AMERICUS -- The local NAACP said it will pursue civil court action against the Americus Police Department if it continues to ignore the civil-rights organization's request to discuss complaints of brutality and misconduct. Matt Wright, president of the Americus-Sumter County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said it recently has received at least five complaints from residents who charged the Americus Police Department with wrongdoing. He said he has repeatedly asked Police Chief James Green to discuss the complaints, but Green has refused. "If we can't get any results from the police, we will still file our own civil charges in court against the department and the officers involved," Wright said.

Green could not be reached for comment this week. Wright said that three of the five complaints are against Officer Michael Middleton. Wright states that two of the complaints were from young African American women who reported that Middleton had roughed them-up without provocation. Matt said one of Middleton's victims received medical attention in the Emergency Room after being slammed to the concrete. The other female reported that Middleton handled her in a rough way and even pushed her around. The third complaint was of a mentally challenged African American woman who reported the officer entered into her home and shoved her around before arresting her. Wright provided more information that he obtained from the police reports which strongly indicate that Officer Middleton has serious issues when dealing with African Americans; especially women and mentally challenged Blacks. Wright reminded us that the late Eddie Bridges, who was beaten by Middleton, was also mentally challenged. Wright said that when he first became President of the Americus/ Sumter County Branch of the NAACP, he had several meetings with Chief Green who said that he was willing to work with the NAACP on various issues.

Wright added, for some unexplained reason, all of our meetings with Green stopped including all correspondences from him.

"It always points to the leadership, if the head does not show caring and compassion then the organization will not serve the people well," Wright said.

Wright said he believes that race plays a major role in the alleged brutality complaints and Green refuses to discuss the matter.

"You know if the victims of the aforementioned complaints had been white, Green would have been very eager to meet and resolve the problem, he said.

Wright said he knows the Americus police department has a long history of brutality against blacks, which the local NAACP has been addressing or years but he began documenting their actions more since he became president of the organization. The other two complaints were made against Major McCorkle and Lt. Merrill O. Lee. It was reported that these officers surrounded a family and roughed them up but made no arrests. One of the family members was an African American woman who was seven months pregnant and received injuries from their rough treatment. "She is still requiring medical attention due to the injuries at the hands of the police," Wright said. Wright said, many of the cases of police brutality are yet to be resolved in the courts.

"Even if the victims were in the wrong, it doesn't give police the right to brutalize them. When officers behave like that they become judge and jury, when his job is to make an arrest." Wright said. Wright adds another victim to the list, there also was an incident where the police misplaced the driver's license of Clarence Smith, an African- American truck driver. After three days without his driver's, he lost his job but Green and the police department didn't attempt to help salvage Mr. Smith's job and his means of income. This is the type of cold and callous handling of our citizens that we have seen at the Americus Police Department.