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☆ Torture Accusations Could Lead to Civil Rights Case in Mississippi
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Brian Howey | Nate Rosenfield | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than two months after deputies were sentenced for torturing two Black men in central Mississippi, federal prosecutors have widened their investigation and may sue the Rankin County sheriff’s department for civil rights violations, a serious escalation that could lead to federal monitoring. Todd Gee, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, talked about the possibility at a meeting last month, where he urged local residents who attended to come forward if they had experienced violence or discrimination at the hands of deputies. More than 50 people, including defense attorneys and civil rights advocates, packed into a library outside Jackson, Miss. Some shared stories of being harassed or falsely accused of crimes by deputies, according to several people who attended the meeting, which was closed to the press. “Information from people like you can make a difference,” Mr. Gee told the crowd, according to video of the meeting obtained by reporters.

Persons: Todd Gee, Mr, Gee Organizations: Southern, Southern District of Locations: Mississippi, Rankin County, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of Mississippi, Jackson, Miss

Between vacation photos and cookout invitations posted on their private text thread, a group of Mississippi sheriff’s deputies who called themselves the Goon Squad traded pictures of rotting corpses and joked about rape and shocking people with Tasers. An encrypted WhatsApp group chat obtained by The New York Times and Mississippi Today provides a yearslong record of the day-to-day conversations of a patrol unit involved in terrorizing residents across a central Mississippi county for a generation. The Goon Squad came to national attention last year after Rankin County sheriff’s deputies tortured two Black men in their home and shot one of them in the face, nearly killing him. Six officers, including three from the Goon Squad shift, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison in March. An investigation by The Times and Mississippi Today last fall revealed that nearly two dozen residents experienced similar brutality when Rankin deputies burst into their homes looking for illegal drugs.

Persons: Rankin Organizations: Goon Squad, The New York Times, Mississippi Today, The Times, Mississippi Locations: Mississippi, Rankin

Today "is a day we've long awaited," attorney Malik Shabazz said after six White former Mississippi officers were sentenced in state court for torturing and abusing his clients Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins. The court has "given out justice," Shabazz said. In departing from the initial recommendations of "low" prison sentences for the squad, the judge "set a new standard here in Rankin County, that police brutality will not be tolerated in Rankin County," Shabazz said. Jenkins also reacted to the sentencing, telling reporters that it's been "a long time coming."

Persons: Malik Shabazz, Eddie Parker, Michael Jenkins, Shabazz, Jenkins, it's Locations: Mississippi, Rankin County

☆ 6 ex-officers who pleaded guilty in ‘Goon Squad’ torture of 2 Black men sentenced in state court
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Emma Tucker | Holly Yan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

– Middleton was sentenced in state court to 20 years in prison, which will run concurrently with his federal sentence of 17.5 years. – Opdyke was sentenced in state court to 20 years in prison, to run concurrently with his federal sentence of 17.5 years. – Hartfield was sentenced in state court to 15 years in prison, to run concurrently with his federal sentence of 10 years. – Dedmon was sentenced in state court to 25 years in prison, to run concurrently with his federal sentence of 40 years. – McAlpin was sentenced in state court to 20 years in prison, to run concurrently with his federal sentence of just over 27 years.

Persons: Michael Jenkins, Eddie Parker, – Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Daniel Opdyke, Jeffrey Middleton –, Joshua Hartfield, Jenkins, Malik Shabazz, “, Eddie, Hunter Elward, ” Jenkins, ” Eddie Terrell Parker, Michael Corey Jenkins, Rogelio V . Solis, Dedmon, Elward, – Elward, – Middleton, – Opdyke, – Hartfield, – Dedmon, – McAlpin, Brandon –, Parker, Opdyke –, Lynn Fitch, Middleton, ” picturing, Angela English, ”, Sheriff Bryan Bailey, Jason Dare, Bailey, jailers, Fitch, Eddie Terrell Parker, ” Fitch, CNN’s Devon Sayers, Ryan Young Organizations: Mississippi CNN —, Richland Police Department, NAACP, Confederate, Justice, Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, Department of Justice, Sheriff’s Department, CNN, Civil Rights Unit Locations: Brandon, Mississippi, Rankin, Rankin County, Braxton, McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke, Jackson

— Gretchen Hankins came to the Hinds County pauper’s field Friday morning for her son’s body, and for answers. She said a staff member at the Hinds County coroner’s office had told her she could attend the exhumation. “I don’t know about missing persons,” said Grisham-Stewart, who has held the elected office of Hinds County coroner since 1999. “But it wasn’t that hard,” Gretchen Hankins told Grisham-Stewart. In December, NBC News published the names of 215 people buried in the Hinds County pauper’s cemetery since 2016 to give families an opportunity to find loved ones.

