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CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM THE DESK OF DEBRA BLAR ABRON

The “W” in Christmas

Last year, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I cut back on nonessential obligations–extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he’d been memorizing songs for his school’s “Winter Pageant.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there’d be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor.

Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as “Christmas”, I didn’t expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment—songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son’s class rose to sing, “Christmas Love,” I was slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row–center stage–held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing “C is for Christmas,” a child would hold up the letter C.

Then, “H is for Happy,” and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, “Christmas Love.” The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we all noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter “M” upside down–totally unaware her letter “M” appeared as a “W”. The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one’s mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her “W”. Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there; why we celebrated the holiday in the first place; why, even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: “CHRISTWAS LOVE” And He still is. –author unknown

Does Standing Against Racism Come With A Price In Tyler Texas?

By Brenda Cherry

Tyler Texas resident Daryl Davis is in a curious situation. His case has some community activists wondering what is going on with the Smith County criminal justice system. Is it a case of racial profiling or is it another example of a problematic criminal justice system? Daryl Davis is a college graduate with an Associate of Arts degree. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice. Davis is a community advocate and activist in Tyler. He has participated in multiple rallies and events regarding racial justice. Last November he collected 56 turkeys to donate to needy families for Thanksgiving. For the past four years, he has sponsored a backpack give-a-way for school children. The past three years, he has sponsored a Christmas bicycle give-a-way for underprivileged youth. Davis teaches kids about aviation by taking them to fly drones.

On February 7, 2019, a little after 10:30 pm, Daryl Davis was traveling home from his part time job cleaning medical offices. Prior to that, he had been at Texas College where he was a student with a 3.4 grade point average. It was his final day of class and he had given a presentation for his biology class. Davis explained that as he was traveling home, he noticed a police car following him. He stated that he traveled down Confederate Street and stopped at a stop sign. As he traveled on, he stopped at a second sign on Confederate and Bow and made another stop on Confederate and Gentry Parkway. After he continued on about 15 yards, the officer turned on his lights and pulled Davis over. The officer informed Davis that he was stopping him because he failed to stop at an intersection. Davis said he told the officer he stopped at all stop lights and stop signs. Davis said that he was aware that the officer was following him and certainly would not run through a stop light or stop sign without stopping. He also said that as he was driving, he noticed that the police seemed to be “hot” that night because they were stopping numerous people as if they were trying to make arrests. Davis said this occurred fairly routinely in Black neighborhoods in Tyler.

Davis went on to say that after he had provided his license and insurance as the officer requested, the officer asked if he could search his car. Davis stated that he gave him permission because he had nothing to hide. According to Davis, he got out of the car and walked away from it so the officer could search but turned around so he could watch the officer because he did not trust him. Davis explained that by the time he turned around, other officers were on the scene, which indicated to him that the officer had called for backup before he stopped him. Davis asserted that he suspected that the officer had stopped him to search him rather than due to the claim that he had gone through an

Does Standing Against Racism Come With A Price In Tyler Texas?

By Brenda Cherry (CONTINUED)

intersection. Davis went on to say, “One officer claimed that I was eating crack. He started choking me and telling me to open my mouth. He threatened to pepper spray me. When I opened my mouth, he said my tongue was white. I don’t know what color my tongue was but what I do know is that I didn’t eat any crack and didn’t have any crack.” Davis stated he had eaten a couple of Rolaids for indigestion but he didn’t eat them during the stop.

Numerous things can cause a person’s tongue to be whitish including dry mouth, dehydration, something the person ate, not brushing the teeth and tongue, mouth breathing, smoking, or eating certain foods. Davis said that one of the police cars at the scene had K9 unit on it but they never brought a dog out of the unit.

Daryl Davis was cuffed and arrested with a claim that he had tampered with evidence. A report by Officer J Goodman states that he was assisting VICE/ Narcotics investigators who were doing surveillance of a residence that was known for selling drugs when he heard via police radio that a gold Toyota had stopped at the residence and then left. According to his report, based on that he searched for the vehicle and stopped Davis. Goodman stated he asked Davis for permission to search his car and Davis gave permission. The officer stated that Davis walked away from the car and his hand went up towards his face. Goodman said Officer T. Hutson told him that it looked like Davis put something in his mouth. At least two other officers were at the scene, which indicates that the stop was not a traffic stop but a stop in search of drugs as Davis suspected. In a supplemental report, Officer T Hutson stated that he and K9 officer G Martin were sitting and watching a known drug house. Hutson said numerous prior arrests had been made at the house and he knew crack cocaine was sold there. Hutson wrote in his report that they were told via police radio that a tan Toyota had left the house. No explanation is included in the report as to why if the two were sitting and watching the house, they did not witness Davis at the house themselves. It’s also confusing why they did not make arrests of the occupants of the house who they said they suspected sold drugs to Davis.

According to Officer Hutson, his experience told him that Davis was contemplating fleeing even though Davis never made any attempt to flee. Regarding that claim, Davis insisted that there was no way he would have tried to run because he had not committed any crime and he was not about to be shot in the back by the officers. An officer can’t possibly know what a person is contemplating in their minds.

