Bishop Eddie Long accuser, Jamal Parris, 24, was arrested yesterday in Miami on drug and weapons charges. Parris, the one who gave the impassioned television interview about the sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of Bishop Long, was pulled over after an officer spotted him operating his vehicle, a 2011 white BMW, with no tags. Upon searching the vehicle, the officer, Sgt. Seth Dubinsky, allegedly found 181 grams of marijuana, 50 plastic baggies and a Taurus semiautomatic handgun. Parris also was reportedly carrying $1,250 in cash.
According to ajc.com, the officer stated the gear was “indicative of a drug dealer,” and he was jailed and charged with two felony counts: possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm while committing a felony. He also was charged with operating a motor vehicle with no registration, which is a misdemeanor.
The website also states that Parris immediately demanded a lawyer, according to the officer, and kept telling him that he bought that BMW with the settlement money and that he’d been admitted to Miami-Dade College. He also reportedly said, “You guys are getting the wrong impression of me.'”
It’s an interesting turn in a situation that has been a mystery to many, being that the case was settled quietly through mediation. The fact that crime seems to follow these young men (two of the other accusers were arrested for robbing Long’s office prior to the abuse charge becoming public knowledge) lends an air of suspicion to their claims. It doesn’t necessarily exonerate Bishop Long, since he helped the court of public opinion find him guilty by settling with no trial, but it certainly makes you wonder if there was crafty collaboration behind the scenes that led to the allegations that rocked New Birth and the religious world at large.
But do we have the reason that he settled all wrong? Did Bishop Long practice Matthew 5:40: “And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well,” while leaning on Romans 12:19-21: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord?” Could it be 1 Chronicles 16:22, “Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm,” at work in their lives, with more snares made public to come?
I’ll stop short of calling him a martyr, but time will tell. –gerald radford
