PROTESTERS CHALLENGE DRUG WAR IN TULIA RALLY

Two Years After Sting Operation Sent 43 To Jail, Activists Say U.S. Drug
Policy Must Change

TULIA, Texas -- The nation's drug-policy debate was acted out on the
streets of this Panhandle town Sunday when protesters held a rally to mark
the two-year anniversary of a drug sting that sent 15 percent of Tulia's
black population to jail.

About 225 people gathered in a local park for the Never Again! Rally
against what they claim is a failed drug war waged on the nation's poor
minorities. They say the Tulia drug sting is emblematic of the nation's
inept drug policy.

On July 23, 1999, an 18-month sting operation launched by the Swisher
County Sheriff's Department culminated in the arrests of 43 men and women
40 of them African American on drug charges. The individuals were convicted
on evidence and testimony provided by Sheriff's Deputy Tom Coleman, who
conducted the investigation alone and did not use surveillance equipment.
About 250 of Tulia's 5,000 residents are African American.

The Friends of Justice, a group made up of Tulia citizens who oppose the
arrests, were joined by two busloads of people who traveled from Austin
Saturday for the "Tulia Freedom Ride." Also at the rally were
representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Amarillo
chapter of the NAACP, which have been watching Tulia closely since the bust.

"When the war comes to our community, we must stand and fight back," said
Will Harrell, director of the Texas ACLU. "Tulia has become a symbol of
what's wrong with our drug policy. It's got to be a collective effort, and
every one of us counts."

Tulia resident Billy Wafer, who was arrested and charged based on Coleman's
testimony, was released after he was able to prove that he was at work
during the incident Coleman described.

Because his case raises serious doubts about Coleman's credibility, Wafer
said he hopes a civil suit he has filed against Coleman, Swisher County and
Sheriff Larry Stewart will help the other defendants.

"I'm hoping it means that since we proved them wrong in my case and that he
lied on the stand, that it will open up the other cases for review," Wafer
said.

Eleven of those arrested in Tulia were found guilty, and another 17 have
accepted plea agreements.

Civil rights groups say the drug sting led to convictions based on
unsubstantiated evidence, including the uncorroborated testimony of the
lone undercover agent whose questionable past was barred from discussion
during the trials. They say no drugs, money or weapons were seized in the
roundup, and there is no information to back up the undercover agent's word
that he bought drugs from the accused.

Wafer added that when he married a woman from Tulia, it looked like a good
place to settle down.

"I really thought Tulia was promising. We didn't see the racism that's
going on now," he said. "It looked like a place that really would help you.
But they showed me."

Kathy Curry, also a Tulia resident and a member of The Friends of Justice,
said the controversy surrounding the arrests divides her family and affects
her relationships in the community.

"They call us outside agitators," Curry said. "This is my hometown I left
as a child and returned as an adult. All of my relatives are here. Not
here, [at the rally], but here in the community."

Curry added that there were relatively few of Tulia's white residents at
the rally.

Mayor Boyd W. Vaughn, who did not attend the rally, said he is tired of
reading and hearing derogatory news reports about his town.

"Newspapers, television, national media, have never given us a fair shake,"
Vaughn said. "They're trying to make news and they've made news out of
Tulia, and there's not that much news here."

District Attorney Terry McEachern, who prosecuted the cases in Tulia said
he believes most of Tulia's residents support the actions of local law
enforcement.

"I think if you were to poll the people in Tulia, at least 98 percent
support law enforcement and how the Tulia operation was handled and are
well satisfied with their sheriff and satisfied with their law
enforcement," McEachern said.

McEachern added that there is still a drug problem in Tulia.

"I think [the drug problem] will continue to be an issue in all towns in
the United States as long as crack is around, and cocaine is around, and
illegal substances are around," he said. "In my opinion, they will be
around for a long time, but it doesn't mean you give up."

The ACLU has filed a complaint of racial bias against Swisher County
officials, and the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating. The group
also filed an ethics complaint against McEachern with the Texas State Bar
Association.

Darlene Grant, associate professor of social work at the University, said
she was on the Freedom Ride from Austin because the story of Tulia is about
the issues that surround substance abuse, a subject she is conducting much
of her research in.

She said there are usually outside factors that contribute to an
individual's substance abuse that can't be solved by jail terms. Tulia may
need to address the issue of poverty among the drug users there, she said.

"Nothing else has changed. They haven't figured out a way to create more
jobs. They haven't figured out a way to get the children therapy for the
upheaval that has been caused in their lives," she said.

Brian Parrett, an applied learning and development senior, said he was on
the bus because the rally in Tulia is a pivotal point in the drug war.

"This incident right here is going to be a turning point in the fight
against the drug war because it is such an injustice that it's going to
wake people up to the fact that the drug war isn't solving the drug problem
it's breaking families apart," Parrett said.

The Freedom Ride also stopped at the J.B. Wheeler Unit Substance Abuse
Felony Punishment Facility in Plainview for a brief protest to show
solidarity with the prisoners, organizers said.