Persons: America’s, RAYMOND, — Gretchen Hankins, Hankins, Jonathan David Hankins, Gretchen Hankins, Sharon Grisham, Stewart, Hankins ’, Grisham, ”, “, ” Hankins, you’re, ” Bailey Martin, Martin, Brooke, Jonathan Hankins, she’d, ” Grisham, Hinds, “ It’s, can’t, “ we’re, Ashleigh Coleman, NBC News Grisham, it’s, Othor Cain, ” Cain, Cain, NBC News Hankins, Jonathan’s Organizations: NBC News, sheriff’s, Sheriff’s Department, NBC, Clarion, Ledger, Jackson Police Department, Mississippi State Medical, Department of Justice, Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, of Locations: Hinds County, Hinds, it’s, Jackson, Rankin County, Mississippi, pauper’s

☆ The family of a Mississippi high school football player who died after being forced to practice in 103-degree heat is now suing the school district
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe parents of a Mississippi high school football player are suing his school district after he died when coaches made him sprint in extreme heat conditions. AdvertisementAthletes under 30 can also be at risk of cardiac arrest during intense competition. Also in August, a top high school basketball player died in Pinson, Alabama, after going into cardiac arrest during a school workout. And a high school football player in Scottsdale, Arizona was sidelined in September after going into cardiac arrest during a workout . Another USC player, Vince Iwuchukwu, went into sudden cardiac arrest during a practice in July 2022, according to CNN .

Persons: —, Trey Laster, Laster, Ben Crump, vomited, Crump, Michael Strecker, LeBron James's, Bronny James, James, Vince Iwuchukwu, Keyontae Johnson Organizations: Service, Business, Rankin County School District, Rankin County School, British, of Sports Medicine, New Hampshire Public Radio, University of Southern, USC, CNN, NCAA Men's Division, Oklahoma City Thunder, University of Florida Locations: Mississippi, Rankin, Maine, New, Pinson , Alabama, Scottsdale , Arizona, University of Southern California

☆ Judge delays sentencing for Mississippi police 'goon squad' that tortured and sexually assaulted two Black men
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewA federal judge has, for the second time, postponed sentencing for six former Mississippi cops who pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing two Black men. Sentencing had been set to begin on January 16, but a court hearing schedule shows that US District Judge Tom Lee has pushed back sentencing to March 19. In October, he granted motions from some former officers to delay sentencing after their attorneys said they needed more time to evaluate sentencing reports and prepare objections. The men admitted in August to subjecting Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker to numerous acts of racially motivated, violent torture. AdvertisementProsecutors say some of the officers called themselves the "Goon Squad" because of their willingness to use excessive force and cover up attacks.

Persons: —, Tom Lee, Michael Corey Jenkins, Eddie Terrell Parker, Jenkins, Parker, Brett McAlpin, Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, Joshua Hartfield Organizations: Service, Mississippi, Business, Rankin County, Associated Press, Prosecutors Locations: Rankin, Richland

☆ A group of Mississippi cops terrorized residents for more than two decades almost entirely unchecked
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Business Insider previously sued the sheriff's department for records related to police brutality. AdvertisementA number of deputies within the Rankin County Sheriff's Department in Mississippi got away with abusing people for years, almost entirely unchecked. Loveday told The Times. A spokesperson for the Rankin County Sheriff's Department did not return a request for comment from Business Insider. Lee told Business Insider that she didn't understand the jury's decision because the evidence of the beating was "in his face."

Persons: —, Michael Jenkins, Eddie Terrell Parker, Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Paloma Wu, Brett McAlpin, Rick Loveday, Rankin, McAlpin, Loveday, Sheriff Bryan Bailey, Elward, Damien Cameron, Monica Lee, Cameron's, Lee, Monica Lee Elward, Pierre Woods, Vanessa Barrett, Dris Mitchell, Woods, Bailey, Dedmon, Woods's Organizations: Mississippi, The New York Times, Business, Service, Sheriff's Department, Rankin, sheriff's Department, Mississippi Bureau, Investigation, Mississippi Today, The Times, Hinds County sheriff's, Times Locations: Rankin, Mississippi, Hinds

Ms. Dettore and Mr. Grozier were each fined several hundred dollars, and she has since left Rankin County. After Mr. McAlpin arrested Mr. Loveday and accused him of consorting with drug dealers, he ordered him to leave town. Before he left Mississippi, Mr. Loveday said, he called Sheriff Bailey personally to warn him about his deputies’ behavior. He called Mr. Loveday a dirty cop and accused him of secretly recording the call. Then, Mr. Loveday said, “He hung up on me.”Jerry Mitchell , Ilyssa Daly , Eric Sagara and Irene Casado Sanchez contributed reporting.

