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NATCHEZ — A former Natchez Police officer and current NAACP official has filed a complaint against the Natchez fire chief, claiming he made him fear imminent bodily harm.

The confrontation between Lee Ford and Fire Chief Robert Arrington occurred at the end of the public portion of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday.

A video, taken from a Facebook Live feed of Ward 4 Alderwoman Felicia Bridgewater-Irving, shows Arrington and Ford speaking. The video has no sound from their conversation, but it is not apparent they are arguing until Ward 2 Alderman Billie Joe Frazier enters the video and can be heard asking the two to “take it outside.”

The issue apparently resulted from social media posts Ford made that Arrington interpreted as being disrespectful of his wife.

Arrington, contacted this morning, refused to comment. Likewise, Frazier would not comment on the issue.

Through a message sent by a friend, Ford also said he had no comment.

Natchez Police Chief Cal Green said the next step for the complaint is a probable cause hearing in Municipal Court, which has not been scheduled.

“From looking at the video, it appears Lee Ford is the aggressive one. That is the question about the complaint,” Green said. “I will say this, Chief Arrington is one of the gentlest people I know. He is like a gentle giant. I have never ever known him to be nasty or mean or aggressive or cuss anyone out. And I didn’t just meet him. I have known him for a lot of years.”

The social media posts in question appear to have been written on June 24. Allison Arrington in response to previous posts by Ford, writes “Whatever issues you have with the City of Natchez Board of Aldermen for whatever reason let them remain with them! But these two men — Robert Arrington and Joseph Daughtry — you (sic) making your little comical jokes about I advise to cease and desist immediately if not sooner…”

Ford in the response to Allison Arrington he posted on his Facebook page, writes, “…I boldly stand on my previous post and express my sentiments. Until we (our people) are willing to rise up and take action and stop working against each other, we will forever be held in bondage by the same people that enslaved us. In 2024, we are mentally enslaved by these people that oppressed us for over 300 years. I concur with Malcolm X when he said and I quote ‘by ANY MEANS NECESSARY.’

“…As a woman, I applaud you for making the effort of defending your husband (as you should because you are the rib,) and his counterparts, however, he should address me not the woman, since we should be playing on level playing fields. I wouldn’t dare say anything to a man’s wife because she has a husband that should be unequivocally responsible to defend himself,” Ford wrote on his Facebook page.