By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
A lot goes on at the Rankin County Courthouse Annex. It is listed as the Central Government Office in Brandon and is home to the Rankin County Board of Supervisors among many other government entities. It lies in the shadow of the 37-foot-tall Rankin County Confederate Monument, pictured above. The monument was erected in 1907, according to The Historical Marker Database, just forty-two years after the end of the civil war – by the Brandon Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Here we are, well over a century later, and bad things keep happening here, especially to African Americans – the linkages are undeniable. Extrajudicial activity by law enforcement officers sworn to protect and serve. Knowingly using the power of their office to torture two African Americans, in January 2023, is exactly why the identified members of the Rankin County Good Squad are themselves behind bars now. Law enforcement officers behaving as judge, jury, and executioners, in the broad light of day in Rankin County. And we know from reporting by the Southern Poverty Law Center, New York Times, and numerous other sources, that despite its lengthy racial history, this behavior is not limited to Rankin County.
What reasonable person could hear of the atrocities committed by these six white men against two African Americans and not be outraged? Civil liberties willfully stripped from others just because of the color of their skin and performed on the taxpayer dime. From the onset, the Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey claimed ignorance of the extrajudicial squad, yet five of his own employees – a Lieutenant, the Chief Investigator for the Sheriff’s Office, a Narcotics Investigator and two Patrol Deputies, per reporting by Mississippi Today – were the nucleus of the group that tortured Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Parker. Sheriff Bailey’s denials don’t pass any test of reasonableness, yet the powers that be in Rankin County stand behind him fully.
The Board of Supervisors holds Bailey’s purse strings, and despite the reports of Good Squad activities going back twenty years, and recent reports of his using county assets and resources for personal gain, they stick with him like glue. A $400 million dollar lawsuit – still, like glue. Then when it was announced the suit had been settled for $2.5 million, District 4 Supervisor Steve Gaines just couldn’t contain his glee. He praised the County Attorney Jason Dare at a prayer breakfast sponsored by the sheriff on May 3, 2025, saying in part, “he beat the pants off of those guys — the dopers, the people that raped and doped your daughters. He beat their pants off,” per Mississippi Today reporting.
On May 9, 2025, Rankin County NAACP President Angela English called for Supervisor Gaines resignation at a press conference at Mt. Carmel Ministries in Pearl, and on May 15, 2025, at a regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors Meeting, Dr. Ava S. Harvey, Sr. – Pastor of Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Brandon also called for Gaines’ apology and resignation.
Speaking during the Public Comment portion of the meeting, Reverend Dr. Harvey said in part, “I’m here to officially and respectfully publicly ask Mr. Gaines to resign. As a lifelong resident of Rankin County and a constituent of District 4 it’s disheartening and discouraging to hear him use blatantly offensive and disrespectful comments during the healing process of our county…the Goon Squad is now a household name, not only in Rankin County but all over the world…our deputies are sworn to protect and serve everyone. Just days ago, with the verdict, the settlement and I think it was good because we could start healing…then unfortunately just a few days later, this short-lived breathing process ended with Steve Gaines, with this audio surfacing with him being disrespectful and even making Mr. Eddie Parker and Mr. Jenkins look as if they were rapists and dopers…. labeling those guys as the people that raped your daughters.”
“Then referring to Sheriff Bailey, Mr. Gaines says, ‘we’re back,’ what does that mean? We’re back to continuing behavior that was reprehensible. And then you’re thinking that he will come forward and say, I was wrong, I’m sorry, those comments should have never come out of my mouth. That would have been the Christian, ethical, moral thing to do. But instead, Mr. Gaines got up and said to the media – ‘I want to be clear that my comments were not aimed at anyone personally. I did not name any individuals.’ Well, if that’s an apology, Mr. Gaines, for an effort to be dismissive of what is clearly insulting and disgraceful, it has fallen well short. Not only is it short, it’s disingenuous. A serious, sincere apology should be made, not only to Mr. Parker and Mr. Jenkins, but to the entire community of Rankin County citizens. We are here to begin the healing process and to reconcile the trust needed for the community to be vibrant. I’m not here to throw rocks or make any derogatory statements. Rankin County is a beautiful community, we have great schools, awesome neighborhoods, and well established churches. This is how I know that the vast majority of people in District 4 do not endorse the comments of Mr. Gaines, nor do they have those views. So, I think it’s time for new leadership. I believe it would begin with an honest apology and an honorable resignation by Mr. Gaines. Thank you for your time.”
As of press time, none of the Rankin County Supervisors responded to The Mississippi Link’s request for comments.
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