As communities around the nation protest decisions not to charge officers who have injured or killed suspects, South Carolina prosecutors have obtained indictments against three white officers for on-duty shootings of unarmed black men in the past four months.
It might seem unusual that officers would face charges in a law-and-order state like South Carolina. But a former prosecutor with some high-profile cases under his belt said officials are acutely aware that people think there is a good ol' boy network in the state and are extra careful to give cases involving police officers the highest level of scrutiny.
"As prosecutors, you are well aware of that stereotype and so you go that extra mile to make sure justice is done," said state Rep. Tommy Pope, who served 13 years as a chief prosecutor and perhaps is best known for his prosecution of Susan Smith, who was convicted of drowning her two sons in a lake.
It took nearly four years for a grand jury to hand down a murder indictment in the latest South Carolina shooting. A white former police chief and at the time the only officer in the small town of Eutawville (YOO'-tah-vihl) was charged Wednesday in the 2011 shooting death of an unarmed black man after an argument, a case that instantly drew comparisons to the Ferguson, Missouri, shooting and the chokehold death in New York.
Wow who thought that South Carolina would break from the pack?
Or rather not so much breaking from the pack, but seeing the writing on the walls.
It is always hard to see the silver lining when such incredible miscarriages of justice occur, but if we start to see an increase cops being indicted for using excess force or deadly force, especially when dealing with black people, then perhaps the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown will not have been in vain.
Before we celebrate, let's wait to see the decision of the 'jury of his peers'. Bringing charges doesn't always mean getting 'justice' in the South.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gryphen for a much needed article.
ReplyDeleteYou rock!
They need to string these racists cops up throughout the nation. Enough is enough of their horrible, killing ways of the minorities!
ReplyDeleteBravo South Carolina.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that prosecutors---especially in large cities know that if they indict cops they are gonna be screwed by the cops. Its a parasitic relationship. The cops capture/the prosecutors take them to trial. That is why there should be special prosecutors from elsewhere who go after cops so that what happened in Ferguson, Staten Island, Beaver Creek and Utah and every other place doesn't happen again.
Our Lexington county sheriff James Metts was recently indicted as well. That's Nikki Haley's stomping grounds where he's been in charge for at least 30 years. He was taking bribes among other things apparently.
ReplyDeleteWe're all lessened by the recent events, but at least one grand jury did their job, and that gives me hope for change. Mayor DeBlasio gave a great speech and interview on G Stephanopolous's show.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful news. First, SLED exonerated him, the feds found he didn't violate Mr. Bailey's civil rights, the Bailey family sued the town and won a civil case, then the county brought a misconduct case, then the judge denied his stand-your-ground defense, then the county solicitor brought a murder charge to the grand jury. All of this took time, and the red ribbon we have on our fence to mourn Mr. Bailey has faded to pink. People in the community had lost hope. There has always been widespread agreement in town that this guy should have to go to trial.
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