Hobbs Police Beat Down Another Black Man: Cop with Racist Police Brutality Past is the Arresting Officer

Cop with Racist Police Brutality Past is the Arresting Officer

• Ross Lee Mackey Still Locked Up

On October 4, 2004 Ross Lee Mackey, a Black man, age 26, was arrested and allegedly beaten by Hobbs police officers (New Mexico). Detectives Carter and Rodney Porter went to Mackey's house to question him about his whereabouts during a shooting that had taken place in the neighborhood. After a brief interrogation in front of his mother's house, the police announced that they would be back later that day to arrest him. Specifically Detective Carter asked him where he was when a homicide occurred and whether he knew what happened. Mackey responded that he was in the street when he heard four gun shots fired and that he fell to the ground for safety. At that point in the interrogation, Detective Porter allegedly interrupted Mackey and said "I don't have to listen to this crap. We will be back for your arrest". When the officers returned later that day, they slammed him to the ground head first, kneed him in the back and stepped on his neck. Police held him in this position for at least 30 minutes. According to Mackey and witnesses Mackey did not resist arrest and he had voluntarily submitted himself to the police. When Mackey asked police why they were doing this Detective Porter said "you're a drug dealer." As this police beating was taking place a truckload of men wearing black masks raided his family's house with their weapons drawn.  According to Mackey, the Hobbs police never produced a search warrant and never identified themselves as police. [FULL story]

• Arresting Officer has a History of Police Brutality Claims Against him. One of the arresting officers, Detective Rodney Porter is no stranger to police brutality or racial discrimination claims.
  
• On August 24, 2004 a court awarded Jimmie Marshall, a 58 year old Black man $580,000 for police brutality claims he brought against Porter and the City of Hobbs. 
  
• Before working for the Dobbs police force Porter worked for the Midland (Texas) Police Department. Officer Porter was forced to resign from the Midland police force after an internal investigation uncovered evidence of serious misconduct. Midland documents provide evidence that in more than thirty cases, Officer Porter falsely charged arrestees with possession of narcotics, seriously mishandled narcotics evidence, or both. These criminal cases largely targeted Black and Hispanic suspects. 

Hobbs Police Force Under Court Order for Brutality. A 1999 class action lawsuit found that Blacks were subjected to excessive force, warrantless searches and false charges. As a result the Department is under court order.Hobbs Police Force still Under Court Order for Brutality.

• While blacks make up about 7 percent of Hobbs residents, they represent on average 15 percent of those subjected to field interviews by Hobbs police, more than 16 percent of those arrested, and more than 21 percent of those arrested for resisting, evading or obstructing an officer.
  
• In addition, Hispanics and blacks make up over 77 percent of those arrested for resisting, evading or obstructing an officer a charge the ACLU says is highly discretionary and often grows out of an overreaction to a citizen's lawful verbal challenge to an officer's authority. [more]
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