Blacks in Robertson County (TX) Systematically "Targeted" in Drug Sting - Residents Bring Lawsuit

A federal judge says a civil rights lawsuit filed by fifteen black Hearne residents against Robertson County and its District Attorney can go forward. The residents claim they are being unfairly targeted for drug busts, even when there's little evidence against them. "I started crying,” says Hearne resident Regina Kelly. “I was confused." She says she still feels like a criminal four years after she was thrown in jail, accused of selling drugs. "I knew I wasn't supposed to be there,” she says, “And I didn't really understand why." In Hearne, Kelly and 27 others were arrested in a drug sting. All but one were black and from the same part of town. Four months later, authorities dropped most of the charges. The drug informant failed a polygraph and now claims he was pressured into fake drug deals. "This has been going on for years,” Regina says. “They have drug busts and they always target the minorities." Now, a federal judge says a lawsuit can move forward, which accuses Robertson County authorities, including DA John Paschall, of targeting poor blacks in drugs raids, often with fabricated evidence.  This isn't just a Robertson County issue. The African-Americans who filed the suit say racially-targeted drug raids happen all over Texas. The Texas town of Tulia received national attention when 46 defendants, mostly black, were arrested based on the word of a questionable informant. All were later cleared. [more]