Sheriff Strain, under fire, gets Coroner to play RACE CARD in his defense

[Keseys Ghost]

You will recall that the Top Cop on New Orleans' North Shore recently said, "Now I don’t get into calling people names and all that fact, but if you’re gonna walk the streets of St. Tammany Parish with dreadlocks and "Chee Wee" hairstyles, then you can expect to be getting a visit from a sheriff’s deputy."
( http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=22995&AuthorID=21715 ).

He also suggested that all of the defense attorneys, or "slick lawyers", should be "run out of here on a rail". ( Video here: http://www.crooksandliars.com/posts/2006/07/06/sheriff-of-racism/ ).

Strain has taken a lot of fire since he made those remarks. The local NAACP came out swinging: "Let me be clear on this point, Sheriff Strain has announced a policy at the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office which directs armed deputies to roust citizens who fail to comply with his own personal dress code in blatant disregard of the Constitution of the United States of America...Ladies and gentlemen, there is no provision in our Constitution for the establishment of an American Fashion Gestapo." ( http://www.crooksandliars.com/posts/2006/07/10/naacps-response-to-sheriff-jack-strain/ ).

The Louisiana ACLU issued an open letter to the sheriff which can be found here: http://www.laaclu.org/News/2006/aclu_open_ltr_StrainJul0506.htm .

Other commentators have been less inclined to sugarcoat their reactions:

According to Sheriff Jack Strain - [email protected] - If you have dreadlocks or a "chee-wee" hairstyle (a term he invented out of thin air, apparently no relation to a hair loss treatment), then you must be a criminal.

A lot of people are complaining about the hair comment, but I think he goes on to say something even more outlandish... He basically says if your family lived in public housing before Katrina hit, then you are not welcome in St Tammany Parrish, LA, because you are "thugs and trash that don't need to be in St. Tammany Parrish."

He goes on to say that defense attorneys should be run out of town "on a rail."

And today he says he was just misunderstood. He was just trying to solve a murder. Sounds more to me like he was trying to use this murder to incite hatred for new black members of his community. His community is upset because of this murder, and he turns his own failings into an attack on Katrina survivors.

Sheriff Jack Strain from St. Tammany Parrish, LA, is a scumbag. http://www.bearnakedjoe.com/2006/07/strain-of-scum.htm

Now, in a very unusual development, the St. Tammany Parish Coroner held his first press conference in memory in an apparent attempt to provide Jack Strain, refereed to by Crooks and Liars as the "Sheriff of Racism" ( http://www.crooksandliars.com/posts/2006/07/06/sheriff-of-racism/ ), to note the following observations regarding the crime which so obviously sent the High Sheriff over the edge:

"...The most startling and interesting fact is that in every case of homicide by gunshot wound since 2004, both the victim and perpetrator were of the same race," Galvan wrote in the report. "Stated simplistically, it is a white-on-white or black-on-black crime...."

..."If descriptions of race in this case are true, then investigators must look into a social/drug/crime circle comprised of mixed races," he wrote.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/sttammany/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1153986408142040.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

WTF?

Guess it's starting to get to Jack, all this attention. Recently, he said, "Welcome to the worst day of my life," he said. "Well, maybe not the worst, but one of the worst."

Strain said he doesn't enjoy being the center of controversy. But in his next breath, the brash cop was back as he reiterated his refusal to give an inch when it comes to doing whatever he believes necessary to protect the public.

"If that hurts the feelings of the ACLU and NAACP, they can go elsewhere," he said. "I have some suggestions, but I'd rather tell them in person."

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1153036129164970.xml&coll=1&thispage=9

Well, it's not going to get any better soon:

JOINT MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


THE ACLU FOUNDATION OF LOUISIANA AND THE GREATER COVINGTON NAACP WILL BE HOSTING A TOWN MEETING FOCUSING ON RACIAL PROFILING ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2006 AT 6:00 PM.



THE PANEL WILL INCLUDE KING DOWNING, THE NATIONAL COORDINATOR OF THE ACLU CAMPAIGN AGAINST RACIAL PROFILING; REDDITT HUDSON, A FORMER POLICE OFFICER AND THE RACIAL JUSTICE MANAGER FOR THE ACLU OF EASTERN MISSOURI; TRACIE WASHINGTON, THE DIRECTOR OF THE NAACP GULF COAST ADVOCACY CENTER; AND, KWAME ASANTE’ THE LOUISIANA DIRECTOR OF THE NAAACP.



THE TOWN MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE AT:

BETHEL REFORM METHODIST CHURCH HALL

602 EAST 29TH AVENUE

COVINGTON, LOUISIANA 70433



THE MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC ARE INVITED.



CONTACT:

ANNIE SPELL

PRESIDENT, GREATER COVINGTON NAACP

JOE COOK

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACLU OF LOUISIANA

[Suich]

1. The sheriff and coroner

are a couple of first-class jerks!

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. Is he or is he not the sheriff that closed the bridge out of NOLA

after Katrina?

[Keseys Ghost]

3. He is not - that was the Gretna Police Department

West of New Orleans. Strain is north and east of the City.

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. Thanks. nt