Both Officer Hutson’s and Officer Goodman’s reports reveal that no crack was found in the car or on Davis’s body. No baggie used for packaging and selling crack was found. No evidence of any drugs was found. Davis was never given a citation for any traffic violations. Davis was never charged with drug possession. Davis said that the officer drove him to the University of Texas hospital in Tyler. According to Davis, the officers informed the nurse that they brought him there because he had eaten drugs. Davis’s hospital report confirms that. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse which is a government site, eating crack cocaine can be fatal, can cause a heart attack or stroke, violent behavior, seizure, or respiratory problems. Davis’s medical report from the incident does not indicate any problem except high blood pressure which Davis had a history of and he was on medication for that. Davis’s medical report states that he was alert and pleasant. It makes no mention of having found drugs in Davis’s system.

It’s not clear why none of the officers searched Davis as soon as he was told to exit the vehicle especially since according to Officer Hutson, officer Goodman had asked and got permission to search him. Since they suspected that he was involved in drugs, there was a good chance that he might be armed with a gun or other weapon and might use it on them. Why didn’t they search him for their own safety? Since they suspected that he had just obtained an unknown amount of narcotics, a body search would be logical to prevent “tampering with evidence.”

Even though the officers said Davis’s tongue was white and they suspected it was coated with crack cocaine, they failed to scrape or swab his tongue and do a field test which are routinely done by police. Or the swab could have been preserved and verified by a lab. to find out if Davis had swallowed drugs. They failed to do a field test or a tongue swab for testing. They failed to seek a urine or blood test at the hospital. Since the officers insisted that Davis had been carrying around crack in in hands, they could have swabbed his hands or tested his Sali-va. Instead, the officers relied on personal opinions and might haves. Officer Hutson wrote in his report, “Due to my training and experiences, I believed the subject had just placed an illegal substance in his mouth in an attempt to destroy any evidence that may be discovered during the course of the current investigation.”

Also disturbing is the fact that in order to bond out of jail after he was arrested, Davis has been required for three years while waiting for his trial, to report to a probation officer weekly, agree to drug testing weekly, and pay $100 monthly probation fees as if he was convicted. It appears that rather than being innocent until proven guilty, it is a case of guilty until proven innocent. If Davis is found not guilty, none of the money he was forced to pay will be returned.

Smith County, like every other county in Texas, has a history of poor relations between Black citizens and police who are majority white. Like other towns, Tyler Police Department releases an annual racial profiling report with a claim that there are no incidents of racial profiling even though the stats and Black citizens say otherwise. In 2017, former University of Texas Longhorn and NFL running back Ricky Williams said he was racially profiled by Tyler police outside a hotel he was staying at for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Ceremony. According to a Houston Chronicle article regarding the incident, Williams said four officers questioned him about why he was at the hotel with a claim that they had gotten a call about a suspicious Black man.

There is a history of white supremacy and a romanticizing of the Confederacy in Southern towns. In Paris Texas, County Judge Brandon Bell launched his campaign for judge with a promise that the Confederate statue on the courthouse grounds would remain. The statue inscription proclaims Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Confederates as “our heroes.” Bell has kept that promise by refusing to even allow a discussion to be placed on the Commissioners agenda. Tyler Texas has a history of refusing to let go of symbols of white supremacy as well. Until 2017, the local high school was named Robert E. Lee. Previously, “Dixie” was their school song. In 2017, enough citizens, both Black and white, were able to appear together and have it changed. But two schools, James S. Hogg Middle School and Hubbard Middle School continue to carry the names of Confederate soldiers. The town still has a street named Robert E Lee Dr. Another is named Jeff Davis Drive and yet another is Jeb Stuart Drive. The cityrun cemetery, Oakwood, features a large Confederate statue and a confederate flag. The street on which Daryl Davis was arrested is named Confederate and runs through a Black neighborhood. Symbols born from white supremacy and slavery are looked proudly upon as honorable and have an influence on mindsets today.

Davis said he feels that his arrest may be in part due to his activism. He, like most activists who speak about race, is seen as a troublemaker because he sometimes holds protests at the courthouse and has complained about profiling and other community problems. This has landed him in the news on several occasions. He was recently in the Houston Chronicle. Davis stated that sometimes he is protesting alone because there are not many people willing to confront race issues including the local chapter of the NAACP. I attempted multiple times to contact the president of the Tyler NAACP Cedric Granberry but received no response to the multiple messages I left.

A U.S. citizen should be innocent until proven guilty as the law claims. A citizen should never be arrested, charged with a felony, and tried based solely on an officer’s opinion. Police reports should not include claims that a suspect was thinking about fleeing unless there is some evidence to verify that. Jurors tend to believe anything that an officer writes in a report even if it’s just speculation. A felony arrest regarding drugs should include actual evidence of drugs. Davis is currently still waiting for trial.

Rest in Power Tony Bee, Radio Personality for Majic 94.5

Veteran radio personality Tony Bee from 94.5 has earned his wings. Tony had blessed so many and he will be missed. Sending prayers to the family. Look in next weeks edition Elite News for more information. Praying for him and his family.

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