It was Jan of 1971... I wired my mom Anna Bell Redmon-Lackland also known as "Mudear" via western union some money.... I sent it on a Thursday, however, before she could pick the money up her sister Mary Redmon fell dead while talking with her.
My mom was not able to obtain the money for obvious reasons. On Saturday, me, Mattie Ruth and my family arrived in Greenville, MS. On Monday, my sisters Norma Jean Kelly and Sammie Stein Barker along with my cousins, Gwen Redmond and Sarah Redmond, my mom Mudear and I "Mattie Ruth" went to western union located on Main and Walnut Street to retrieve the money. We left Mudear in the car while Sammie Stein, Norma Jean and I went in to pick up the money. We were told by the white lady in the western union office that I couldn't get the money because I was not Annie Bell. I took my credentials out and showed them to her but it didn't matter, she was still not going to give me the money.
I told her about the situation with the death in the family, that Annie Bell was my mom and that I was the one who sent the money from Chicago and that I would like to get the money because there are things we needed to do. She repeated that she was not giving me the money and by that time my patience was wearing thin....I told her "she may not give it to me, but I was going to get it". The white boy that was working with her said..."You can't talk to her like that, she's a white woman"....I then said...I don't give a damn!...don't she know that I am black woman and that she can't talk to me like that."
I don't know if they had pressed a button or what, but the police showed up and the uniform officer said "Yall having some trouble with niggas round here" and the white woman said "yes, we having trouble with them....they here from Chicago." and I said "We are not here for trouble I'm just trying to get my money" and I started explaining the situation to him.
I started to show him my credentials but he didn't want to see them....He grabbed me and said "Yall think yall gone come down here from Chicago and start something...yall going to jail"....So Gwen ran out to the car and got Mudear and Sarah....and Mudear came in with Sarah and said "What's going on" and by that time the cop caught me in the collar and said "you going to jail" and my momma said "turn her aloose" and instead of letting me go, he tightned his grip.
He practically lifted me off the floor and mudear again said "turn her aloose" and he tightened it again as he took his stick out and raised it up to hit my momma with his free hand....Mudear then swung and hit him so hard her entire coat wrapped around him too....then Norma Jean hit him,,,,Sammie Stein hit him and so did I....the second cop justed looked and didn't jump in ....as the cop who started the commotion said "these here niggas crazy".
By then three more police came and took us to jail...which we walked onto this little dirt path to the police station located right behind the western union. When we got there, they started asking Mudear questions.....One officer said "Anney, a term they use in the south for older black women, what's your name?, the now defiant Mudear said "I don't know" and he said "you don't know your name?", and she said "Naw sa".. then he said "where you live at?" and she said "I don't know" he then said, "Anney how old are you?" and she said "I dont know".... So he turned and looked at me and asked the same questions, and I followed suit with the same answers Mudear gave verbatim.....
I finally said, "we are entitled to make a phone call". The cops looked at each other.....and I said... "I see how you handle your niggas down here...I heard you got a good nigga down here named "Rev. Redmon"... can I call him?" The cop asked..."Do you know him?" and "I said "naw sa....can I have the phone book?"..... so it turns out that Rev. J.F.Redmon knew the Mayor very well, but we didn't let on we knew any of this". They put us in a holding cell with other black women who were walking around with nothing but hospital gowns on and nothing under it....and one mattress with no sheets or anything else positioned in a corner of the cell.
Rev. Redmon called the Mayor and the Mayor called the police station and said "Are you crazy?....Do you realize who you locked up?....That is Redmon's sister and nieces here in town for his sister's funeral...let them out before you start a damn riot down here!"
Looking foolishly, the officer said to the guard...."Those last four women brought in...give them to us so we can take them up front"....and I said with a sarcastic tone, "Oooh....so now we changed from niggas to women?"
So, we followed them to the front, they released us and told us to go home. We get to the house, and found out that the police had not only taken the money to our house and let Elizabeth sign for it without any identification, but that the Mayor had sent flowers and food to try and keep the peace and also, made sure that we had front and back police escorts for Aunt Mary's funeral to and from the cemetery.
Lesson learned...always treat people the way you wished to be treated, because you never know who you may be dealing with in a days venture.
I finally said, "we are entitled to make a phone call". The cops looked at each other.....and I said... "I see how you handle your niggas down here...I heard you got a good nigga down here named "Rev. Redmon"... can I call him?" The cop asked..."Do you know him?" and "I said "naw sa....can I have the phone book?"..... so it turns out that Rev. J.F.Redmon knew the Mayor very well, but we didn't let on we knew any of this". They put us in a holding cell with other black women who were walking around with nothing but hospital gowns on and nothing under it....and one mattress with no sheets or anything else positioned in a corner of the cell.
Rev. Redmon called the Mayor and the Mayor called the police station and said "Are you crazy?....Do you realize who you locked up?....That is Redmon's sister and nieces here in town for his sister's funeral...let them out before you start a damn riot down here!"
Looking foolishly, the officer said to the guard...."Those last four women brought in...give them to us so we can take them up front"....and I said with a sarcastic tone, "Oooh....so now we changed from niggas to women?"
So, we followed them to the front, they released us and told us to go home. We get to the house, and found out that the police had not only taken the money to our house and let Elizabeth sign for it without any identification, but that the Mayor had sent flowers and food to try and keep the peace and also, made sure that we had front and back police escorts for Aunt Mary's funeral to and from the cemetery.
Lesson learned...always treat people the way you wished to be treated, because you never know who you may be dealing with in a days venture.
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