On January 24 of this year (my birthday) a white neighbor in Mississippi called Rankin County deputy Brett McAlpin and complained that two Black men were staying with a white woman inside a home in the town of Braxton (obviously not a crime). Eddie Terrell Parker and Michael Corey Jenkins were minding their own business, but apparently in Mississippi that’s enough to warrant torture and humiliation.
McAlpin, the pig, tipped off deputy Christian Dedmon, who texted a group of white deputies who legitimately called themselves “The Goon Squad,” a nickname they adopted because of their willingness and desire to use excessive force. Federal court records detail how this squad of goons burst into a home without a warrant, handcuffed Jenkins and Parker, assaulted them and beat Parker with wood and a metal sword. They poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces and then forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess.
As if torturing and humiliating these men wasn’t enough, one of the officers shoved a gun in Jenkins’ mouth and pulled the trigger, breaking his jaw and mutilating his tongue in the process. As Jenkins lay bleeding, the pigs didn’t bother rendering medical assistance. They recognized the mission had gone too far and devised a hasty cover-up scheme that included a fictitious narcotics bust, a planted gun and drugs, stolen surveillance footage and threats. They also made a promise to kill any of the officers who told the truth about what happened.
More than six months after this racist attack, the six former officers pleaded guilty yesterday. Their charges included conspiracy against rights, obstructions of justice, deprivation of rights under color of law, discharge of a firearm under a crime of violence, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. An investigation by The Associated Press also linked some of these deputies to at least four other violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two dead and another with lasting injuries. There is no reforming this kind of system, our idea of “law enforcement” simply needs to shift.
(The officers include Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department and Joshua Hartfield, a Richland police officer. May their punishments be fitting and painful.)
Side Items
Baby Billy’s Bible Bonkers: Gentlemen’s Quarterly (tips fedora) recently featured this interview with Walton Goggins, one of the most uniquely hilarious actors of our time. Goggins is best known for his roles in shows like “Justified” and “The Righteous Gemstones”, and his insight into playing satirical figures is eye-opening. Although he often plays the villain with a heart of gold, Goggins seems like a pretty alright guy in real life
Love is Blind (and sometimes exploitative): This video delves into the unknown abusive working conditions of many reality TV participants. With actors and writers on strike in Hollywood, reality TV stars are the next group to challenge the industry’s toxic status quo. Cast members from the popular Netflix show Love is Blind share how they were psychologically manipulated, funneled alcohol & paid just $7.14/hr as a result of being considered contract laborers instead of employees. Now they’re suing Netflix and fighting to change the industry
FrankenFeinstein: I promise I’m not in the habit of making fun of old people, ordinarily I’ve got the utmost respect for my elders. But news reports indicate that California senator Diane Feinstein’s daughter has secured power of attorney over her own mother. This is a sitting senator that’s evidently not capable of making decisions for herself but remains tasked with making decisions for the entire country? The empire is indeed in rapid decline, somebody get this country a LifeAlert