THE TULIA 12

They were roused from bed and paraded in their pajamas before the
television cameras - 46 in all, mostly black suspects, who were made to
look as though they were what was wrong in a tiny, mostly-white Texas
Panhandle community.

Twelve of those arrested were freed Monday, ending another chapter in a
story of a rogue cop, a drug sting and a racist criminal justice system.
The Tulia 12, as they're called, after the town that did them wrong, will
never get back the four years they lost, but their fight should speak to
the fundamental values of civil rights and of holding the government
accountable.

Most were easy targets who struggled through life. Thirty-eight were
convicted on the word of Thomas Coleman, a white former undercover agent,
who said he bought drugs from the defendants.

Coleman's story cracked after federal and state investigators, and
out-of-town attorneys who came to champion the case, exposed
inconsistencies and Coleman's suspect methods. The agent worked alone, he
kept few notes and authorities failed to seize drugs, weapons or much cash,
which is highly unusual for narcotics cases. Ron Chapman, a retired state
judge brought in to handle the case, urged the Texas Court of Criminal
Appeals in April to grant new trials, calling Coleman "simply not a
credible witness under oath."

Two weeks ago, Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill allowing the prisoners to be
freed pending the appellate review. Chapman implored the Tulia 12, in
releasing them Monday, to make good on their lives as repayment to the many
who fought for their freedom.

The Tulia 12 is a Hollywood story with a Hollywood name that might or might
not have a Hollywood ending. The central question is whether all this pain
was caused by one cop or a larger system that supported him. Everyone
involved in this ugly episode will have to live with the answer.