Tuesday, March 07, 2000
Waynesville mayor's asked to quit
But some defend him over profiling
BY SHEILA McLAUGHLIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
WAYNESVILLE — In front of packed council chambers and to heavy applause, two councilmen asked for the mayor's resignation Monday night, saying he made careless accusations that police used racial profiling to make traffic stops.
“It's not about black or white. It's about confidence,” Councilman Phil Day told nearly 200 residents at the regular council meeting.
But two of three young black men who claimed they were stopped and handcuffed Feb. 26 because of their race defended Mayor Charles Sanders, who is black.
The parents of the driver, who have threatened to sue village police for civil rights violations, chimed in.
“It's a shame to talk about the mayor the way you do,” said William Johnson of Monroe, whose stepson, Saul Plaza, 19, was driving the car in this Warren County village.
“It's not about race. It's about freedom and liberty for all.”
DeAngelo Harrington, 18, a passenger in Mr. Plaza's car, said, “Charles Sanders stuck his back out to see we got justice.”
Two village officers came under internal investigation last week after Mr. Harrington, Mr. Plaza and Dwenton Jackson, 19, complained to the mayor that police stopped their car for an alleged traffic violation, drew their guns and handcuffed them for more than an hour. They said Officers Ryan Stanaford and Marc Walters searched their car for drugs, then let them go with out issuing any citations or filing any criminal charges.
Warren County sheriff's officials, who are conducting the investigation, will determine whether officers Walters and Stanaford pulled the men over because they are black. (Mr. Plaza is biracial.)
The sheriff's report is expected later this month.
Mr. Sanders apologized to the audience Monday night, saying he “was premature in coming out as soundly and as harshly as I did prior to the investigation ... but I still stand by the issue.” Mr. Sanders did not respond to the call for his resignation.
No action was taken against him Monday. Councilman Ernie Lawson said he would support a recall vote against the mayor.
Last week Mr. Sanders said he intended to ask his seven colleagues on council to fire Police Chief Allen Carter over the incident. Instead, council Monday went into an executive session to talk to their law director about what they could say publicly on the racial profiling investigation.
The council also passed an ordinance barring village police from using race to decide whether a person should be pulled over.
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