Talkback
What is your prognosis for Tulia? Do you think it will ever be possible for the residents of different races to trust one another? What would be necessary for this to happen?
Do you think what happened in Tulia could happen in your own town? Why or why not?
Share your response and your reactions to TULIA, TEXAS.
Tell us what you think>>
Submissions will be posted here regularly, so visit again to read more.
I worked with Tom Coleman in alot of undercover asiggments side by side with him and I can tell whom ever, he was a wild and crazy guy, he knew how to do his job well, you might say he could by dope from the pope, that term is used when a undercover agent is good at his job and Coleman was. BUT! he never indecated to me that he was a RACIST, where in the Hell is that coming from. the drug dealers played the RACE CARD and the NAACP and ACLU jumped on that horse and rode that horse to death, rode him to the ground, the F.B.I. and the Texas AG's office cleared Tom Coleman of ANY WRONG DOING!(DUH!) Where are the dope dealers today, that the TEXAS GOV.(PERRY) let go
I have known Tom Coleman for aleast 30 yrs. and his father Texas Ranger Joe W. Coleman of Pecos, Texas and Ranger Coleman was a outstanding lawman, his son Tom was a good hearted sole that hated dope and dope dealers of all kinds, but he will not back up from a fight or a pistol pulling at any cost, and he will tell you whats on his mind in a sec. But he is not racist like all you have claim he is, I have been in a tight a few times when the guns have came out and Tom Coleman was there, AND NOT ONE TIME AS HE (COLEMAN) BLINKED HIS EYE, you could say I'm still here and alive because of Tom Coleman, and there is alot of other offciers that believe that the undercover asigenment he took in Tulia Texas was under the oders of command and followed them to a tee he (COLEMAN) was just a soldier on the battlefield in the WAR ON DRUGS!
I live in Tulia, and I think Tom Coleman is a HERO! And wish that he was still here doing his job, we need people like him, that are not scared to stand up for the people of this community, I wish he could run for sherriff and run the rest of the dope dealers out of this county.
I think Gary Gardner is an example of a true hero. An ordinary man who saw a great injustice and took the time to stand up and do something about it. He wasn't a lawyer or an activist or a politician, just a simple farmer who worked hard to make things right for his town. Tulia should be proud of him, and if there were more people like him the world would be a better place.
I live in New Zealand and injustice is an issue that is at the forefront of our country's collective conscience right now. In the 90's a man called David Bain was convicted of murdering his entire family, finally after 13 years in prison, a reversal of conviction by the British supreme court, and a retrial here in New Zealand, he has been freed. The shadow of his conviction and the years he spent locked up for a crime he didn't commit is something he will always have to live with. But he at least has the opportunity now to begin a new life, just like those wrongly convicted in Tulia.
Tulia Texas was just a other town or city in The Great USA that feel like the color of your skin is the worth of your life .. This was a shame that a great Country like our still holded on to their small minded ways,But one thing we do know, a Change is on it way .. So Tulia, Texas heal keep your head up ...
An irrate James McLoughlin advocates: "The Justice Department under the Obama adminstration should take the U.S. Constitution and Bill Of Rights and kick the sh!# out of the state of Texass. Texass' legal system has a long standing contempt for the Bill Of Rights and equal protection under the law has always under cash and carry rules."
I agree there was a gross miscarriage of justice by the Swisher County sheriff's department and the district attorney. However, I would point out that it was Texas defense attorneys and a Texas appellate court who finally freed the defendents and a Texas governor who pardoned them. The only contribution by the US Justice Department to the whole episode was that the federal government provided the funding for the drug task force that set the whole shamerul miscarriage of justice into motion and helped cover up crimes by the undercover officier. The pardoning of the Tulia victims and the subsequent perjury conviction of the dishonest deputy proves the Texas state judicial system is alive and well.
As a 66-year-old white male native Texan who grew up in small towns in East and West Texas and completed both bachelor and master's degrees at Texas Tech in Lubbock located, like Tulia, in the Texas Panhandle, I'm familar with that area of the state and the blatant miscarriage of justice in Swisher County.
