Following the guilty plea from Mississippi Police Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Daniel Opdyke, and Joshua Hartfield to 16 different felonies, victims Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker spoke with Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman about their experiences.
The traumatic event took place on January 24th where deputies raided a home after a white neighbor of one of the officers called in to complain about the Black men staying there. That night, the officers burst into the home, handcuffed, beat, tasered, sexually abused Jenkins and Parker. Not only were they also waterboarded but one of the officers shot Jenkins in the mouth after a “mock execution.”
“I feel great that we’re finally getting justice, after months. You know, at first, they didn’t even believe us,” said Jenkins “For a while, l didn’t think they were going to even get a slap on the wrist or anything. But I feel great about it.”
Civil rights attorney Malik Shabazz said that blame is to be placed on Rankin County Sheriff who has had a history of overseeing police like the Goon Squad and covering up their actions.
“We demand that Bryan Bailey step down now,” said Shabazz. “He’s a part of a pattern, a practice and a culture and a custom of terrorism by his department. We have Blacks, whites, rich, poor. They have been beaten by his officers. He has known this all along.”
This includes the death of Damien Cameron by the hands of The Goon Squad. Hunter Elward alongside other officer Luke Stickman placed their knees on Cameron’s back causing trauma to his neck and causing hemorrhages in both of his eyes. According to the autopsy, his death was ruled undetermined.
We will be following this story closely as more details come out.
Link: Democracy Now
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