advertisement

SSN on Facebook SSN on Twitter SSN on YouTube RSS Feed

16 Comments
Nancy Smith

Too Late for Duval Dems John Parker and Lisa King to Save Themselves

March 30, 2018 - 6:00am
Lisa King, John Parker, Bradford Hall and Diallo-Sekou Seabrooks
Lisa King, John Parker, Bradford Hall and Diallo-Sekou Seabrooks

A complaint against a high-ranking Duval County Democrat for making profane and racist-tinged remarks in a Jacksonville restaurant Jan. 22 probably is a long way from resolution. If anything, the atmosphere looks to be heating up, not cooling down.

The complaint against Duval County Democratic State Committeeman John Parker is suddenly all the more volatile because the wider community has come to realize Parker is married to Lisa King.

King is chairwoman of the Duval County Democratic Executive Committee.

Two of the county's most powerful Democrats. 

And, like James Morton and other members of the Duval Democratic Black Caucus, King was in the restaurant with her husband when he referred to “coloreds” and “sh*t being f**ked up after integration.” She heard him say it.

That was two months ago and she's only now talking about the complaint out loud -- or in any transparent way.

I Beg to Differ

Facebook is awash in outraged comment: Black Caucus members no longer want just Parker's head, they want King's too.

And they should have it.

"It took Lisa until March 27, until after the story about the first complaint came out in the press, to say anything about it," Bradford Hall told Sunshine State News on Thursday. "How was she not appalled? She wrote her email to the party a few hours after her husband wrote a letter of apology to Duval Democrats."

The first complaint was filed by Morton; Hall, an elected member of the Duval DEC and District 9 chairperson, since has filed a complaint of his own.

Hall's complaint written to King finishes with this: "I ask for an immediate investigation. I also ask for an independent third party to lead this effort. It is widely known you and Mr. Parker are married and that you refused to even acknowledge his ignorant remarks through a complaint of your own. During this time, you and Mr. Parker should rethink your leadership positions in the party. We deserve responsible leadership."

It's hard to argue with Hall's point of view.

Fifty-five percent of the Democrats in Duval County are black. Why wouldn't their leaders, no matter what color they are, understand that if they want to represent the entire, diverse party, they have to show everybody respect?

In an email to the state party, King cited office shorthandedness for dragging her feet on the grievance/complaint: "As an FYI -- our vice chair recently resigned as he has become a candidate for public office, and our treasurer has resigned to serve as his campaign treasurer. Our secretary was also present when the incident that has triggered this grievance [took place] as well. Therefore, I am unable to 'pass the gavel' to another officer to preside or appoint a committee. Also as an FYI, we have a special election scheduled to elect a new vice chair, state committeewoman and treasurer at our next business meeting scheduled for May 21, 2018."

As for Parker's apology letter, written to Lydia Hudson, president of the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida: He called his remarks in the restaurant "a serious misunderstanding."

His excuse seemed to be, he was just born at the wrong time, stuck in a pre-integration time warp and those bad words were in his mouth but not in his heart.

"My poor language choice was pointed out to me by younger members of our discussion group and I was embarrassed for my error but am glad to have had that important, personal teachable moment. ..."

What baloney, says Hall in a separate email to Nicholas Pellito, director of party affairs at the Florida Democratic Party. "If these people not alive during the 1960s knew it was wrong, is it safe to say Mr. Parker knew better? Is it safe to assume he was revealing his true character?"

In his letter to Pellito, Hall made it plain: "I will not serve the DCDEC as long as (Parker) is allowed to serve in leadership. I think we need to reconsider party leadership in its totality at the local level, too."

By "totality," I think it's pretty clear he was talking about Lisa King. Ask around. Parker and King are a package deal not only at home, but in the party.

The point is, both have lost credibility and the trust of the majority of Duval Democrats. Both should go.

Diallo-Sekou Seabrooks, candidate for District 8 City Council in Jacksonville, was at the restaurant Jan. 22 and bore witness to Parker's remarks.

"It was a consolidation conversation we were having," Seabrooks told me. "That's how it got started. What John Parker was saying was, he didn't want another Atlanta, an all-black city. He 'didn't want a bunch of coloreds downtown.'"

Seabrooks admitted he isn't as bothered about King as he is about Parker. "The words came from his lips, not hers," he said. 

He said what he can't understand is the tolerance people show for racial slurs. "Imagine if Parker called a gay person a faggot. All hell would break loose. Gays would be allowed to be outraged and indignant and they would have plenty of support from the straight community.

"But we seem to gather so much resistance whenever we point out an offensive and hurtful putdown of black people," Seabrooks said. "I don't know why this is, but this time it has to be unacceptable.

"As for the apology, I don't want to hear it because I don't believe it," he said, addressing Parker as if the two were face to face. "I heard what you said in the restaurant, I know you meant it."

The Duval DEC, in the meantime, has made a move to calm the waters. They've called a special meeting of the Central Committee for 6 p.m. Thursday, April 5 in the IBEW board room to discuss one item and one item only: developing a procedure to process grievances ("The bylaws of the DCDEC are silent on grievances," King told the FDP's Pellito earlier in the week).