I've seen TV coverage on Tulia before and its race to racial injustice led by an ambitious sheriff and district attorney with the aid of a dishonest "investigator." What most disturbs me to this day is the comment by the Tulia resident TV cable managerager in another segment of this discussion who touts Tulia residents' embracement of the Golden Rule.
It's a shame they were not then (and apparently still are not today) as enthusiastic about the Rule of Law, especially those segments of the US and Texas Constitutions that say all citizens are assumed innocent until proven guilty beyound reasonable doubt. Tulia residents had to be willingly deaf, dumb, and blind to basic elements of common sense to buy into such a fairy tale of so many suspects making a living dealing drugs in a podunk one-horse village like Tulia.
I'll wait to see the film before I pass judgment
I feel Tom Coleman was a mealy-mouth, drug-store cowboy who got picked on his whole life! He was just waiting in the wings of life to have a reason to live. I'm sure it was the first time in his life he had any power what-so-ever and it went right to his knuckle-head! He was probably more shocked than anyone when people actually started to pay any attention to anything that came out of his crooked mouth. No matter if it was true or not ol' Tom was living his 15 minutes. He's a real piece of work!
I don't understand oomments here about defendants getting rearrested and that's suppose to indicate something. So I guess the law shouldn't be followed every time someone is charged. UGH! That's exactly the "good old boy" reasoning that runs rampant in small towns & causes the criticism. I'm from a small town and of coarse there's decent people but they also either don't know they are racist or think folks can't tell. They shouldn't speak on discrimination if they aren't the ones it's being directed at... you ain't that slick with the "not me" ...folks can tell!
My suggestion is young adults in Tulia try to find jobs or careers in Amarillo. It's an hour away and that's nothing to get to work where I live. It's just a normal drive during rush-hour 20 miles away, it's a light day of shopping or a quick trip to see a friend. What I'm saying is... it may be worth the drive to be able live around family but still make a living.
Got to give a shout-out to the two strong-willed white guys that spoke out against the norm, in a town they had to live in. Very hard to have an opinion that's not popular and in my book that makes them sexy :)
Can anyone please point me to a credible reference on what the State of Texas spends on drug related crime and incarceration annually?
I am a 22 year old female and a former resident of Gainesville, TX. The EXACT same thing happened to me as well as 13 other African-American individuals in the town of Gainesville, TX. On August 17, 2007, the local police made a city bust claiming that all the black people they rounded up were a "tight-knit crack cocaine conspiracy." But the funny thing is I had never even meet some of the people named as my co-defendents, let alone their cooperating individual. Calling it "Operation Thunderbolt" in the local newspaper and news stations, the lead investigator made claims that "local drug dealers are finally off the streets" and "'these people' are known to be violent toward police" to sway the public that we were bad people. They handed the case over to federal DEA agents and 10 of us were charged with drug conspiracy/ crack cocaine. 9 idividuals plead guilty because of the pressure of a lengthy sentence if they were to go to trial and loose. BUT NOT ME!!! I refused to let these currupt officers tell me I did something that I know I didn't.
At trial my lawyer was able to show the holes in this investigation. Nothing added up and the police officers themselves had different stories to tell. By the grace of GOD, I was found NOT GUILTY. I was the lucky one. I get to live my life and press forward while all the others were sentenced to 10 -15 years in federal prison. But I feel now I have to be there voice. I need to let the world know that in small towns like Tulia, this kind of injustice really does exist.
I tried contacting the ACLU and Drug Policy Alliance, but they feel short in helping me. So please if anyone who is reading this and is willing to find out more, please respond. Tulia got there help, we need ours. I lost my job because of the picture the DEA agent painted of me and my life is still going downhill even AFTER I was aquitted. PLEASE any one willing to help or even refer me to someone I, no WE, will be forever in your debt. Thank you and God Bless.
