Two years ago, Rev. Lutimothy May and his Friendship Missionary Baptist Church offered to buy the dilapidated Brownsville Middle School that was closed in 2007. Superintendent Malcolm Thomas refused to bring his offer to the School Board. The next year, May returned with another offer only to be accused twice of lying by Shawn Dennis, Thomas’ head of facilities. Thomas again refused to bring the church’s offer to the School Board.
Note: The irony of Dennis’ attacks on the minister (which didn’t get the notoriety of Sam Hall’s recent confrontation with Rev. Nathan Monk) is that it was Dennis who misrepresented to the IN in the summer of 2010 that he had two offers for the school –secret offers that he couldn’t release to us).
Instead in early 2011, Thomas touted a $1-million deal that was to create a community center and Habitat subdivision. That deal fell through—one that the superintendent wanted to bring forward to the School Board this time.
Meanwhile the school has further deteriorated. The AC units have been stripped of copper. Vandals have broken windows and tagged the walls. Prostitutes turn tricks there. The nearby junk yard parks its trailers on the school grounds.
Why? Ego