Persons: Robert Grozier, Christian Dedmon, Dettore, Grozier, Hobson, Loveday, McAlpin, ”, Sheriff Bailey, Bailey, “, ” Jerry Mitchell, Ilyssa Daly, Eric Sagara, Irene Casado Sanchez, Kitty Bennett Organizations: Big Local, Stanford University, Pulitzer Center Locations: Rankin County, Mississippi

☆ Mississippi Sheriff Whose Deputies Tortured Black People Is Reelected
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey won reelection after running unopposed. Bailey refused to resign after five Rankin sheriff's deputies were convicted of torturing Black men. Those deputies called themselves the "Goon Squad" for their willingness to use excessive force. Rankin County, home to several Jackson suburbs, is the largest county in Mississippi, with a population of almost 160,000, according to the US Census. Five were deputies for the Rankin County Sheriff's Office, and one was an officer for the Richland Police Department.

Persons: Sheriff Bryan Bailey, Bailey, Rankin, —, — Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Daniel Opdyke, Joshua Hartfield —, Michael Corey Jenkins, Eddie Terrell Parker, Elward, Jenkins, Angela English, Bailey's Undersheriff Paul Holley, Jason Dare, Tate Reeves Organizations: NAACP, Service, Sheriff's Office, Richland Police Department, The New York Times, Mississippi Today Locations: Rankin, Mississippi, Rankin County, Jackson, Braxton , Mississippi

(AP) — The U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation Wednesday into alleged civil rights violations by police in a majority Black Mississippi city, stepping in following accusations that officers used excessive force and arrested people without justification. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who leads the Justice Department's civil rights division, announced the investigation at a news conference. The area also has a storied place in civil rights history. It also follows the June arrest of Jill Collen Jefferson, the president of JULIAN, the civil rights organization that filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of residents. If the Justice Department concludes that police officers committed the alleged civil rights violations, it could bring a lawsuit seeking court-ordered changes to the department.

Persons: JACKSON, Kristen Clarke, Clarke, ” Clarke, Robert Clark, Todd Gee, Jill Collen Jefferson, JULIAN, Sam Dobbins, Dobbins, Jefferson, ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: U.S . Justice Department, “, Mississippi Legislature, Southern, Southern District of, Lexington Police Department, Lexington Police, Lexington, Department, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Miss, Black Mississippi, Lexington, Jackson, Holmes County, Mississippi, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of Mississippi, Rankin County , Mississippi, @mikergoldberg

(AP) — A federal judge has postponed sentencing for six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to a long list of federal charges for torturing two Black men in January. Lee has not yet rescheduled the sentencing hearing, but some of the former officers requested it be delayed until Dec. 15. The men admitted in August to subjecting Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker to numerous acts of racially motivated, violent torture. Political Cartoons View All 1227 ImagesThe officers taunted the men with racial slurs and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces. “Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker are urging that the sentencing for the ‘Goon Squad’ members ... take place as quickly as possible," Shabazz said.

Persons: JACKSON, Tom Lee, Lee, Michael Corey Jenkins, Eddie Terrell Parker, Jenkins, Parker, Brett McAlpin, Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, Joshua Hartfield, Malik Shabazz, “ Michael Jenkins, Eddie Parker, Shabazz, Michael Jenkins, ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: —, District, Rankin County, Associated Press, ” Prosecutors, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: MISS, Mississippi, U.S, Braxton, Rankin, Richland, @mikergoldberg

(AP) — The Mississippi sheriff who leads the department where former deputies pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for the torture of two Black men has asked a federal court to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him. Court records show that attorney Jase Dare asked to dismiss the lawsuit on Oct. 6, just one day after a settlement conference was filed with the court. A settlement conference is scheduled when the parties in a lawsuit try to settle a case before trial. One of those men was Pierre Woods, who was shot and killed by Rankin County deputies in 2019. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Persons: JACKSON, Michael Corey Jenkins, Eddie Terrell Parker, Bryan Bailey's, Jenkins, Parker's, Bailey, “, Jase Dare, Malik Shabazz, Trent Walker, ’, Bryan Bailey’s, Walker, Parker, Hunter Elward, Pierre Woods, Rankin, Woods, Brett McAlpin, Dare, McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, Joshua Hartfield, ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: Prosecutors, Associated Press, U.S, Circuit, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Miss, The Mississippi, Rankin, Elward, Richland, @mikergoldberg

☆ 6 ex-officers, some of whom called themselves 'The Goon Squad,' expected to plead guilty in alleged torture of 2 Black men
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Dakin Andone | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty Monday to all state charges against them stemming from the torture and abuse of two Black men earlier this year. Additionally, Dedmon was charged with home invasion and Elward was charged with home invasion and aggravated assault, the release says. McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke and Hartfield each faced an additional charge of first-degree obstruction of justice. The Richland Police Department announced in July that Hartfield – who was off-duty at the time of the alleged assault – had resigned. An attorney for Opdyke said the former officer “has admitted to his wrongdoing” and will plead guilty to all charges against him in Rankin County Circuit Court on August 14.

