CLAIMS OF RACIAL BIAS WILL BE VOICED

The self-styled Friends of Justice will bring two busloads of people from
Austin to demonstrate against law enforcement in Swisher County.

The buses will arrive from Austin on Sunday and the demonstration will
begin at 6 p.m., lasting into the early morning hours Monday.

The group has joined with organizations working to legalize drugs, and
attempting to stop enforcement of drug control laws. They say the laws are
discriminatory against blacks.

A civil suit has been filed against Swisher County law enforcement officers
and others in relation to the July, 1999, arrest on drug charges of 43
people, of whom 40 were black. The suit is pending in federal district
court in Amarillo. Deadline for parties to be ready for trial is February,
but a trial date has not been set.

Law enforcement officers could not comment because of the pending suit.

District Attorney Terry McEachern was responsible for the prosecution of
the cases resulting from the mass arrest in July, 1999.

McEachern, who is not named in the suit, said, "I do not believe these
arrests were racially motivated in any manner or by any means."