Pubdate: Mon, 11 Aug 2003 Source: Oklahoman, The (OK) Copyright: 2003 The Oklahoma Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.oklahoman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318 Author: Ron Jackson CLINTON NEIGHBORHOOD CLASHES WITH POLICE CLINTON -- The Lincoln Addition neighborhood is, by all accounts, a war zone - -- a social war zone. Lincoln Addition is an all-black neighborhood known as "The Flats," and a place where drug trafficking is purportedly as common as civil liberty violations by local police. "People down here are afraid to go outside their homes and walk the streets," resident Marilyn Hester said. "They are afraid of being harassed by the police." The truth rests somewhere in the fog of dissension that arose in the aftermath of a clash between residents and police during a Juneteenth celebration -- a black history celebration -- two months ago. Eleven people were arrested that night -- June 19 -- in what many believe has cast a pall over Clinton's east side and the city's police department. Amid the tension, a grassroots movement is under way by residents determined to take their neighborhood back. The group formed the East Clinton Improvement Coalition in March to educate its children at a neighborhood academy, and the school has only gained momentum since the events of June 19. Now, 182 of Clinton's 208 black students are enrolled in the coalition's academy, which will supplement the public school district's work with daily after-school activities and classes. "That's where it's really happening," said Almas Jamil Sami', a Clinton native and one of the coalition's founders. "At first, we were concerned that the events of June 19 would have a negative effect on what we were doing. But the impact has been just the opposite." The rest is a matter of perspective. "We have an open-air, drug market in the Lincoln Addition, and we have made a concerted effort over the past two years to crack down on that problem," Clinton Police Chief Ed Smith said. "I'm proud to say we have made a large dent in that problem. And the people who don't want us there are the people involved in the drugs." Smith's war on drugs has come with a price. The department's lone canine officer, Mark Ryan, and lone black officer, Andre Rawls, have been criticized by a faction of Lincoln Addition residents. Both have patrolled the neighborhood regularly and were involved in the arrests at the Juneteenth celebration and were accused of excessive force. Fallout from the June 19 disturbance continues to hit the streets. Rawls formally resigned last week, saying his decision to leave the Clinton police force had nothing to do with the public complaints issued by Lincoln Addition residents. He said he intends to return to college to earn a degree in criminal justice. Rawls also was the subject of an internal investigation by the Clinton Police Department concerning another alleged incident of excessive force. Smith said the complaint stemmed from a Custer County sheriff's deputy and had nothing to do with the Lincoln Addition neighborhood. Smith, who declined to discuss the incident in detail, told The Oklahoman the investigation has been dropped because Rawls has resigned. Smith and Assistant Police Chief David Crabtree said the complaints against Rawls and Ryan are out of character. "It's interesting that most of the complaints are made against the two officers who have done the most to deter the drug trafficking in that neighborhood," Crabtree said. "I think both are young, aggressive officers who have done a good job." Rawls said he has no regrets for his actions. "People stand on the corner and sell drugs in plain view," Rawls said. "So there are a lot of people in that neighborhood -- a lot of good people -- who want us down there. "But there has never been any excessive force. Never." Lola Adams, a neighborhood resident, disagrees. Adams was arrested in the early hours of June 20 on the front porch of her house. She said she was shielding the police from her son -- Robert Hester, Jr., 32 -- whom she ordered inside the house. Adams said that is when Ryan pulled her from the doorway by the arm, threw her to the ground and shoved her face in the grass. Her account is not mentioned in a police report filled out by Ryan. Smith on Friday formally requested an independent investigation into the incident with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Ryan, meanwhile, declined to comment on the matter because of the investigation. Smith said: "Based on the evidence I have seen at this point, I think he (Ryan) acted within his official capacity and under the ... law. He followed our department's policies and the law." Adams later was charged with obstructing an officer, resisting arrest and assault and battery on an officer. In addition, Adams' two sons, Orenthiel Hester, 30, and Robert Hester Jr.; along with Eddie Pearson, 42; and Jamaal Hester, 19, were arrested that night for their role in the disturbance. Residents had gathered for Juneteenth, a celebration that dates back to June 19, 1865, when a Union general announced the freedom of slaves in Galveston, Texas. Police reports say the incident began when Rawls asked neighbors to pick up their trash when they were finished. Reports say people in the crowd shouted threats at Rawls. Others, such as Adams, said police actions led to the incident. "They are making the tension," Adams said of the police. "Nobody wants to be pulled from their doorway when they aren't doing anything. Nobody was bothering anybody. Now it's gotten to the point where people don't want to walk the streets. "I wish somebody would listen to what we are saying." Representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have held one public meeting and weekly meetings with Smith. Some Lincoln Addition residents say the issue isn't as much about race as it is about drugs. "Drugs are a problem in our neighborhood," said Barbara Hays, another of the academy's founders. "We want the police in our neighborhood. If the police weren't there, I'd be afraid." - --- MAP posted-by: Josh