Persons: –, Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, Joshua Hartfield, Dedmon, Elward, McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton Jerome DeLoach, Michael Jenkins, Eddie Parker, Jenkins, Brett McAlpin Forrest, Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, Hartfield –, Joshua Hartfield Forrest, Opdyke, “, ”, Parker, Jeffery Reynolds Organizations: CNN, Sheriff’s Office, Richland Police, Mississippi Attorney General’s, Justice Department, Adult Detention, Rankin County, Richland Police Department, AP CNN, Dedmon Locations: Mississippi, Rankin, Middleton, Opdyke, Braxton , Mississippi, Elward, Rankin County

☆ Tasers, taunts, torment: What we know about the hours of horror 2 Black men suffered at the hands of a self-described 'Goon Squad'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Dedmon, Opdyke and Elward broke open the carport door and Hartfield kicked open the back door. Entering the home without a warrant, the officers encountered two Black men: Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins. The abuse continued in a bedroom, where Opdyke, Middleton, Dedmon and McAlpin assaulted Parker with pieces of wood and a metal sword. Dedmon, Middleton, Hartfield and Elward then began to tase the two men repeatedly to see “which (Taser) was the most powerful,” the document said. Attorneys for Middleton, Elward and Hartfield declined to comment on the case.

Persons: Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, Brett McAlpin, White, Dedmon, ” Dedmon, Joshua Hartfield, McAlpin, Jerome DeLoach, Elward, Hartfield, Eddie Parker, Michael Jenkins, Parker, Jenkins, —, Mary Helen Wall, Kristen Clarke, tased, Brett McAlpin Forrest, Jenkins –, Opdyke, defecated, Jeffrey Middleton Jerome DeLoach, Elward’s Taser, Middleton, Daniel Opdyke Jerome DeLoach, Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, CNN Parker, Sheriff Bailey, Joshua Hartfield orrest, “, ”, Jeffery Reynolds, Bailey, CNN’s Ryan Young, ” Parker, “ You’re, ” Jenkins, he’s, I’m Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Adult Detention, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Department of Public, Rankin, Detention, Mississippi Attorney General’s, Dedmon Locations: Rankin County , Mississippi, Braxton, Jackson, Mississippi, Rankin County, Black, Opdyke, Middleton, Dedmon, Hartfield, McAlpin, Elward

Federal prosecutors said the six officers sexually and physically assaulted two handcuffed Black men for more than two hours during a Jan. 24 raid on a Braxton, Mississippi, home for which they had no warrant. The officers carried out mock executions on one of the men and shot him in the face, critically injuring the man. The officers pleaded guilty to 16 felonies including civil rights conspiracy, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence and conspiracy to obstruct justice, among others. As part of their federal pleas, the men are also scheduled to plea guilty to state charges on Aug. 14, federal prosecutors said. The two Black men, Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker, filed a $400 million federal civil rights lawsuit against Rankin County in June over the case.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Lisa O, Kenneth, Read, Black, Tasers, General Merrick B, Garland, egregiously, Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, Joshua Hartfield, Michael Corey Jenkins, Eddie Terrell Parker, Brad Brooks, Donna Bryson, Chris Reese Organizations: Monaco, Department's, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: Mississippi, Braxton , Mississippi, Rankin County, Richland , Mississippi, Lubbock , Texas

☆ Somehow 32 school districts in Mississippi are still under federal orders to desegregate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Michael Goldberg | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But 69 years later, 32 school districts in Mississippi are still under federal desegregation orders. (AP) — There are 32 school districts in Mississippi still under federal desegregation orders, the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division's assistant attorney general said Thursday. "In our ongoing efforts to fulfill the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education, we currently have 32 open cases with school districts here in Mississippi," Clarke said. In addition to school districts, Clarke said at least five Mississippi jails and prisons have come under federal scrutiny. Clarke declined to offer more details about the case, citing an ongoing federal civil rights investigation.

Persons: Brown, —, Kristen Clarke, Clarke, Rogelio V, Solis Mississippi, Michael Corey Jenkins, Jill Collen Jefferson, JULIAN, Bonita Streeter, Mitzi Dease Paige, Solis, Jefferson Organizations: Service, US Department of Justice's, US Department of Justice's Civil Rights, Justice Department, of Education, Holmes, Community, Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, AP, The Justice Department, Mississippi Delta, Penitentiary, South Mississippi Correctional Institution, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, Correctional, Sheriff's Deputies, Southern, Southern District of, Solis An Associated Press, Lexington Police Department, The, Department, FBI Locations: Mississippi, LEXINGTON, Miss, Lexington, Jackson, Parchman, Wilkinson, Hinds, Rankin, Southern District, Southern District of Mississippi, Solis An

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