Why wasn't the DA disbarred in Tulia like the DA in the Duke Lacrosse case? Most of the defendants were 1st time offenders but were giving such stiff sentences. I personally feel the defendants should file a civil suit against the town and Coleman. The fact that they tried to hide Coleman's charges is evident enough that somebody should be held accountable. The whole ordeal was a modern day witch hunt. Sue Riddick is a big time racist. She had her mind made up(just like many of the other jurors) long before she heard 1 piece of evidence. I wonder if she can admit she was wrong. Thank God for the national exposure. Those people might be still locked up if the case had not been exposed.
I Have lived in Tulia for all of my 26 years of life and im proud to say that the people of Tulia are good honest hard working people. And for the drug bust that happend most of them have gotten caught agian in diffrent counties we could have taken a deffrent approch to the situation that happend to us. All I have to say is that we are a strong county and I belive in our people of Tulia TEXAS.
my family went through a tulia storm here the hpd officer involved in my son arrest falsifed information on a probable cause document we even got the affdavit from the victum that proves so and my son is still appeaking his case this officer was very bias towards my son the gave him 20 yeas for a pack of cigarettes and a bandana this to us is a tulia bust too so it happens and will always for there is always a law man that abuses the badge thank god tulia has a mr. gardner we have nobody. god bless janie lopez
how can they not have checked the back ground of this coleman? How can they have been so blind? because he was a white man who was willing to go after a certain race? why?
Did you see any black police officers? Sue Riddick struck me as a very hateful and racist "juror" I understand the need to want to fight the drug issue but I can bet my life that it\'s not just the black community. I was glad to find a few white men that want fairness, I am thankful for those that are willing to fight for humanity!!!!!
I am from Tulia and know most of the people arrested. I also know most of the Police involved. I can tell you the the story of Tulia is not about racism, Its a story of convenience, conflict of interest, and corruption. I am not saying there was no racism but I have traveled this country and seen more racism in the civilized north than here in the backwoods south.
As a child in Tulia you are exposed to all races at least all three: Whites, Blacks and Mexicans. I know what your thinking he said Mexican he's a racist, but Texas is close to Mexico and the people I went to school with were descendants of there. They were proud of their heritage and were Mexicans not Hispanics. WE ALL GOT ALONG, sure there were problems but that's people not race. Not being a fan of country music I can tell you I had more problems with cowboys than the "Indians". I was raised to treat all people with respect and if I didn't my dad did not spare the rod. There are 4 school buildings in Tulia: you start kindergarten at Highland elementary then 1-3 at Eastwood(now renamed?) then back to Highland for 4-6, then 7 and 8 at the junior high and 9-12th at Dear THS. Everyone in town and the surrounding country side goes to the same place. You grow up, play, date and learn with all the races the small community has to offer.
Now that I have defended the race issue a little let me tell you a little about the place. EVERYTHING is tied to agriculture. People work in agriculture, business sell to farmer and ranchers, What little industry there is makes products for agriculture. There is nothing else. Most jobs are minimum wage and few have much in the way of benefits. Since this is the case if you don't have land then in one way or another you work for someone who does. My grandfather used to say "land is the only thing they are not making any more of". He was right and if your not lucky enough to be born into a family with land you a probably not going to get it. Most farms have been in the same families for years, and when land is available its because someone else went broke trying to farm it.
Land is not cheap and if your Joe Blow farm hand your chance of buying a place big enough to support your family is slim. I am not talking about a California rancher that has 10 acres and a cow. I am talking about farms with thousands of acres and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment to run it.
If you have never lived in a small rural town you just cant understand. First of all Texas is BIG real BIG. Tulia is the county seat of Swisher County. Swisher is one of 254 Texas counties it not the biggest or the smallest just about average. The county is 900 square miles or roughly 2/3rds the size of Rhode Island. There are 7700 people living in the county and a little under 5000 live in the city limits of Tulia. That's a whole lot of room for just a few people. As you might imagine there is not a lot for a teenager to do. So there is a fair amount of underage drinking. Being in the Bible belt Swisher is a dry county for those of you who don't know what that is, you cant buy alcohol. The nearest beer store is 30 miles away in the next county.
