Howard Witt
The Chicago Tribune
You can drive into this dusty fleck of a town near the Texas-Louisiana border if you're African-American, but you might not be able to drive out of it—at least not with your car, your cash, your jewelry or other valuables.
That's because the police here allegedly have found a way to strip motorists, many of them black, of their property without ever charging them with a crime. Instead they offer out-of-towners a grim choice: voluntarily sign over your belongings to the town, or face felony charges of money laundering or other serious crimes.
More than 140 people reluctantly accepted that deal from June 2006 to June 2008, according to court records. Among them were a black grandmother from Akron, who surrendered $4,000 in cash after Tenaha police pulled her over, and an interracial couple from Houston, who gave up more than $6,000 after police threatened to seize their children and put them into foster care, the court documents show. Neither the grandmother nor the couple were charged with any crime.
© 2010 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertise with us | About us | Contact us | Help | Advertising Practices
The "Bullying: It Stops Here" town hall
Anderson answers your questions
The art of booking guests
This is shameful, huh!
Lovely. And I'm considering moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Bad enough when your skin color makes you a targe - someone actually has to try and hit the bullseye. I want the FBI and NAACP to investigate not only the cops who did this, but the Texas and Louisiana state attorney generals as well. If this is indeed happening, I'm willing to bet someone high up is looking the other way.
Not surprised. Still see this happening in Southern, IL – small towns in Alabama and Georgia. There is some form of segregation any where you are. Be it cleaning certain neighborhoods and leaving others dirty to pretend it's the people. Garbage removal, the list can go on and on. It all boils down to DWB
I'm a Police Officer in Texas and this type of thing if true makes me sick. If they are doing such a thing then they need to pay for their crimes. Texas like all states have their issues but , I will say ,it is a great state to live in.
I live in Plano Texas – a suburb of Dallas, and I must say this is extremely sicken! I am an African-American and I see racism a lot. Whether against people from India but now Americans or Mexicans who are now Americans. And in all cases – it is just not right! If you have a certain prejudice feeling against a certain ethnic background – seek counseling and deal with it! And last – why aren't these officers and their chief FIRED! As a resident of Texas, who do I need to write to help this get some type of conclusion.
Sen. Whitmore response to this is insufficient. The people who perpetrated this should be locked up for a long time – from the mayor on down. Citizen rights were terribly violated to the point of extortion, and basically nothing was done other than to return some of their property. Changing the laws wills only allow them to continue to do this through loop holes. This cannot continue, and the message must be sent that any town practicing this kind of "law enforcement" will be dealt with harshly.
We should all be allowed to do this to corrupt CEOs.
I like Sean's idea! Bad cops need to get the heck out of Dodge! I also agree with Larry's idea for doing an undercover story – make it national headline news.
This is when I start to feel hopeless. Will anything come of this nonsense?
More fodder for the "outrage on tap" crowd.
When everyone from the President on down to local cub reporters stops blaming Whites for everyone else's problems, then I'll consider getting annoyed at stuff like this. Maybe.
Or when CNN or any other major news outlet takes a breather in their 24/7/365 mining for stories like this and does an expose on the epidemic of non-white on white crime (constituting 85-90% of interracial crimes), then maybe I'll care about this kind of thing. Again, maybe. If I've got time.
Just about what you'd expect from Texans.
Investigations are absolutely necessary with followthrough. 'we are cowards when it comes to talking about race' Step 1 = Identify situations of racial concern, Step 2 = Follow through with results!!!! Questions = Who's job is it to do this followthrough? Are they aware of these situarions? Who makes sure they know? Who makes sure they followthrough and 'punish' accordingly? WHO is the question. Is it you? Me? The 'msm'? WHO? In the answer to that question is the answer to continuing to grow as a nation. And Then ~ Why.
I am not surprised of anything that happens in Texas! IF I were African-American you would never find me driving or visiting the south. Its scary down there!
Hope CNN will follow up on this story, and check it out!
