Shreveport councilman James Green sports a James Harden black, thick, and long beard that covers his entire face from nose down with an opening for his mouth. Green's beard, which is as black as tar, is a product endorsement for a beard supplement that he has advertised in a YouTube/product endorsement.
"Beard Butter" Green has a disgusting habit of pumping up speakers at Shreveport city council meetings--or dressing them down. The citizen comment section of the agenda allows citizens to speak for three minutes. By council rules, speakers are not to ask questions directly to members of the council. The rules provide that council members are not to respond to or address citizens making comments.
Green seemingly thinks his status as a minister exempts him from the normal and customary rules. He has referred to himself as "a certain person" who should be exempt from dark tinting car window restrictions.
Beard Butter repeated his embarrassing and disgusting habit at a council work session last Monday. Again, Jon Glover was the object of his defamatory statements. See below a column that describes his behavior in April of last year.
Glover is black lady who frequently addresses the council. She regularly reviews the agenda and the various resolutions and ordinances. Her comments are always made in a courteous fashion, and she does not condemn positions of council members. In summary she is the poster child for citizens who want to address the council.
At the April 7 work session, she questioned three anti-Trump resolutions. Glover believes national issues are beyond the scope of council action. She has taken this position on other issues that have come before both the council and the Caddo Commission.
Green rudely interrupted Glover stating:
"I just don't understand for the life of me how you can say to us what we have the right to do. What is it in your brain that helps you to be able to stand there today and to basically , ever since this has been on the agenda, what gives you that right? It's not like we are out shooting somebody."
Evidently Green is not familiar with the notion of freedom of speech as set forth in the First Amendment. Likewise, he is not cognizant of the council rules of procedure that allow citizen comments as well as the restrictions on council responses to the comments. But then, he is a man of God (?).
As usual, Ms. Glover responded in a civil manner: "I stand here today as a constituent who was speaking to those particular legislations. I don't think you should attack me...As an elected official, you should be able to accept my comment without trying to destroy my credibility or character."
Green's pattern of conduct while at the council podium continues to be an embarrassment to the city and the council as well. Some readers may remember his tongue-lasting of the former police chief over the citation Green received from an incident at a local retail store. One of his complaints was the number of SPD officers responding to a 911 call from the retail merchant. Green asked then Chief Ben Raymond--"What were y’all going to do? Shoot me?"
Thankfully, Green is termed out at the end of next year. How many more times he will act as a tyrant at council meetings is anyone's guess. Any further outbursts of this nature could lead to further investigation of Green, such as where he actually lives, the tax exempt status of his church, and other matters.
COUNCILMAN JAMES GREEN PLAYS PASTOR AND TYRANT AT COUNCIL MEETINGS
Shreveport councilman James Green has his own church.
He basically owns it lock, stock, and barrel.
He even has a recording studio on the church grounds.
With his flock Green is the minister, the singing and dancing ringmaster, and the idol of the eyes of his flock.
His sermons can be viewed on his church website.
At the council meetings Green often has mini sermons in his prayers to open the session.
He likes to proselytize in his comments to fellow council members and to those that speak to the council.
At the work session on Monday, he took over the meeting and lead the chambers in a cheerleading session dealing with crime. That was after they had an extended conversation with a citizen making comments before the council.
Tuesday Green continued his practice of trying to be the good shepherd over the council chambers. He even invited the guest minister who gave the opening prayer to make additional comment to the council and those in the chambers.
Earlier this year he interpreted a citizen who regularly makes polite, reasoned comment to the council and gave her an extended tongue lashing.
Green's rant was not only uncalled for but also precedent setting in a very negative way.
Green dropped his ministerial robe and assumed the personal of a political tyrant in belittling this citizen.
Thankfully he did not resort to his tactic of quoting the scriptures to justify his tirade.
At the end of yesterday's (Tues.), the good reverend again cast aside his ministerial robe and adorned himself with the cape of a political tyrant and demagogue.
Green then started on a vile diatribe directed at this citizen. Read it for yourself:
"I have some communications, I’d like to say this and uh I’m saying it because it needs to be said. And you know, sometimes when people do stuff, when you call them out, they become the victim.
I refuse to call this person’s name because he’s not worthy of me calling is name, but when you start calling my colleagues and myself boys and all of that for a period of time, I’ve been here for four years, going on five. I come up here to do my job that I was elected to do. If I sneeze wrong because I just happen to be a black councilman, at this time, this individual takes the liberty to write about it. He write about Councilwoman Taylor. He write about Councilman Jackson and he write about myself. And you know, sometimes, in life, you people, after meeting, don’t come up to me and say, “you shouldn’t have said nothing.”
No, what you should say to this individual is stop writing. So, don’t come in my face telling me to be the bigger person, I’ve been big for four years and four months and so, sometimes you get sick and tired of people, like the individual. I will refuse to call his name because he’s a disbarred attorney, low grade. He has talked about my family. He has talked about my church. He has talked about me every day he figure out a word. He called me out of my name and if you’ve not gone to him and said you need to stop, then don’t come to my face, after the meeting, saying James, “you know you ought to be the bigger person”. I’ve been big for four years but when you take the liberty to start calling us boys and all kinds of name. You’ve called us tar babies. You’ve call us whatever. So, I bridled my tongue for four years and four months, and enough is enough.