So here's the recipe; Small town, everyone knows everyone. vast tracks of land ripe with places to hold a party. teenagers with nothing to do. We have the demand now all we need is a supply. Throw in a few enterprising people who are just trying to get by. Maybe the live in the most economically depressed area of town and perhaps they are a minority. Tall boys(16 ounce canned beers) might even be a buck each. Now lets say your a Policeman, one of four or five on duty that have to manage 2/3rds of Rhode island and you know what's going on, but who is it really hurting, kids are going to get it somewhere, and lets face it you grew up here and you bought the same beer a few years ago.
So if I catch you driving around I will make you pour it out and your parents find out, but hey they were young once too. generation after generation that's how its been.
There are always a few people who do drugs but beer is the poison of choice and its manageable. And then we declare a war on drugs. Just say no comes to school and introduces children who had never heard of drugs to everything and weed becomes a little more common. Under funded police departments are offered large sums of cash to get this stuff off the street. Well there is good money in beer so why not a little weed too. So our bootleggers expand and give the people what they want. Eventually a couple of beer drinkers turn to weed then harder stuff. And in such a small place a couple of kids is an epidemic. In comes the federally funded task force and tells you things are out of control and if you want this money then we need results. So surveillance starts on the boot leggers, and people who smoke weed. Once you undercover man has made friends with the right people he asks if they can hook him up with something else. So they load up and go to this guy and now both of them are screwed. And so it goes........
The people of Tulia are guilty of believing all police are honest and the government is here to help you. If the accused did what they say, then they deserve it.If they didn't then they will be found innocent. After all innocent people don't go to jail. So there it is, a corrupt undercover agent, a police force who gets grants for results, and a group of people who a few of which were actually doing what they were accused of. A few were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And some who were coerced into doing something they probably would not have otherwise done.
If this was some racist which hunt you would have seen more Hispanics charge and convicted for the drug crimes committed. (2000 census blacks 8%, Hispanics 36%) I think the main lawyer in the appeals really show what he was really about when he called into question the whole war on drugs.
He is advocate for the total legalization of drugs and apparently willing to put good law enforcement officer behind bars for his cause. I’m for the legalization of Marijuana and I was falsely accused of a robbery I did not commit and I think this kind media hyped charge of racism really is the source of injustice. Were any of the defendants of the original drug case innocent of the charges? Probably, but most were guilty. And the one or two how were innocent were just a case of misidentification like was the case in my own situation.
Why there is no justice…
(you may want to investigate for yourselves these case rulings)
“Prosecutor may violate civil rights in initiating prosecution and presenting case…” USSC Imbler v. Pachtman 424 U.S. 409 (1976)
“Prosecutor may knowingly use false testimony and suppress evidence…” USSC Imbler v. Pachtman 424 U.S. 409 (1976)
“Immunity extends to all activities closely associated with litigation or potential litigation” 2nd Cir. Fed. Ct of Appeals Davis v. Grusemeyer 996 F2d. 617 (1993)
“Prosecutor can suppress exculpatory evidence…” 5th Cir. Fed. Ct of Appeals Henzel v. Gertzstein 608 F. 2nd 654 (1979)
[Jerrold Peterson, a clerk for the 5th Circuit, blew his brains out in May of last year. Peterson was driven to it in part, his suicide note suggested, by guilt over the nefarious tasks the judges made him perform.
"Although every criminal writ application is supposed to be reviewed by three judges, he was deputed to winnow out any that had been filed pro se and arrange for their automatic rejection."
Edward Dufresne, Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit, took charge of pro se appeals in 1994. He then had Peterson prepare rulings denying writs for all of them and signed off 'without so much as a glance,' according to the suicide note. 'No judge ever saw the writ application before the ruling was prepared by me,' Peterson wrote in a second suicide note to the Judiciary Commission. In his suicide note, Peterson seemed to blame them all, thus: "You completely ignore your own integrity in the handling of pro se criminal writ applications."
The 5th circuit has decided to investigate itself over these allegations.]