IF this is true........ its horrible and disturbing.
As a native Texas (gone for 10 years), I am not surprised by this story. All my life I've heard stories of this sort of thing going on, usually in east Texas or in the small towns between Houston and Dallas.
It is shameful that this sort of thing still happens. There is a certain breed of Texas lawman that is renegade. I've even had my own experience with a harrassing Texas "lawman". With the encouragement of friends, I reported him and my ticket was excused. I don't know what ever happened with him, but I do know if these renegades are reported, then maybe things will change.
This is true. When I was growing up in the early 70's this would happen to my family. My parents are from the south and we kids were born in the midwest but once a year would travel down south to visit our relatives. Jim Crow laws would allow this abuse to happen and after the laws changed it still contiuned. I'm saddend to see it's still happening in 2009.
This is a disgusting example of the rampant racism present in some of the more rural parts of our country. 7 years ago, I went on a road trip from New Mexico to Florida. I am a white woman and my traveling partner was a black man. We were treated like we had the plague. One convenience store worker wouldn't touch the money I tried to give her. She made me put the $$ on the counter and then she used a pencil to scoot it into the register.
We've come a long way, but there is still racism in this country.
Wow, racism is rampant in the US despite Obama's election.
Those officers should be charged and the people given back all their belongings, an apology, and compensation for damages to their reputation and harassment.
I'm Canadian and things I notice. Segregated towns like: Chicago, someone told me not to take the rail to the otherside of town, and a couple from Birmingham told me how they got rid of a black girl in the local high school via harassment.
Wow, 400 or more years of slavery, racism, etc, white cops driving Ford Thunderbirds and practicing the same thing in the 1950's, and the police still practicing the same racist practices, the police should all be fired, reprimanded, and sued. Remind me never to visit Texas and spend my money there.
Thank God I'm living in Canada where racism still exists in institutions but it is far better than the US.
I have always wished Congress should create a National Judicial Review Commission, to monitor every court in America, every law enforcement body and DA office. By the end of each day they will be required to turn over every decision made, action taken, to ensure there is fairness in justice. We are the epitome of freedom and justice. We have spent trillions fighting wars, for these causes and yet , here at home, we continue to make mockery of them or rather pervert justice. The lives that have been lost in these wars should not be lost in vain.
This sounds like a joke! 2 years and no one stood up for themselves, WOW!
What do you bet that none of the police officers or government officials are black? Why has nobody from the press sent a car with 2 black journalists undercover to record this injustice?
Why is this only news in a Chicago paper?
It does not surprise me. These things are ongoing and little attention is paid, because it is black Americans or minorities and who cares. Justice, equity and good conscience have not been anything extended to people of color, immigrants and other minorities. Being in the business I am in, I see it everyday. I discuss it with people and I am frightened and disgusted with us. American judges, District attorneys and many white law enforcement officers give America a real bad name. Even government employees apply double standards when it comes to this segment of our population.. While many corporations and businesses are reaching out to diversify their workforce, these ugly things create contradictions in our society. You can deny it again, because we are a nation in denial.
A sick tale of ignorance and abuse. This is what many worried about when elected officials empowered law enforcement with greater powers of search and seizure. The Patriot Act is one example. While I recognize that law enforcement must have more empowerment to combat the drug trade and protect our nation from terrorist activities there must also be strict definitions of application. Tenaha, Texas is an example of what can go very wrong.
This story is a little far-fetched-–Sounds like Tony Soprano and his crew need to take a trip to Tenaha--I bet Tony could make them an offer they can't refuse--where are the good cops when you need one?
And what are the Attorney General's offices of Texas and Louisiana doing about this? Are federal prosecutors involved?
this is outrageous and i think that the feds need to set up a sting operation and collect evidence, if it turns out to be true which it sounds like it is, they need to do a federal raid with riot gear, tanks and helicopters and cuff them all up in front of cameras and take them to federal lock-up.
"sean in santa rosa"
Howard, is this true???