Pubdate: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 Source: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (TX) Copyright: 2000 The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Contact: http://www.lubbockonline.com/interactive/edit.shtml Website: http://www.lubbockonline.com/ Forum: http://chat.lubbockonline.com:90/eshare/ Author: Linda Kane Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/tulia.htm (Tulia, Texas) TULIA DRUG INVESTIGATION FEATURE SEGMENT ON 20/20 TULIA During the pre-dawn hours of July 23, 1999, an 18-month undercover investigation by a sole law enforcement officer came to a screeching halt with the arrests of 43 people 40 of them black. The story made immediate headlines from this small, rural community, nestled off Interstate 27 midway between Lubbock and Amarillo. Tonight, the story is expected to get national attention when it's featured on the ABC news program 20/20, a spokesman at the local ABC affiliate, KAMC, said Sunday. The show airs at 7 p.m. Since the drug bust occurred, some Tulia residents have questioned the motives behind the undercover operation. Members of a group known as the Friends of Justice have voiced their concerns about how the operation was handled, and they've questioned the character of the undercover agent, Tom Coleman. The Texas affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit seeking $6 million from three people connected with the Tulia bust. The lawsuit, filed in Amarillo, alleges Coleman, Swisher County Sheriff Larry Stewart and District Attorney Terry McEachern conspired to violate the civil rights of blacks in Tulia. Amarillo attorney Jeff Blackburn filed the suit on behalf of Yul Bryant, a man who Blackburn said protested his innocence for seven months before his charges were dropped and he was released from jail. The Justice Department is investigating the Tulia case. Alan Bean, a Friend of Justice member, said he's hoping tonight's TV program will help push the Justice Department's investigation into high gear. The media hasn't been welcomed by everyone in town, but Bean said he finds the attention helpful. "I think they've helped largely because all the attention we have received has served to remind everyone involved that the entire nation is watching," he said. "It has made things somewhat difficult for our local people because the media coverage, particularly the national media coverage, has infuriated some of the local people," Bean said. Jenelle Jordan, 82 and a longtime Tulia resident, said she supports the law enforcement officials involved in the operation. "Since I know these people, the sheriff and these people, I don't think that color has anything to do with it," she said. "Our prisons are overstocked with colored people and well, they wouldn't be there if they hadn't got caught." She plans to tune into the 20/20 program tonight, she said. "The only thing I'm sure of is I know this sheriff here. I've known him since he was a child. I've known his parents and his grandparents and they're good people," she said. She added, "I know that our Sheriff's Department is to be commended for cleaning up a bad situation concerning drug dealers in Tulia, Texas." Billy Wafer, a 42-year-old black man arrested during the bust, may appear on tonight's program. Wafer was accused of selling cocaine to Coleman, a man Wafer said he'd never met. "I didn't even know Tom Coleman," Wafer said. Wafer said he was in jail for six weeks before the charges against him were dropped. "I like sheriff Stuart, but I want him to be a man and admit that he made a mistake," Wafer said. The 20/20 program can be viewed on KAMC's channel 28, or on Cox Cable channel 8. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk