Wesley Wells Releases Statement About Incident With Tupelo PD

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – The following is a statement from Wesley Wells…

from the publisher

DO NOT LET HATE WIN

Hi, all…

I am so excited that this day has finally come. Extremely proud to bring to you Inspire magazine. I’ve been dreaming of doing this type magazine for my community for a number of years. But before I get to talking about the magazine, I have a couple of things I need to address.

I’m sure most of you are aware of the situation I’ve been involved in recently. It’s been quite an ordeal for me and my family. I am so thankful and humbled by all the support I’ve received from people of all races and backgrounds. Not just from this area, but from all over the country.

I want to thank Tupelo police officer Blake Hudson. Even though we didn’t completely see eye-to-eye, he was very cordial and treated me like a human being. He put on his mask when I shared my concerns about catching covid-19. Officers as such him are what make a good police force. I wish him nothing but peace, prosperity and good health. I support him and law enforcement officers like him, and wish him a long and safe career.

Those that know me know what the past year has been like for me. I’m diabetic and was warned of the dangers of this virus in regards to those with my condition. The epidemic took away a lot of what we do in regards to work, and I’ve been working remotely. I’ve stayed away from friends, family and others just to try and stay safe. That’s why I make such a big deal of the masks. I know catching covid-19 can be a death sentence for me.

Retaliation

Another thing I’d like to mention about this is false things being circulated about me. It’s being shared by some I had warrants out is why I was reluctant to give my name. This makes no sense when I’ve been as public as possible the past 10 years, sharing information on things we’re doing in the community. Little was it mentioned that someone went and dug into my background and found a couple of insufficient funds checks from decades ago.

The attempt to arrest and jail me for this still causes me and my family immense fear.

One of these checks was for $17 nearly 30 years ago. The other check was for $154 dollars over 20 years ago for auto repair. I immediately attempted to pay these since I very well could have had insufficient funds during those lean times. I had to beg the merchant to take my $154 since neither he nor I remember. I’ve done business with them for over 20 years and still do. The judge who issued the warrant said she does not know who requested it. My attorney said the warrant would only be requested by law enforcement.

I also want to thank the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, WTVA and WCBI for their fair coverage of this.

Finally, in regards to this situation, I’d like to thank my attorney Jim Waide. Everyone knows of his intellect and expertise as an attorney. But the compassion shown by this man and his staff has blown me off my feet. I’ll forever be indebted.

Now about the magazine. So excited about being able to dive back a little into history. That’s going to be an exciting journey as we go forward. Happy to showcase some of the local Black owned businesses. Our public school system is full of great teachers and administrators and we introduce you to some of them.

Looking forward to using this magazine to continue to uplift our community. Whatever I’ve been thru lately, I still believe in this community and will continue to serve. Trying to shame me will not stop me from working and serving my community. Too many good people here. I have to continue to believe in it. I know God will see me and my family through this.

We can’t let hate win. We just can’t. Please take care of each other and may God Bless you all.

Wesley Wells