday stating that its executive committee has reviewed the policy and “determined that the NAACP President Christopher Smitherman can run for Cincinnati City Council.”

Smitherman has said the prohibition is a policy, not a by-law, and it already is being violated by at least three NAACP chapter presidents nationwide and perhaps more.

Why does the national NAACP try to keep its internal policies confidential? I have no idea; it is within the organization’s rights, but it also breeds unnecessary confusion. It should be pointed out, though, that both The Enquirer and CityBeat initially were given incorrect information from the national office on this topic.

Getting straight answers about why inaccurate information was given out has been difficult to get. At present, it appears that some people at the national NAACP’s office were unaware of the rule until Judge Nathaniel Jones — a former NAACP attorney — pointed it out to them. Another interesting question is why is the retired Jones inserting himself into this dispute?

Meanwhile, over at the Black Cincinnati Blog, Livingston continues his peculiar obsession with Smitherman’s candidacy by spreading half-truths and distortions about the situation. To refresh readers’ memories, Livingston is the provocateur who generates more heat than light with his activism and likes to call people names who disagree with him. To Nate, Smitherman is “General Sillyman.” Other names he's used to describe people in the past include “pedophile,” “punk,” “lazy,” “worthless” and “incompetent.”

Livingston, formerly a paralegal for suspended attorney Ken Lawson, makes an attempt at amateur psychology on his blog today. There, Livingston writes, “Christopher Smitherman is nuts! I've diagnosed him as an egomaniac with bipolar disorder.”

If Livingston can offer a diagnosis without credentials, then I will try my own: Nate, you’re obsessive-compulsive with a Napoleon complex.

CityBeat’s intention when it first blogged about this dispute was to provide clarity to the Smitherman/NAACP/City Council situation and provide verifiable facts that are attributed to specific sources. We will continue to do that.

— Kevin Osborne
(Photo: Answers.com)

Comments

[Not the Mamma Cass!]

Let's review, shall we?

1. The Herald lies.

2. Richard McIntire types like a teenaged girl txting her BFF.

3. Smitherman thinks organizational policy is suggestive not declarative and that four wrongs make a right.

4. Judge Jones cares about the NAACP and is embarrassed by Smitherman.

5. Nate has insulted you, and you returned the favor.

6. Jason Haapless is a member of the media. Is that the News Media or the Entertainment Media?

[Black Hole]

Good Kevin, but I think What's His Butt loves the attention he's getting. I think he's not worthy of it.

The guy has no credibility and isn't worthy of mention. Remember how he lied about the NAACP election? He's always on the side of Ken Blackwell's in our community.

Please just ignore him in the future. I'm sure he's getting a real charge out of you writing about him, but he shouldn't be encouraged in any way. He's not helping our community, just his own ego.

It's a shame he wastes his time and the little bit of talent he might have trying to tear down others to build himself up. He should focus on being a good father and leave everybody else alone.

[What master?]

"Another interesting question is why is the retired Jones inserting himself into this dispute?"

That is a good question Mr. Osborne, and the answer is he's on the jail board. He's pushing Portune's jail!

Do you think his law firm might be getting some of those jail contracts?

Sounds like the judge has his own undisclosed CONFLICT OF INTEREST!

[Gadfly]

Correction: Livingston is NOT a paralegal. That's been proven in a deposition given by Kenny Lawson when he was put in the hot seat over his criminal wrongdoings that led to the suspension of his law license. Lawson stated that he's like a paralegal. In truth, he was Lawson's go-for boy. Does everything he's ordered to do by the Mallorys. Lawson was the in-between patsy.

Frankly, N8's got a lot of nerve practicing medicine without a license. But, he's been known to practice law without a license. Front up Judges in his smelly black suit when Lawson was tanked up somewhere.

Don't give him any space. He thrives on it & adds it to his cred pocket. He's worthless as an "activist". All blow & no go.

[anonymous]

I'd like to see you guys do some stories on candidates like John Eby, Pat Fischer, and Melanie Bates...recently, you guys seem to have been ignoring everybody but Smitherman and other fringe candidates like Brian Garry.

[Gregory Flannery]

Anonymous: Brian Garry isn't a fringe candidate. He's the endorsed candidate of the Hamilton County Deocratic Party. Cjristopher Smitherman isn't a fringe candidate. He's a former councilmember.

[Donny Shacks]

for smitherman detractors, like nate, private polling shows smitherman "out of the money".

all incumbents are in the top 9 ballpark with cranley tracking the strongest. berding and monzel appear most bubblish.

winburn is showing top 5 strength, while melanie bates is right below the middle class (ghiz, thomas and bortz), running with the bubble boys. pat fischer is looking like the 10 or 11 man.

like smitherman, garry, eby and malone shouldn't plan victory parties.

[B.Moonty]

N8 is a worthless jerk and while I agree that giving him a little space (pun intended) feeds his massive ego, I do love the fact that you made him look even more foolish. But sadly--like a gnat, he won't go away.