Riot police separate protesters in Texas town -state's handling of a black man's dragging death case

[Kadie]

Riot police separate protesters in Texas town

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 | 12:47 PM
AP

DALLAS, TX -- Texas state riot police have swarmed into the streets of an eastern Texas town and broken up a tense standoff between screaming black separatists and white supremacists.

About 100 people protesting the state's handling of a black man's dragging death case Tuesday avoided a designated protest zone near the courthouse in the Texas town of Paris' marched through downtown streets. They were met by about a dozen white supremacist protester.

One skinhead and one shirtless man, both of them white, were arrested by Lamar County deputies after exchanging words with a deputy.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/state&id=6925067&rss=rss-ktrk-article-6925067


Otha Latimore, 61, raises his fist during a protest between hundreds of black and white protesters who exchanged screams of 'Black power!' and 'White power!' at the town square in Paris, Texas, Tuesday, July 21, 2009. The protest began with a march through downtown by black activists who were protesting the state's handling of the case of a black man who was run over and dragged by a vehicle.
(AP Photo/LM Otero)


Protestors carry a Nazi flag while marching in Paris, Texas, Tuesday, July 21, 2009. Protestors and counter protestors marched in this small town over the dismissal of murder charges against two white men in the death of a black man who was run over and dragged.
(AP Photo/LM Otero)


With police between them, white supremacists hold up a Nazi flag and yell at protesters marching on the town square in Paris, Texas, Tuesday July 21, 2009. The conflict began with a march through downtown by about 100 black activists who were protesting the state's handling of the case of a black man who was run over and dragged by a vehicle.
(AP Photo/LM Otero)


Police lead a handcuffed protester away during a march in Paris, Texas, Tuesday, July 21, 2009. Protestors and counter protestors marched in this small town over the dismissal of murder charges against two white men in the death of a black man who was run over and dragged.
(AP Photo/LM Otero)


An unidentified member of the New Black Panthers, left, films a protester with a bullhorn during a protest between hundreds of black and white protesters in Paris, Texas, Tuesday, July 21, 2009. The conflict began with a march through downtown by about 100 black activists who were protesting the state's handling of the case of a black man who was run over and dragged by a vehicle.
(AP Photo/LM Otero)




Black, white protestors rally over dragging death
By JEFF CARLTON Associated Press Writer © 2009 The Associated Press
July 21, 2009, 1:35PM

PARIS, Texas — State police in full riot gear rushed a downtown street in this eastern Texas town Tuesday to break up a tense standoff between hundreds of black and white protesters who exchanged screams of "Black power!" and "White power!"

A skinhead carrying a Confederate flag and a shirtless white man were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct before the protesters separated peacefully, Paris police spokesman Lt. Danny Huff said.

The conflict began with a march through downtown by about 100 black activists who were protesting the state's handling of the case of a black man who was run over and dragged by a vehicle. The demonstrators avoided a designated "protest zone" near the courthouse and marched to the town square to chants of "Black Power!" and "No Justice, no peace!"

Once there, the crowd ballooned to about 200 black people on one side of a street. Across the street were about a dozen white supremacists, including four skinheads holding Nazi swastika flags. About 30 other white people were behind them, but it was unclear if they were protesting or watching.

snip...
The rally in Paris, about 90 miles northeast of Dallas, is the third courthouse protest over the death of 24-year-old Brandon McClelland, whose mangled body was found Sept. 16 on a country road outside of town after he was run over by a vehicle and dragged beneath it. A prosecutor cited a lack of evidence in dropping murder charges last month against two white men arrested in his death.

more...
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6539864.html

[gratuitous]

1. If those guys are the representatives of the master race

And their collective IQ doesn't inform them that inciting a brawl of 12 against hundreds is a bad idea, I'd say their ideology is somewhat suspect from the evidence provided.

[Bankhead_ATL]

3. Silly CACs is what they are

[Bankhead_ATL]

As a black man am Speechless..this is 2009. Why do we still have to fight for our rights

[texastoast]

2. Oh, my

They are not used to protests in Paris, Texas. Good on them. Such a racist area. Let the light shine.

[Chipper Chat]

4. Paris Texas, the Sequel!

Idiots.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

5. Master Race??? What a joke.

East Texas is a shithole all the way from Texarkana down to Houston. And over to the Sabine River.

Doesn't surprise me.

[BlooInBloo]

6. Obviously that's another mean, loud black guy who should have just shut the fuck up.

[MADem]

7. This is apparently not like the James Byrd case, though....

...Prosecutors in the McClelland case initially charged two of McClelland's friends, Shannon Finley and Charles Crostley, with murdering him by running him over in Finley's pickup. They estimated that McClelland's body was dragged more than 70 feet beneath their vehicle. But a special prosecutor dismissed the charges last month, citing a lack of evidence, after a gravel truck driver came forward and said he might have accidentally run over McClelland.

This was the week Finley's trial was scheduled to start in a nearby town.

Previous protests over the case by the Panthers and the Nation of Islam were mostly peaceful and resulted in no arrests. A handful of white supremacists have showed up each time.

Protesters have said the McClelland case echoes the murder of James Byrd, a black man who was chained by the ankles to a pickup by three white men and dragged to death in 1998 in the town of Jasper.

Authorities, however, have denied there was a racial angle in the McClelland death, pointing out that he was friends with Finley and Crostley. Authorities had said the trio were returning from a late-night beer run across the Oklahoma state line when McClelland died. They alleged the three were arguing about whether Finley was too drunk to drive, and that McClelland decided to walk home. Authorities said Finley then ran over McClelland.

Finley and Crostley, who were released after eight months in jail, have maintained their innocence.

[readmoreoften]

11. If true, that is quite a difference. /nt

[MADem]

16. You'd think if they did run him over, there'd be a little evidence on the truck, too.

But some time passed before the other truck driver owned up that it might have been him....

I'm all for punishing the guilty, but there are questions here.

[Hutzpa]

8. The dark days revisited

is this really 2009???

:wow:

[readmoreoften]

9. It disgusts me that there aren't more white people standing in solidarity with the black protesters.

This should be forwarded to anti-racist activist groups and left organizations throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.

[MrSlayer]

14. Black separatists are just as racist as the skinheads.

It disgusts me that the normal people of all races weren't kicking all of their asses. There was an opportunity missed.

[Jim Sagle]

22. Ahh yess...the moral equivalence con.

[MrSlayer]

23. Con? Pah.

Racism is fucked up no matter who practices it. The black separatists are just as ignorant as the KKK.

[Jim Sagle]

24. Actually, no. Their solutions are bogus but their grievances are real.

[MADem]

17. WTF? Those guys are separatists. They don't want no steenkin' whitey standing anywhere near them.

They dislike white people, just like the idiots on the other team dislike black people.

You might want to read the full article linked at the bottom of the OP.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. I hate half-assed reporting.

Were ALL charges dropped, or just murder charges. Presumably, if they were arrested there was some evidence connecting their vehicle to the death. Were there charges of negligent homicide involved? Fleeing the scene of an accident?

One of the 'comments' after the article says the deceased was a friend to the drivers - but the article makes no mention of it. Was it purely an accident? Did they report it?

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?

[Kadie]

12. Here are a couple of links for more info...

I haven't had a chance to thoroughly read them, but maybe they will give you more info...


http://dallassouthblog.com/2008/10/04/howard-wittchicago-tribune-with-more-on-death-of-brandon-mcclelland/


http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/08/20081008texasdeath08-odd.html

[RaleighNCDUer]

13. Thanks. That helps. nt

[MADem]

18. There apparently wasn't any evidence, that was the problem.

And a cement mixer driver said it might have been him who hit the guy, by accident.

They were friends who went out drinking over the border.

[Forkboy]

15. LOL...wonder where this guy got his fashion sense from.

I don't recall Nazis wearing their pants like that. I think it was another group. Hmmmm, what group of people could it be......?



Clearly a traitor to the movement.

[mberet]

19. Whats Funny Nothing Happened

This moron above was told to move and he refused to numerous times and started verbally assaulting the deputies and got stuffed..... There was only 5 skinheads there was no KKK the rest of us crackers were just watching and not caring that people were exercising their rights.... There was no tense standoff only reason the DPS or our State Troopers moved in was to divert the protester's down the street to the other blocked off area and where the Black Panthers had parked their cars.... Now when the State Troopers moved in, I guess the 5 skinheads saw a safe barrier and started to heckle them... Now at this point the Skinheads were down to 3 vs 75 plus... The guy in the red shirt was not on anyones team cause he was cursing the skinheads for leaving the blocked off area and going down the street and trying to start chaos which never happened ... All that guy wanted though carrying a Confederate flag was for all non-Lamar county residents to go home, I never heard a racist remark out of him.... Now getting home reading and watching the news you would have thought I was in a race riot... And it was nothing like that all in fact I was surprised how calm and peaceful it really was... Sorry to disappoint but I watched the whole thing from start to finish

[mberet]

20. Funny

An unidentified member of the New Black Panthers, left, films a protester with a bullhorn during a protest between hundreds of black and white protesters in Paris, Texas, Tuesday, July 21, 2009. The conflict began with a march through downtown by about 100 black activists who were protesting the state's handling of the case of a black man who was run over and dragged by a vehicle.


HAHA "hundreds of black and white protesters" Maybe 75 plus black and the side white side 1 guy in the red shirt. 5 skinheads and 1 KKK guy that was there to tell the press the KKK was not counter protester again hate to disappoint the Media the rest of us crackers there were curious on lookers...

[mberet]

21. LOL

Once there, the crowd ballooned to about 200 black people on one side of a street. Across the street were about a dozen white supremacists, including four skinheads holding Nazi swastika flags. About 30 other white people were behind them, but it was unclear if they were protesting or watching.


We were curious on lookers business owners, shoppers, or had business at the court house or like me utility workers... I guess behind means we were across the street LOL...