“Prosecutor may file charges without any investigation…” 8th Cir. Fed. Ct of Appeals Myers v. Morris 810 F. 2d 1337 (1986)
“Prosecutor may file charges outside his jurisdiction…” 8th Cir. Fed. Ct of Appeals Myers v. Morris 810 F. 2d 1337 (1986)
“Procecutor may knowingly offer false testimony…” 9th Cir. Fed. Ct of Appeals Jones v. Shankland 800 F. 2nd 1810 (1987)
“Prosecutors are immune from lawsuit for conspiring with judges to determine outcomes of judicial proceedings” 9th Cir. Fed. Ct of Appeals Ashelman v. Pope 792 F 2nd 1072 (1986)
“Prosecutor may knowing file charges against innocent people where a crime that never occurred…” 10th Cir. Fed. Ct of Appeals Norton v. Liddell 620 F 2d. 1375 (1980)
I will agree with the comment that this film captured the essence of West Texas. I grew up in that area, and remember the racism. I do also remember that there was one leveling or compensatory act that would wash away any color. I remember my grandparents, my parents, and their friends saying, "That's a hard worker, a man (or woman) who provides for their family." That was the language that made everyone equal and that acquired everyone's respect.
I am ashamed to see what has become of the Ju$tice system, not just here, but all across America. We seem to forget that Rights denied others will soon be Rights that will be denied us.
I personally know some of the "peace officers" in the region and have heard their comments with regard to the Tulia defendants. After listening closely to their statements, I respond, "Your problem is not with those defendants, Your problem is with the Constitution that secures the Rights to those defendants." They usually just sit silent after that remark. Now I can tell them, "Just wait, soon the Constitution will be void and of non-effect, as this disease of non-ju$tice is sweeping the country."
I saw this documentary and was shocked, I am greatful to the filmakers to bring this mess to our attention. It makes you take a look at your own life and think. That could have been me or my son. Kudos to the attorney's who gave these people back the lifes and their families for having the conviction to stand by their loved ones side.
Let everyone in jail go free--that is what the left wants. I don't know why because the Defense Lawyers wouldn't have anything to do. But,OK, you win. Just let them live in your gated communities...leftists.
To Camille Tilley, I would encourage you to check out The Innocence Project at their website http://www.innocenceproject.org/ for your daughter. Getting innocent people out of jail is what they do. Good luck to you in your fight.
Who provides the safety of the individual? Who will stand against tyranny? Our ju$tice system is, spelled, with a dollar sign. What has happened that we the people, have allowed the Government to compromise our Police Agencies being the peace keepers, into becoming Law Enforcement Officers. That they would be bribed with an influx of money, but only if they get the body count into the jails. Even though, that taxpayer money should be given to the agencies in the first place, to protect us, one and all from these rogues, with the ability to give this money without discretion. A bribe. It couldn"t possibly be because thes prisons are privately owned, could it?
I was caught in a catch 22 situation. Being monetarily compromised, I had to swallow a little pride and go to the Public Defenders office, believing that a criminal act, had been perpetrated on myself. An officer and a young lady were involved. Even though in this guilty act the Officer made several
blatant mistakes, the Attorney tells me that the Officer would be allowed to re-write everything. Having seen how the Justice system had been compromised at the Federal level with Alberto Gonzales. I fell for the deceit. With some hate in my eyes, I allowed this Pd to plead me guilty. Ignorance of the Law is my excuse. And yes, I'm ashamed of myself.
Jeff Blackburn, my hat is off to you, as well as Kelly and Cassandra. The people need to learn more about Jury Nullification. Maybe you get the message out, so we may be protected from the Tyranny that is building up. Let us stop the insanity.
My comment is about the injustice here in columbia.this is another story just as Tulia Texas.I have a son that received 20 years with no proof of a crime and the othe one still waiting to be sentenced.Task force here get grants for money based on all these convictions,the blacks are intergrated into the economy.Quick trials ,bad lawyers scared and corprative pleas not voluntary pleas,uncertainty of drugs dispute ,serious punishment ranges and allegations to discredit the person. Soley being convicted one one bad cop,unconstituional convictions ,violations are systematic.the officer perjury on the stand judge over looks it ,due process is a legal technicality.Don't mention scandal and corruption. It needs to stop,this is modern day slavery and they get so much revenue from our tax payers and these case by the load 20-60 people each time.And the state treasuer get six months for carring 1kilo of drugs plus he has a business in Mexico he said he was taking the drugs to a party to share with friends. This is an out rage Thank you and god Bless you
The drug agent of Taila should have been charged with 14 counts of perjury.