But on other hands, I’m calling out his sponsors, those folk who pay to be in his paper. I’m going to ask them to look at themselves and see what they think about it. I guarantee you, this person would not go to the courthouse and disrespect the judge over there with his hat on. He would not pass out those groanie papers in a courtroom, I guarantee you he wouldn’t. I guarantee you he wouldn’t go up to Sheriff Prator’s office and disrespect him. He wouldn’t go to the DA and disrespect him but he come over here because he has the liberty to walk around and I’ve just reached my point. You can write anything you care, I don’t care about all that writing, but I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. This dude come in, he disrespect. One is, let me just let you know when I ran the first time, he and Don Hobdy was on the street, I saw them. He offered me campaign money, take care of my campaign, I said, man I don’t need nothing. So, he mailed a check to my house, I mailed it back. FedEx. Then, he broke the law by coming up here and bringing me a check, he put some checks on some other councilmember station, I refused to take his money, that’s how I feel because I knew he was up to attempting to bribe me, so I don’t want his money.
So, once that happened, that’s when it started. Councilwoman Taylor wouldn’t sleep with him, so therefore, he got upset about that so he has an obsession Councilwoman Taylor and Ron Lattier. He’s had that obsession for four years, just in their private business, for four years. And because Alan Jackson came on, he was appointed by the governor, but he went out and won the election, he still wants to talk. He still wants to call me beard butter Green but he won’t tell ya’ll, he ordered four jars of it. I mailed it to him because the devil may have sent it but the Lord sho brought it.
So, therefore, I just want to put it out there because he’s not gone stop, I’m not giving him energy, but I’m just sick and tired. All you got to do, the, the TV station, the young black ladies, they could sue him because what happens when they come down here, he follows ‘em all outside. He run behind black women, all the time and that’s wrong. And somebody need to say something. So, what you do is before you condemn me, just look at his paper for the last four years and four months and then you’ll know why. Today, the last council meeting in April that I just can’t take it anymore. You can poke a bear so long and the bear’s either gonna to get up and move or he’s going to do something. So, I’m just sick and tired and I’m in hopes that this person watch this on TV and I’m not taking back anything that I said and I’m not being a little person, but there comes a time when somebody’s gotta stand up.
In fact, if you read one of his papers, I don’t read ‘em, people call and tell me, he says because he don’t see my wife, she must be on the plantation. Well, that’s that, you know, I took all of that. I’ve, I’ve been here taking of all of it. All you got to do is read it. Nita, if you got something to say, you gotta go outside or wait until I finish.
So when you, Mr. Kreff, you know, sometimes in life you just get sick and tired of people just doing you any kind of way because, then they say, well okay. Well, the power of the pen, it got more ink than you got paper. Well, there’s a power of the mic. And so it’s either you speak out or either you condoning what he says and what he does and it’s just not right.
I come down here. I, I was elected just like everybody up here, I worked hard and I’m working hard for my district and I don’t think I signed up just for people to write about me and talk about me and say anything they want. Well, you know you was elected and that come with it. The Charter says that I’m to come here, each second and fourth Monday and Tuesday to deal with legislation. It does not have in there anywhere that you supposed to allow people for years and years to talk negative and nasty about you and not say nothing.
And I just don’t think it’s right, so today was the day that I just need to say that I’m sick and tired of it and Christian people gotta speak up and speak out. That’s what happens. We, as Christians, that’s why the world is like it is today, it’s because, the bible says, if my people who are called by my name will come off their high horses. If we would, Christian folk would do their job, it would make a difference. Our conditions would be different but we are afraid of the world. We are afraid to say anything because we say, don’t say nothing because you gone upset ‘em, don’t say nothing, well they are upset. I’m thankful that the pastor came today to give us a word. People, they are just mad and evil.
I come here to do my job, I didn’t come here to be called beard butter Green, I work hard for my name and reputation. I’m the pastor of the Union Mission Baptist church, I’m a city councilman of the city of Shreveport, just like everybody up here. I worked hard to get my name but you have a person who around and just pick on you, and just pick on you and just walk around in the chamber with those nasty papers, know he’s breaking the law but nobody will say nothing, that’s not right. And so, therefore today, judge me however you figure but let me see you walk in my shoes for four years and four months and hold your peace.
Now watch this. He’s been talking about me for four years and four months. He won’t be able to stand five minutes of what I’m telling you today. Watch tomorrow. Those of you who have some friends, watch tomorrow what he’s going to say in the paper. You want to know why this city is like that, it’s because of people like him. They don’t want peace, they want chaos.
Mr. Mayor, they don’t want us to get alone. Council members, they don’t want us to get alone. I’m not just talking for me, I was willing to go to jail for one of my colleagues because somebody was talking about a family member of theirs. The attorney said, look, it is a law for us to do this. I said, I don’t care about the law, this is my colleague, so I’m going to stand with him and with his family because nobody has the right to, to come against your family just because you get elected.
Don’t nobody have the right to go and talk about your children and your family, that’s wrong. So I was willing to go to jail because I believe in, we were, with the attorney saying, listen, ya’ll can be fined and go to jail. I don’t care because this is my colleague and there has to be a brotherhood and a sisterhood, there has to be some love.
It’s either you stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. So judge me, say whatever you please, doesn’t matter. I know that I’ve done my due diligence. I’ve stood strong and it ain’t got nothing to do . . . then people might say, and you call yourself a preacher. I don’t call myself a preacher, I am. (That’s right) (That’s right) I am the pastor of the Union Mission Baptist church. This guy has sent mail to my church, I send it back. He has picked out members, my secretary, my deacons, and sent mail to them, I tell them to send it back. (That’s right) Just messing with you. (That’s right) And that’s not right. So that’s the end of my commentary."