The Monroe political landscape has been rocked by a disturbing incident involving two of its most notable political figures, Monroe City Council member Kema Dawson and former Mayor Jamie Mayo; each one has filed police reports accusing the other of assault.
Monday, February 26th, Dawson asked a fourth District Court Judge for a protective order against Mayo claiming the former mayor made threats to “kick my husband’s ass.” No judgment on Dawson’s request has been made.
Dawson’s claims are based on an alleged eyewitness account of a West Monroe businessman, Chris Lewis, who is associated with the Friday Ellis campaign. Lewis provided media reports that he was present and witnessed Dawson’s claims. However, others who were present all say that Lewis was not present, but was at home in Swartz when the incident happened.
It’s all an ugly, he-said, she-said mess, that has side tracked the March 23rd elections into name calling and personal attacks.
What happened?
The controversy unfolded on February 22, 2024, following a political forum at the Benoit Recreation Center, organized by the Divine 9, a coalition of black fraternities and sororities. The event, intended to foster political dialogue, instead set the stage for a confrontation that has since captivated the city’s attention.
In the aftermath, both Dawson and Mayo have lodged complaints with the Monroe Police Department, each accusing the other of initiating an assault. The truth may lie in the eyewitness testimony of former city councilman Kenny Wilson, whose account may prove pivotal in discerning the aggressor in this high-profile dispute.
Wilson was the only witness to the event, even though Lewis told the news media that he was present. All persons present acknowledge that despite Lewis’ claims are false. Those present on the parking lot for almost an hour after the forum ended included: Sonya Jacobs, Rev. Rodney McFarland, Rev. Michael Thompson, Kenny Wilson, Jamie Mayo and Kema Dawson. However, only Wilson witnessed the incident.
Deep-seated rivalry
The incident is rooted in a deep-seated rivalry that has grown over the years, particularly after Dawson shifted her political allegiance to Mayor Friday Ellis, marking a significant departure from her father’s long-standing advisory role to Mayo. This political realignment has not only strained personal relationships but also heightened tensions within Monroe’s political sphere, as many view Dawson as a sellout to the black community, receiving large donations from whites to divide the Black community.
Dawson denies those claims. She says whites outside her district support her because they believe she will help move the city forward. She doesn’t deny receiving over $20,000 in cash from the rich but she denies it has any influence.
Dawson’s campaign opponents say Republican leaders have targeted Dawson as the weak link in the city council’s Black majority. They are raising vast sums of money to help her win the election and convince her supporters to back Friday Ellis for mayor.
Political Setup?
Some, including Mayo, believe the entire incident was planned to give him a police record for battering women.
The two accounts are opposite. It’s Wilson’s account that makes the difference.
Dawson Incident Account
According to Dawson’s account, she approached Mayo to address and potentially resolve their longstanding differences. However, she claims the encounter quickly devolved, with Mayo allegedly becoming aggressive, leading to Mayo putting his finger in her face, followed by a physical altercation in which she said Mayo grabbed Dawson’s wrist in response to her defensive gestures.
Mayo’s version
Mayo, on the other hand, offers a starkly different narrative. He asserts that it was Dawson who, after interrupting his conversation with Wilson, escalated the confrontation with baseless accusations regarding her ouster from CAP and a recall petition filed against her.
Mayo described the moment: “As Dawson’s rhetoric heated up, she began pointing her finger in my face so close that it almost touched my nose. I asked her to move her finger out of my face, and she refused. In response, I pushed her finger away, and she caught my arm in some kind of hold and twisted it.”
“She said she and her husband were going to beat my ass,” Mayo said.
Wilson’s account
Kenneth Wilson, the witness caught in the middle, recounted a somewhat balanced version of events.
The police interviewed Wilson late Thursday night to get as many facts as possible.
Wilson told the Free Press that after the forum, he and Mayo stood in the parking lot discussing the upcoming Black History parade and analyzing the forum’s speakers.
“Kema was about 20 yards away from us, and she walked up, and the first words that came out of her mouth were, ‘I want to fight you.’
He said she was not emotional when she made the statement, and their conversation was cordial.
He said Dawson invited Mayo to meet with her parents so they could talk.
It remained cordial, said Wilson, until Dawson began accusing Mayo of orchestrating her firing at Cap, promoting a recall, and putting negative information about her on social media.
A back and forth continued as Mayo denied the claims, Wilson said.
“Then she said,’ You did it, and I have proof,” Wilson said.
Wilson said the two of them became loud in their accusations and denials.
Wilson said Mayo attempted to walk away, but Dawson called her husband on the phone and told him, “We are fitting to get this Mother F–ker now,” and she started pointing her finger in Mayo’s face.
Wilson said Mayo asked her to get her finger out of his face and swatted her finger away.
Wilson said he jumped between the two of them, saying, “Stop this,” as he intervened to break up what was brewing into a brawl.
Dawson’s controversial history
Dawson is no stranger to controversy related to confrontations.
In 2018, three months after being hired as director of the Ouachita Multi-Purpose Community Action Agency, Dawson was accused by a CAP employee of physically pushing her to the ground in an alleged confrontation over a key to the building. After the pushing confrontation, the alleged victim, Jean Lott, filed a police report and later filed a still outstanding suit against CAP over Dawson’s alleged violent confrontation.
According to Judge Larry Jefferson, chairman of the CAP Board, the suit and her explosive personality contributed to the board’s decision to fire Dawson as the CAP director. He said 12 of 14 of CAP’s board members voted for the firing.
In May of 2022, Dawson clashed with community activist Marie Brown at a city council meeting. In response to a question by Dawson, Brown questioned Dawson’s loyalty to the Black community. Offended by Brown’s action, Dawson had city Marshals eject Brown from the meeting. In September 2022, Dawson clashed with a 61-year-old woman who raised a question during the public comments section of a council meeting. Dawson, irritated by the woman’s challenge to her votes, had her ejected from the meeting by the Marshals.
In October 2022, a verbal confrontation occurred after a council meeting with Dawson’s sister, Kinya Dawson, who confronted a woman who questioned Kema’s actions, and both women had to be escorted to their cars by the marshals to avoid a physical confrontation. The incident happened as Kema Dawson watched.
A similar “we need to talk” episode was reported last year by Rev. John L. Russell, II, who was hired to replace Dawson at Cap.
In March 2023, after attending a wake service for a relative at the First Baptist Church, Rev. Russell told the Free Press that Mrs. Dawson saw him in the parking lot while she was leaving, and her husband abruptly stopped the car. “She jumped out and came up to me and said, We need to talk.”
Rev. Russell said she was in his face, pointing her finger in his face, in a fighting mode, and showered him with threats for “taking her job.” He said that had it not been for the fact that Rev. Oliver W. Billiups, Jr., was there to intercede, “I don’t know what might have happened.”
Rev. Russell said Dawson blamed him for betraying her by accepting the appointment as her successor as director of the Ouachita Multi-Purpose Community Action Agency. She said he was supposed to be his friend.
“I understand just how Mayo feels because it happened to me,” said Rev. Russell.
Opponents label Dawson a sellout
Dawson’s opponents have characterized her as a surrogate for rich whites who are raising money for her to deliver votes for herself and Mayor Friday Ellis.
One opponent, Mondrian Douglas, accused Kema of “pimping” the Black community, receiving over $20,000 in donations from Ellis, Rep. Michael Echols, and other outsiders in response to what they called sellout votes on the council.
Another opponent, Verbon Muhammad, echoed Douglas’ claims; both accused Dawson of being a white community plant designed to divide the Black community. “It’s the reason they are raising so much money for her and no other candidate,” he said.