It's amazing to me that racism like this still exists in america. You can tell Coleman is lying by the way he talks and his eyes speak of insincerity. I hope that this is the last story of this kind i ever have to see.
didn't many of the defendants admit thier guilt to the FBI during interviews? Wasn't Coleman cleared of any civil rights violations by the FBI? Didn't many of the "innocent" drug dealers get convicted or more crimes after they were pardoned? why didn't you mention that?
Filmmakers' response:
The FBI and the Office of the Attorney General of Texas investigated the Tulia cases. But because the confidential findings in both investigations have not been made public, we cannot verify the conclusions or comment on the breadth or quality of either investigation. Whether or not any of the former defendants were convicted of other crimes after they received pardons, we believe, has no bearing on the facts of the Tulia drug sting cases.
I believe this can and has been happening across the US. Just by the percentage of black men in jail, for drug related offenses. We know something is wrong. Because there are more white men in the US, and they use more drugs. Jail is also a money venture, some are on the stock market. So if it is now part of the Capitalistic system. It must feed off the most vulnerable, the minorities and the poor. The rich and well to do can afford Lawyers. Trying to get them could be costly if they fail like they are failing the drug war.
I could hardly disagree more with Mark Hale's comment. I spent 4 1/2 years in West Texas and was in Tulia at least once a week. I am amazed at how the film captured the essence of small town Texas, including its racism. The whites in these areas are not even aware of their racism. It's just a fact of life.
All the prejudices that come with that were on display in this incident. If there is rapprochement it will be because of the incredible forgiveness and character of the black community, something I have seen over and over again in towns and cities all over the US where I have lived.
This is not to say that there are not exceptions on both sides - there are - but in general that is the status quo. On a national scale, I believe this old school racism is changing and especially among the younger generation, but it has not reached these small towns in the hinterlands. They are steeped in the traditional ways of looking at the world, of which racism is just one aspect. They are sincere, even well-meaning, but they live in ignorance and fear and generations of conditioning. It is the very personification of The Good Ol' Boy network, as perfectly illustrated by the sheriff.
Could this happen in my town? Well, there are no blacks in my town for starters. Or in my larger area of the high desert of the American West. But there are Hispanics. And there is sexism. It's just a different form of the small town phenomenon I have seen everywhere I have lived (which is pretty much everywhere but the Northeast). I find small towns to be amazingly similar and not unique at all.
Preservation of the status quo is first and foremost and there is a great distrust of the new, the different, anything outside who and what is known. I find great ignorance and fear and have experienced unbelievable persecution myself just for being a highly intelligent, educated, attractive and sometimes outspoken single woman from somewhere else who neither attends church or spends any time in bars, essentials of the small town social experience and class structure (it's all about who you know and/or to whom you are related, and those connections are established and maintained via the two above named institutions of a small town).
Small town people in general, especially those in the hierarchy, do not want anyone or anything that is unknown in their environs and lacking the tools for evaluating anything outside their ken, they will seek to destroy it, drive it off, shun it, start a whisper campaign, whatever it takes to mark that person or idea. I have 30 years of experience with this and I take a rather dispassionate and objective look at it as a means for understanding this broad group of people, their prejudices, their view of life and institutions, their customs, their impact on the fabric of American life.
I have become a student of this all-American phenomenon (though I suspect that small communities have universal traits in common, based on universal motives even if those motives are not well understood or examined). There is a certain functionality to it that is ancient and tribal, that emerges in cultures within cultures everywhere (e.g., "the corporate culture"), and is just basic human nature.
To the above I will add that Texas has a unique spin on almost everything and this dates from its early days and the ethos that developed at that time. It is particularly apparent in its politicians, examples of which we saw in Lyndon Johnson and George W. Bush. This is the very public face of the ruling class, priorities and ethos of Texas, where gunslinging, real or theoretical, is still highly prized and alpha males are enshrined. Texas politics is really something else! In addition to its racism, it is also very sexist. It bears no relation to any state in which I have lived, both in the good and in the bad.
As I watched the film, I was quite impressed how thoroughly the film captured this ethos without belaboring the issues, just telling the facts. Letting the principals speak for themselves was sufficient. What was truly unique in this story was the attorney who took it upon himself to fight for justice. Usually there is no justice and human lives are ruined on the basis of prejudice and caprice in the spirit of the Old West, lynching mobs and kangaroo courts. This story revealed that system of governance in a remarkable way and kudos to all those who worked to tell the story.
saw at the 2009 Pan African Film Festival - Unbelieveable as right before your eyes you see the eye of racial discrimination and it's practice of "supremacy" to yield bottom-line denial of anything being done that is WRONG!!!!
Just saw the film on PBS in Arizona. We are living this nightmare in Maricopa County AZ. It could have been written about our daughter, falsely accused by one 13 year old of an alleged crime that never happened. Her home searched and seized without a warrant, Scottsdale police department Swat team arrested in her quiet McDowell Mountain neighborhood with her 4 1/2 year old daughter at her side, no medical physical exam for the police report, no investigation, no Miranda Rights, held NONbondable for 66 days.
One detective controlled the case, interviewed teens one day, interrogated the defendant the next day and determined she would be held NONbondable. He lied to the IA Court, the First Grand Jury, the media and the got his media conviction within 24 hours -- Courtney's life and that of her young daughter and family would never be the same again. No investigation done of the accusers, the exhusband, the Scottsdale detective, the accuser's mother, and others who stood to gain from this wrongful conviction. Courtney was innocent, went to a Bench Trial and sentenced to 11 years flat time (for an "alleged" touch over clothing that never happened), no early release, no Clemency Board, no probation, and sex offender registry for life.
New Evidence came forth two years ago -- proof of her innocence and the County Attorney has swept it under a rug with deliberate indifference to seeking the truth. It is rumored that Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas will be stepping down in April to run for Attorney General of Arizona.
A serious independent investigation of the mishandling of Courtney's case in needed and she should be released on bond pending the outcome of the investigation. It is in the best interest of all the parties, legal system and the state agencies to keep her silenced and locked up.
The labeling of groups of people by politicians and media have created subclasses of society which have turned into witch-hunts depending upon which political label will win votes and get media attention. Without a conscience or a soul, the power hungry and greedy are destroyed millions of families lives and our future.
America in the #1 jailer in the world and your film captured the essence of why it's become that -- see Pew Prison Report 2008: One in 100 Adults in U.S. in prisons and jails (does not count juveniles or detention centers (the new concentration camps).
It is time to free Courtney Bisbee. Your film showed the public what injustice looks like and all one has to do is google two names and they will see what we mean: maricopa county sheriff arpaio and maricopa county attorney andrew thomas
I can't believe those folks who were exonerated didn't even get an apology, let alone million dollar settlements.
Filmmakers' response:
After the pardons, the Tulia drug sting defendants were awarded a $6 million settlement in a civil lawsuit against the law enforcement agencies involved in the drug task force that employed Tom Coleman. The settlement was shared among 45 of the former defendants, along with their attorneys. For those who were incarcerated for their wrongful conviction, the state of Texas compensated them $25,000 for every year spent in prison.
To the filmmakers:
The thesis was, on the face of it, reliable. You do not need to make those ham-handed cuts to white foks cheering a patriotic parade, etc. That's the sorts of juxtaposition that (perhaps) over-eager and under-educated editors make and producers accept.
Play it straight and make your argument wholly convincing.
Racism and segregation are alive and thriving. See Atlanta. See Memphis.
What's interesting is to compare african americans' struggle in Tulia post-agrarianism to blacks' struggle in America post-slavery. The former is a microcosm of the latter.
