Pubdate: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 Source: Times-Picayune, The (LA) Copyright: 2004 The Times-Picayune Contact: http://www.nola.com/t-p/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/848 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/tulia.htm (Tulia, Texas) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States) MONEY FOR THEIR TROUBLES Even though they will divide a $5 million settlement among themselves, the dozens of residents in Tulia, Texas, who were humiliated at the hands of law enforcement are unlikely to ever forget their unjust treatment. Nor should the rest of the country forget. In 1999, about 10 percent of the roughly 400 black residents in Tulia were rounded up and arrested for allegedly distributing drugs. Though the 46-person roundup also included seven Tulia residents who were not black, the arresting officer's admission under oath that he routinely referred to black people as "niggers" makes it impossible to ignore the racial malice involved. The town of Tulia is too small and poor to have provided a settlement, but officials in the nearby city of Amarillo, Texas, a participant in the multi-agency task force that ensnared the Tulia residents wanted to make amends. Marcus Norris, a city attorney for Amarillo, said the $5 million settlement is the responsible thing to do. The task force will also be disbanded. There wasn't enough evidence to warrant the arrests of the Tulia residents, let alone to justify sentences of up to 99 years. Officer Tom Coleman had neither audio-nor videotape to back up his claims that he bought drugs from the defendants. None of the defendants were found with drugs or suspicious amounts of money. Some were living in ramshackle houses. The defendants were so obviously wronged that Gov. Rick Perry pardoned 35 of them in one fell swoop. The money they will now divide will certainly help them, but as wrongly convicted Kizzy Smith said, "That can't bring back the time I missed with my kids." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin