When Justice Is Poetic...

Incredibly, mainstream media virtually ignored coverage of a trial involving an Oklahoma City police officer charged with 36 counts of sexual violations committed against 13 Black women while "upholding" the law and in the course of performing his duties as a police officer. No thanks to pressures from the press, women's groups or others who should have been outraged by these atrocious acts of gross misconduct and abuse of police authority, ultimately he was found guilty of 18 of the charges brought against him on his 29th birthday. When Justice is Poetic...   

 

Excerpts from The Daily Mail:

All of his accusers are black. He preyed on women who had trouble with the law, society's most vulnerable — juveniles, drug addicts, and women in custody or with a criminal history, thinking their word would not stand up against his as society tends not to believe black women or value them as other women. He became more brazen with each attack.

Ligons, a grandmother and daycare worker in her 50's, was pulled over while driving home from a night with friends. She said she knew she had done nothing wrong when Holtzclaw assaulted her. 'He did things to me that I didn't think a police officer would do,' 'I was out there alone and helpless, didn't know what to do. 'All I could think of was he was going to shoot me, he was going to kill me. 'I kept pleading, 'Don't make me do this, sir. Are you going to shoot me?'' 'I was so afraid, so helpless.'

Ligons was different from other victims in that she did not have any outstanding warrants or convictions against her. It is her complaint that triggered the investigation leading to charges against the serial rapist cop who victimized 13 women as an Oklahoma City Police officer. He picked the wrong lady to stop that night, 'I wanted to make sure this wouldn't happen again, no way, no how.' Ligons will sue the city for civil damages.

Victim Shardarion Hill said she went into survival mode with Holtzclaw and was forced into doing 'what the man with the badge and gun wanted'.

One woman testified in orange scrubs and handcuffs, because she had been jailed on drug charges hours before appearing in court, but the jury still convicted Holtzclaw of forcible oral sodomy in her case. That woman said he followed her into her bedroom and raped her, telling her, 'This is better than county jail.'

The youngest victim, a 17-year-old girl, was the last to testify. She said Holtzclaw picked her up as she walked home one night in June 2014, and then walked her to the porch, where he told her he had to search her. She said he grabbed her breasts, then pulled down her pink shorts and raped her. Her DNA was found on his uniform trousers. The jury convicted Holtzclaw of first-degree rape, second-degree rape and sexual battery in the girl's case.

The case was heard by an all-white jury. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said he had sought a 'good cross-section of our community,' but defense attorneys had eliminated every potential black juror.

During trial the defense attacked the credibility of the women who testified against Holtzclaw, saying they were dishonest. He sought to use the criminal backgrounds of some of the victims to cast doubt on their testimony. He questioned several women at length about whether they were high at the time, and noted that most didn't come forward until investigators identified them

The strategy failed. Poetically, on his 29th birthday, Holtzclaw was found guilty of 18 of the 36 charges against him and faces 263 years behind bars. Defense attorney declined to comment...