Background on one of the most virulent South Bend Buttigieg critics, Henry Davis, Jr.

[Celerity]

This bloke has been all over the press for months slagging off Buttigieg, just saw him bashing Pete again on telly yesterday, which piqued my interest, as I knew I had seen his name before.

example

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/450090-buttigieg-under-pressure-as-tensions-rise-in-south-bend

“We’ve been talking with Pete for years about the problems within the police department,” said Henry Davis Jr., a former city councilman and a Democrat. “We’ve argued with him. We’ve pleaded with him to take care of these issues and he’s done nothing but close his eyes and turn his head and say all is well. This is the fruit of his labor.”


well.......

it goes a bit deeper than that

Davis is a raging homophobe and a failed mayoral candidate against Pete in 2015


https://politicalfails.wordpress.com/tag/henry-davis-jr/

OCTOBER 13, 2015

Henry Davis, Jr.



The South Bend, Indiana Councilman got himself into trouble for posting an “explicit picture” of a man having sex with a dog…while discussing his opposition to LGBT people serving openly in the military. Yes, that actually happened.

In the aftermath of this fail, Davis ran for Mayor – unsuccessfully. He was also arrested for operating a vehicle while under the influence. Davis remains a member of South Bend Common Council.

snip



I also wanted to give all a heads up on a breaking story that might go national


Local Black Lives Matter chapter calls for Mayor Buttigieg's resignation

https://www.abc57.com/news/local-black-lives-matter-chapter-calls-for-mayor-buttigiegs-resignation

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The South Bend chapter of Black Lives Matter is asking for Mayor Pete Buttigieg's resignation.

The local group has organized protests and marches in the city to push for the resignation of South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski , but this is the first time they have called on the mayor to resign.

It comes in the wake of the deadly police shooting of car break in suspect Eric Logan back in June.

The activist group claims Mayor Buttigieg is "complicit in the violence perpetrated against black persons by not holding yourself, the chief of police, or the board of public safety accountable."

"We are asking for his resignation at this time due to the fact that he's undermining the situation. He's covering up and he's just making check marks off his list instead of really hearing out situation and taking it seriously," said Katheryn Redding of Black Lives Matter South Bend.

A spokesman for the mayor has not responded to multiple requests for a comment. (video at the link)

[Meadowoak]

1. Davis is likely a closet case.

[Celerity]

2. that blog he posts on is fucking bonkers

President Kim Il Sung North Korea Immortal Contributions to African Liberation

https://www.reunionblackfamily.com/apps/blog/show/44557361-president-kim-il-sung-north-korea-immortal-contributions-to-african-liberation-



edited to add Davis did NOT post this

[MBS]

3. Many thanks for this very useful info.

Davis seems like a piece of work - knowing his history (and explaining it to anyone who quotes him) is important.

The Black Lives Matter story is particularly worrisome, but manageable if it's limited to local chapter. The irritating thing is that most of the other candidates have never had to face any of the issues that Pete has had to do, and, I'd guess that most of them would not have handled them as well as he has. Yet he's the one getting the flack. .

Yet another test. The mayor's spokesman was wise not to reply right away. I'm sure that a thoughtful response will be forthcoming.Hopefully, others in the South Bend African-American community will come forward to respond to the South Bend BLM chapter's accusation, which seems to me over the top, since Pete has multiple times accepted his responsibility on the issue, and his efforts to address the situation, including the preceding years of efforts to improve the overall problem, are a matter of clear public record.

Sigh.

[Celerity]

4. I have went into some detail with multiple posts why Buttigieg has a unique problem with his mayor

position. South Bend is too small for isolated bad things to get lost in the daily tornado (as it would in NYC or Los Angeles etc) and yet too big for bad shit to NOT happen. Plus, unlike a Representative or a Senator, (and especially because SB has a strong mayor system), Pete is on the line for basically EVERYTHING that happens there.

He perhaps should have resigned this spring when he announced for POTUS. I have read extensively on the SB PD problems. That transparency hub website they have shows the absolute nightmare they have trying to hire and retain qualified minorities for their police force. The wash-out rate is insane. South bend is also small enough that it is like a giant high school in terms of grudges, axes to grind, and old rivalries and hatreds that just sit there and fester. All his enemies from the last 8 years have been empowered by a national press (especially the Bernie/Young Turks prog disruptor crowd who have just CAMPED down there digging up dirt, they are still at it too) to kneecap any national hopes he had. They make is seem like Buttigieg took a paradise and turned it into Iraq, ffs.

South Bend is RADICALLY better off for all races, all cultures at basically all large systemic levels than it was right before he took over. Obviously there are some lagging indicators, especially amongst my fellow PoC, and some tragedies have occurred but overall they too, are much better off as well. Boykins, that demoted chief was NOT a tragedy, and the only mistake Pete made was to call it the biggest mistake he made, as looking at the case in depth, there is no way that is the case. That bloke was also doing dodgy and illegal (so far every court has said so) shit, he was no angel at all, and he chose to stay on for years and retired with a full pension in 2017.

There is still a lot of work to be done in South Bend, but it is utterly ridiculous to say he did not make a massively positive impact on the city.

[MBS]

5. Sigh.

I was just about to edit my post to ask the question:
what is the relationship between Davis and the South Bend BLM chapter? do you know? I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there were extensive connections.
And shame on the Bernie/young turks crowd..

[Celerity]

6. I have no idea if they have a relationship. Odds are VERY high they do, very.

He has other enemies there too, some white ones, who he supported opponents of, including Derek Dieter. Pete supported (oh the irony) a BLACK WOMAN (Kareemah Fowler) over Dieter for City Clerk in 2015. Fowler won, and Dieter has been on a rampage since.

I know FAR too much about South Bend politics now, lolololol.