MAKING MOUNTAIN OUT OF AN E-MAIL

Ink May Be Strong Stuff, But It Has Limits.

Exposing a problem or an injustice in the newspaper is a long way from
solving it or making it right. Exposure is merely one step in what can be a
long ordeal. You can't climb a mountain without taking the first step, but
you may discover it is the easiest step of the entire project. One fellow
wants me to expose Harris County Family Courts: "The amount of cronyism in
these courts between judges and practicing attorneys is appalling," he said
in an e-mail message.

Another fellow believes that complete and accurate minutes of meetings are
important in the board operations of any legitimate organization. He wants
me to expose how the president of his homeowners association, with a lawyer
at his side, said that "bare-bone minutes" are more effective in combatting
lawsuits.

Change requires time, climb Those two requests were gleaned from just one
afternoon's e-mail crop. And, while I am interested in hearing more of what
both men have to say about their suggested topics, simply exposing cronyism
in the courts, or conniving in HOA board meetings, won't be nearly enough
to change either practice.

Someone has to be willing to climb the mountain. Willing to study the rough
steepness of it in great detail and map out the best route. Willing to pack
the necessary supplies and equipment. Willing to invest the time and
energy, face the hazards, weather the storms.

I met a mountain climber a few days ago. His name is Alan Bean. He traveled
the considerable distance from his home in Tulia, up in the Panhandle, to
attend a meeting in Winnie.

It wasn't a big meeting, just a few folks gathering to discuss over dinner
what might be done about some controversial drug task force operations and
criminal-justice practices in Chambers County.

Tulia, you may recall, became the nation's leading example of controversial
drug task force operations in the wake of a drug sting on July 23, 1999.
Some serious flaws in the 18-month investigation were exposed:

The undercover officer picked for the job had limited experience and a
checkered past. In fact, while he was working the Tulia sting criminal
charges were filed against him in another county where he previously worked
for a brief time. Either he was hired without a thorough check into his
background or task force officials chose to hire him despite his background.

No audio or video surveillance supported the offenses he logged in Tulia,
and defense attorneys alleged that he faked some evidence and lied on the
witness stand. Of the 43 people charged, 40 were black, and one lawyer
pointed out that at the time of the arrests the cops found no drugs and
none of the defendants had enough money to hire an attorney.

Some defendants, including some first-time offenders who could have been
eligible for parole, were handed extremely harsh sentences -- 20 years, 30
years, 99 years ...

The FBI is doing one of its long, drawn-out investigations of Tulia and
civil rights organizations have filed lawsuits.

Tackling Tulia sting full time There was considerable national media
exposure of all the problems and questions and errors of the Tulia sting,
including stories in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the
20/20 TV show.

And yet all the exposure did not convince authorities to unsting all the
people who got stung. Many remain in prison. Many other people continue
getting similar treatment by other drug task forces and the
criminal-justice system.

That undercover cop at the center of the Tulia controversy went on to work
for similar operations elsewhere, including a stint with the Chambers
County Narcotics Task Force.

So Alan Bean, who is a former minister, and some other concerned Tulia
folks organized the Friends of Justice and now are trying to change things.
He devotes full time to it. He studies other task force operations and
confers with other concerned citizens and groups across the state. He talks
to politicians and organizes rallies.

"The Friends of Justice now realize that freeing the victims of the Tulia
sting will not be enough. America has moved from the War on Poverty to a
War on the Poor (especially poor people of color)," Bean wrote in a recent
e-mail.

That's quite a mountain.