In both, blacks were injected into a white society to satisfy a narrow purpose. And in both, no thought was given to a future without that purpose.
Here we are today with a "black" president whose house is within the jurisdiction with the highest child poverty rate and homeless rate in the country. And 2.0 million african americans live there. Someone somewhere must find that perverse.
Hats off to the filmmakers. Keep 'em coming!
p.s. Did the hard-smoking lawyer have a bust of Lenin on his personal bookshelf?
My heart crys out for those innocent Black men and Ms. White that were falsely convicted of selling drugs. Tom Coleman should go to jail and those people should be given restitution. For it is written that vengeance is my said the Lord, I pray that all this mess will end. God knows that the Black people in this country has paid a heavy price. Blacks have forgiven hearts and that is why a change has come to this country. We now have a Black Attorney General. I will never live in the South for as long as I live. I don't want to live in any slave state, I don't care how cold it gets in the winter months. Thank God for the White Attorneys that step in and the NAACP, and all the Whites that lived in Tulia, TX that felt what the police had done was wrong. The Sheriff of that town should be fired.
I was appalled by the story. It is very scary to know this could happen anywhere. I believe the prison system needs an overhaul for anyone charged with a drug charge. At times, in this nation, you do get overzealous law enforcement officials that will do anything to get a promotion or move up within their law enforcement agency.
I think they need to change the requirements in law enforcement agencies receiving grants for drug task force programs. It stated in the documentary that all these agencies had to do was show "high numbers" for drug arrests in their community in order to receive help (i.e., grants for a drug task force to come in and take care of the problem. This only will lead to phony arrests from these local law enforcement agencies to make the "numbers" look good, just to prove they didn't use the funds for other sources. It's almost like the "quotas" that police officers in big cities have to meet on a monthly data or within a specified amount of time, and if they don't make a certain amount of arrests within that time period, then there's a possibility they may not move higher up in the department or receive the percentage of raise they wish for, so they make "trumped up" arrests or commit racial profiling to find a reason to arrest someone. Often times, it's minorities that are the victims of these situations, by law enforcement officers.
There has to be a better way in dealing with the drug war, than arresting half a town's innocent minorities. It's a shame that Coleman didn't serve a day in jail. I think it is shameful that he was not convicted, and because of what he did, he has now caused an "untrust" among blacks and whites in that town. I have lost faith in the judicial/court/law enforcement system, since watching that documentary. Our government needs to do a mandatory inspection of small town sheriff/police depts, to make sure citizens in these towns are not unfairly arrested and charged for crimes they do/did not commit. A very sad story and the fact that many of the white residents did not come out in support of these victims, because of "stereotypical" views. Thanks.
I blieve this town was very divided wheather they want to admit it or not. All some-one has to do is think about this drug bust of 39 african americans in a small town such as Tulia. Why in the world would anyone be needing 39 cocaine dealers in such a small community? That's not to mention the other 7 that were of other nationalities. I live in a town that's small but nothing like Tulia and if there are 46 cocaine dealers in an area the size of yor town, I'd know because one dope dealer would have shot and klled all the others for working their streets. I have never seen anything as sad as what happened and is still hapening to the fols in Tulia. Id like to know how many african americans work at decent paying jobs there, like bank tellers or in policing or any other jobs that can make a man or woman feel proud of how they're contributing to their community. I don't think every one that lives there is racist but I do think there is a 'better than' attitude amongst the peole.
Despite the film's title it rendered a rather generic portrait of a small town. I have lived in small towns in Washington state and visited Tulia several times over a wide span of years and this film missed the depth and complexity that make each small town unique. The universal is found in the small details. Those details were missing in this film. Instead the filmmakers allowed the viewers' personal catalogue of stereotypes to fill in the blanks. A tougher, more challenging, and more honest film could have been made.
The Justice Department under the Obama adminstration should take the U.S. Constitution and Bill Of Rights and kick the sh!# out of the state of Texass. Texass' legal system has a long standing contempt for the Bill Of Rights and equal protection under the law has always under cash and carry rules.