It very well could be a stormy meeting. Followed by a long and lumbering process of approvals before anything is adopted. Followed by more community fracturing. Followed by a distracted and de-energized electorate and then ... the election.

But the process doesn't have to be so contentious and drawn out. Only John Parker and Lisa King, who squandered the public trust, can speed it up and cool tempers within the DCDEC. It's in their hands. All they have to do is both resign.

 

Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: NancyLBSmith

Comments

Susan Lisa King, who is the baby now? You are not so tough when the spotlight is on you, huh? It’s a shame it took this long for you to get a dose of your own medicine. John Parker may be an ass but Lisa just made him a b*tch too! If you can’t even support your husband, NOT his words but him, how could we trust you to support the needs of Jax??

What Ms. King is doing is flat out appalling. This woman is the true definition of a fraud. Let’s pretend for one moment that she was truly upset about her husbands comments.. Explain to me why she chose to comment to the press and throw her HUSBAND under the bus, only when she realized she was already caught! Not 3 months ago when her husband was a pompous ass, but after the press mentioned her name for the first time. She literally threw her own husband under the bus! If she would screw him she will screw us all. #standdown #Nationaldisgrace No one is buying your desperate political move of backing the worst mayor in history either, your actions speak for themselves. You have made it a sad year for us democrats.

"The two parties have combined against us to nullify our power by a ‘gentleman's agreement' of non-recognition, no matter how we vote ... May God write us down as asses if ever again we are found putting our trust in either the Republican or the Democratic Parties." -- W.E.B. Du Bois (1922). We are not colored we are not black we are DOS. Just because the hide behind the word Democratic don't me we should vote for them. I'm Stephon Clark

"The two parties have combined against us to nullify our power by a ‘gentleman's agreement' of non-recognition, no matter how we vote ... May God write us down as asses if ever again we are found putting our trust in either the Republican or the Democratic Parties." -- W.E.B. Du Bois (1922). We are not colored we are not black we are DOS. Just because the hide behind the word Democratic don't me we should vote for them. I'm Stephon Clark

Would some of those who are " offended " by Mr. Perkins comment please tell me what N. A. A. C. P. stands for??????

I don't know, I guess NAACP needs to change their name! How about UNCF or Negro League Baseball Museum. We're killing ourselves with Political Correctness when words are deemed unacceptable due to the color of your skin or the whim of your emotions! What about the "N" word! Yet just about every Urban/Rap/Soul/Whatever album produced has is in at least one of the album's songs lyrics! Whatever happened to "Sticks & Stones may break my bones... but words will never break me!" Forget Mr Parker! It's too late for us all! Hmmm! Does "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" ring a bell for anyone? Political Correctness, just new shackles! And you say Trump is divisive...

LISA KING AND JOHN PARKER ARE HUSBAND AND WIFE! Their political approach has been criminal. They are lying, cheating racists and it’s about time someone makes them accountable for their behavior. They are a team who share the same beliefs and will go to any length to get what they think they deserve.

Any comment signed “Anonymous” has no credibility. If you are going to make these attacks, have the character to sign your name.

I was thinking the same thing!

They did a fine job on their own of exposing their true colors. These 2 have skated on way too many hurtful games they play. The irony of it all is the very same thing that got them in those chairs will get them out! How is King turning on her husband now, months after and ONLY when she surfaced in the spotlight. It’s a political move to try and save herself, too little too late. Any African American in this city would be appalled by her in any seat! She is toast!

Neither of these people are racist by no means. Maybe John should resign but Lisa should not have to resign for something her husband said.

Um. What? Democrat Kimberly Daniels basically compared gay folks to folks who practice bestiality and necrophilia while on the Jacksonville City Council in 2012-- and while in the short run she lost her council re-election bid in 2015-she turned right around and won election to the Florida House of Representatives in 2016. So I am not buying this whole argument from Seabrooks-- "He said what he can't understand is the tolerance people show for racial slurs. "Imagine if Parker called a gay person a faggot. All hell would break loose. Gays would be allowed to be outraged and indignant and they would have plenty of support from the straight community." Well guess what--gay people were pretty indignant when Daniels said those things--and straight folks voted Kim Daniels in 2016 and didn't seem to care about her long record of homophobia. The point is--good Democrats shouldn't be tolerating racism or homophobia or other isms (ableism, ageism, sexism/misogyny)--but, based on who Democrats have elected in Jacksonville, being a bigot doesn't seem to be a disqualifier for winning an election--and that is a shame.

SO SICK OF GAYS TRYING TO COMPARE THEIR SHIT TO BLACKS AND MINORITIES

At first, Parker says he “misspoke” and said colored people when he meant to say people of color. Now he’s saying his poor language choice was pointed out to him by others? Get your lies together Parker! They seem to be catching up with you, and taking Lisa King down too!!

The White Democrats are the real racist ones. These comments prove that.

Didn’t the Chair call the Black legislatures a bunch of babies? Looks like the Democrats need to focus on their own old white racists before they talk about the Republicans.

Comments are now closed.

nancy smith
advertisement
advertisement
Live streaming of WBOB Talk Radio, a Sunshine State News Radio Partner.

advertisement