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Clinton police deny any wrongdoing in harassment of Equality Riders

In an article from today’s Clarion Ledger (Jackson, Mississippi), the City of Clinton Police Department has denied any wrong-doing in the harassment of the Equality Riders.

I’ve posted much on the subject: On Thursday, March 22, 2007, as we were trying to gather all of our Riders, a police officer with the Clinton Police Department pulled our bus over three times in what was only a five to ten minute time period, threatened to arrest our driver, and told us to get out of town. See previous posts on the issue, one with video & the letter to the Mississippi Attorney General and the other with the letter from the major, national LGBT advocacy groups.

We really can’t talk about this situation here in Clinton without first stopping to remember that it was the City of Clinton Police Department which first attempted to deny our Constitutionally-protected rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, while admitting openly that what they were doing was in direct opposition to the Constitution! Can we really trust what the Clinton Police say or do? Can we believe them? If they would go as far as to attempt to limit Constitutional rights and admit that openly, what makes anyone think that they wouldn’t do anything, say anything to get the spotlight of them when the fact of their harassment becomes known to more than just us poor little gay folks on the big gay bus?

From the article:

Clinton police Lt. Randy Ruffin said the department did nothing wrong and “bent over backward trying to accommodate” the Soulforce Equality Ride on Thursday.

Soulforce, a group visiting Christian colleges throughout the nation to protest inequality, faxed a letter to state Attorney General Jim Hood’s office Friday, claiming police officers made the group move three times in 10 minutes as it waited for the riders to meet at the bus.

The group also alleges one officer instructed the protesters to “get out of town” and said the driver would be arrested if they did not leave, according to the letter.

The national coalition has sent a letter to Clinton Mayor Rosemary Aultman and made calls her office, Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman said.

“Something like this can cause long-lasting damage to a city’s image,” Foreman said. “The behavior of their police brings up the worst stereotypes of the South.”

Ruffin denied the allegations made by Soulforce and said the group was told to move once because the bus was blocking traffic.

“The making of untrue and baseless claims of law enforcement maltreatment is a tactic used by Soulforce in an attempt to garner sympathetic support from anyone who will listen,” Ruffin said.

Ten members of Soulforce have said they would sign affidavits that the intimidation occurred.

Kyle DeVries, a Soulforce participant from Tallahassee, Fla., said the organization wants an apology from the Police Department.

So, if we are to believe the Clinton Police Department (you know, the folks who would openly and without regret take away American citizens’ Constitutionally-protected rights), then one would have to believe that we are lying. Why would we lie? What purpose would it serve? If we are willing to sign legal affidavits to our statements and we are lying, wouldn’t that cause us more harm? The allegation that we are lying doesn’t make any sense and is a poor and easy way out of the problem the Clinton Police Department has gotten themselves into.

From what I have heard from our two Riders who organized our activities in Clinton, Lt. Randy Ruffin is a good guy and has done many great things for us while in Clinton. I fully believe that, as of right now, Lt. Ruffin is only doing his job. The whole of the Clinton Police Department is not guilty of the harassment we received, but only the officers who harassed us. Lt. Ruffin and the rest of the Department, however, should have the integrity to stand up and say, “Okay… Some of our officers did this. We do not approve of the harassment you received and we will treat your complaint like any other; we will start an investigation into the claims. If the investigation turns up that you did, in fact, receive this harassment, then we will take the necessary steps to ensure that those officers guilty of such harassment our held to the standards and ideals of our Police Department and the standards and ideals set for law enforcement in this nation.”

Soulforce is lying. Yeah right. As a group that goes around trying to dispel the un-truths and mis-information taught by the church, why in the world would we lie… why would we do what we are asking others not to? Why would we want to sign legal affidavits to something if it weren’t true? Why would we stand on lies and falsities and put ourselves in grave legal trouble, if none of this were true? Doesn’t make any sense does it?

Lt. Randy Ruffin knows what he needs to do. Make an apology for the harassment we received in your town. Tell your Police Department that this type of behavior is not tolerated. Take those officers who were responsible and see to it that they understand that this type of behavior is not tolerated. Hold your Police Department and officers up to higher standards and ideals.

Lt. Ruffin, don’t let your wonderful, beautiful City of Clinton (I really mean that, it is a wonderfully charming town) fall into the stereotypes of “those ignorant, racist, sexist, bigoted small town Southerners.” I’m from the South… I’ve heard what people say about us and it isn’t true of all of us. Don’t hold up the stereotype. Be brave and reach for something better.

Technorati Tags: Soulforce, Equality Ride, Clinton, Mississippi, Mississippi College, Lt. Randy Ruffin, Clarion Ledger, Jackson