Interview with Hearne, Texas, drug war victim Regina Kelly
Posted in Chronicle Blog by David Borden on Mon, 06/18/2007 - 9:14pm
Radley Balko has posted a Flash-video interview he recorded with drug war victim Regina Kelly, one of the 27 black residents of Hearne, Texas, who were arrested in a Tulia-like incident involving an "informant" of the most scurrilous variety. Kelly, like most of the victims, was later exonerated. Balko and Kelly were both speakers at an ACLU conference in Seattle last weekend.
Seattle is a beautiful city -- with great drug reformers -- as I commented two weekends ago while the NORML Legal Seminar was convening in Aspen, "wish I were there..."






















Re Texas, drug war victim Regina Kelly
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sat, 10/20/2007 - 2:36amI live in Hearne, Tx and what took place here was wrong, but I do not think you are getting the hole picture, now you can get the Paul Harvey First of all Hearne does have a population of around 4900 people and 65% of them are African American about 23% white and 12% Mexi . now if you want to purchase drugs you can do that from all three percentages. But I can tell you that children were not being thrown to the ground with guns put to thier heads. if anyone was thrown to the ground that was not resisting arrest it was for safety isues. At these same projects that she refers to you can drive past them everyday like I do and see ages 4 and up walking along and in the roadway by thierselves to the store about 1/4 mile away. you can purchase drugs at this same location not the store 24 hours a day like a corner pharmacy except you do not need script. O ya and this did not happen every year to meet quotas. do not get me wrong for those who were not involved with the drug dealing you were falsly arrested and that is bull shit.
This should not have happend to you but what about the other 10 that were quilty.
This town does have alot of problems and drugs a major one and I hope every drug dealing prick gets what they deserve. And for anyone from Hearne, Tx resident that reads this you known everything is true and for you non residents remember the percentage at the top of this comment and than digest this Hearne School distric just spent over 8 million dollars on new schools and we have the highest drop out rate and the lowest ratings in the state so look at the hole picture if you want to look at all lets not make this a black and white thing. If you want to do something for this town take some time and encourage these kids to stay in school and stay off of drugs. you have an expeirence these kids can learn from and again I am sorry you had to go through this bull shit.