A group of Black clergy members held a rally in Tennessee, claiming that criminal charges against former Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy are motivated by race, but the local district attorney shot back, accusing them of playing the race card and not really caring about Black lives.
In a tense standoff outside Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp's office, more than a dozen Black faith leaders denounced the 17-count indictment against Murphy as "an unjust and politically motivated persecution." Murphy is accused of lying on several official documents about living at a Chattanooga City address.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) conducted an investigation that revealed Murphy claimed an address in Fulton County, Georgia, as her official residence while registering to vote in Hamilton County using a Chattanooga, Tennessee, address. Her contract required her to be a city resident.
Chattanooga Police Chief Indictment Sparks Racial Tensions
However, the Black leaders maintain that Murphy is innocent until proven guilty. They also point to her record of being tough on crime, citing a homicide investigation closure rate of 90%, well above the national average.
"This attempt to discredit an African American woman in leadership reeks of petty partisan politics with dangerous outcomes if applied uniformly," said Rev. Ernest Reid of Second Missionary Baptist Church.
Chattanooga Police Chief Indictment Sparks Racial Tensions
Wamp, who is White and a Republican, listened to the group's concerns before speaking herself. She emphasized that her office is not involved in the prosecution and that the case is being handled by an outside prosecutor.
Wamp then accused the clergy members of playing the race card and not genuinely caring about the Black lives lost to crime in Chattanooga. She pointed out that 77% of homicides in the city last year involved Black victims, with all cleared cases involving Black perpetrators.
Chattanooga Police Chief Indictment Sparks Racial Tensions
"I don't recall a press conference speaking out against those killers. I don't recall a press conference where you stand up and are the voice of victims," Wamp said.
She also criticized the group for not being present in juvenile and criminal courts where Black youth and community members face serious consequences for their actions.
Chattanooga Police Chief Indictment Sparks Racial Tensions
"You have not darkened the door of our juvenile court... I don't recall any of you being in our criminal courts when a jury returns a verdict of guilty and my office is sitting next to the mothers holding their hands. I don't recall seeing any one of you here," Wamp said.
The clergy members also demanded that Murphy receive the full payout of her annual contract and that lawmakers limit the disclosure of personal information for city and county officials.
Murphy faces one count of illegal voter registration, one count of false entries on official registration or election documents, three counts of false entries in governmental records, three counts of forgery, three counts of perjury, and six counts of official misconduct. She surrendered and was released after posting a $19,000 bond.
