NAACP letter doesn’t clear up why Bradenton leader was ousted

A letter suspending Rodney Jones, the former chapter president for the Manatee County chapter of the NAACP, from the organization and his position sheds some light on his situation but the exact reason he was removed wasn’t immediately clear.

Jones said on social media it’s not an issue of race, it’s an issue of right and wrong.

Multiple messages, calls and emails left at national and state NAACP offices, including those to field organizers noted in the letter, were not returned.

The letter, addressed to Jones and dated June 20, states his membership and his position as president were suspended effective immediately. It was signed by Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP.

“’When an individual becomes a member of the NAACP, that individual pledges to abide by the rules and policies of the Association and the decisions of the Board of Directors.’ … This action is taken to protect the NAACP from the danger of irreparable harm.”

The letter also directed Jones to “cease and desist from acting or holding” himself as president of the Manatee County chapter.

Jones has 15 days from June 20 to request, in writing, a hearing. He said on Facebook he would take the 15 days granted to respond.

He declined further comment to the Bradenton Herald, and said he was boycotting local media.

It remains unclear exactly why Jones was suspended. In a video posted to Facebook Tuesday night, he said he was not sure of the exact circumstances but he believed the NAACP wanted him to stop with his criticisms of local law enforcement.

In an hour-long video posted to his Facebook page around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jones asked which polices and procedures he may have violated and what actions led to those violations. He said he has received nothing in writing before this.

Jones, however, claimed some of his “own people” knew this was coming and didn’t tell him.

Jones said in the video he filed a complaint May 16 with the NAACP against another area director for the organization for intimidation, bullying and poor supervision, but did not get a response from the NAACP. The letter notifying him of his suspension came after he sent the complaint.

“That was the worst process in the world for NAACP to publicly do when y’all supposed to stand for justice and equality,” Jones said.

In the past, Jones has also weighed a lawsuit against the Bradenton Housing Authority and voiced multiple allegations against the Bradenton Police Department. In May, he was arrested during a Bradenton City Council meeting when he went over the allotted public comment time while detailing complaints against police to council members.

Ruth Beltran, an organizer for ANSWER Suncoast who has worked with Jones in the past, said she was surprised when she heard Jones had been suspended. She said she feels the NAACP has started to move away from real grass-roots organizing.

“Rodney took a chance to stand up against injustice, even when it was inconvenient,” Beltran said.

She added she was proud of the work Jones did.

“My last piece was that the community is very satisfied with the work that Rodney’s been doing as the president of the NAACP. He is someone the community can count on when they have complaints and nowhere else to turn at times. Rodney is a helping hand and it’s very disappointing that they have chosen not to stand with him. History will absolve Rodney,” Beltran wrote in a Facebook message.

This story was originally published June 27, 2019 at 3:43 PM.