Leadership battle goes public in Bridgeport NAACP

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A leadership battle in the Bridgeport chapter of the NAACP has gone public.

The Connecticut Post, citing a police report, said Carolyn Vermont, head of the chapter in Connecticut's largest city since 2009, phoned Police Chief Joseph Gaudett during a January meeting to accuse member Wayne Winston of harassment.

Vermont said Winston, her opponent for re-election, creates chaos. She told the newspaper that she called the police because Winston was disrupting the meeting.

Winston was not charged and said Vermont overreacted.

He said he and other members have been trying to find out what happened to money from various fundraisers. He accused Vermont of keeping the information to herself in violation of the civil rights organization's charter and national NAACP rules.