Bishop Barber: DOJ must investigate police assault of TX man

Prepared remarks by Bishop William J. Barber II on the assault by a white police officer in Beaumont, Texas, that left a Black man paralyzed 

FROM A NEWS CONFERENCE ON AUG. 17, 2022

After careful review of the evidence in his case, Repairers of the Breach has joined attorneys Harry Daniels, Chance Lynch and Chimeaka White in the case of Christopher Shaw and his struggle for justice. Mr. Shaw was severely injured by law enforcement officers while in their custody on June 12, 2021, in Beaumont, Texas. 

We also are joining with the attorneys in calling for a Justice Department investigation. 

According to lawyers who have seen body camera video, Mr. Shaw was handcuffed and restrained by deputies at the Jefferson County Jail when Beaumont Police Officer James Gillen “body slammed” him onto the jail’s concrete floor. Shaw, who posed no physical threat to Gillen or any of the officers present, broke his neck when he landed on his head. 

While Mr. Shaw’s hands were cuffed behind his back, this white officer body slammed him. Mr. Shaw was under arrest for a misdemeanor of public intoxication, which did not warrant any level of force, and certainly not this violent, brutal and horrific response. Yet an officer body slammed him to the floor, paralyzing him for life. Mr. Shaw could not even brace himself because of the handcuffs. There has been no release of footage, no full investigation, no justice.

To be clear: Christopher Shaw walked into our so-called criminal justice system on his own two legs and left it in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down.

This is not a case against all police. It’s a case against an officer who was sworn to protect and serve in the name of the people but instead abused his power and destroyed the life of another human being. And it is a case against those who witnessed this attack and chose not to stop it. What we must challlenge in America is not good policing, but policing thst turns the law into a instrument of domestic terrorism.

Cases like Mr. Shaw’s make clear that police brutality is not just about wrongful death. This man was wrongfully and brutally harmed. Such nonlethal violence may leave victims alive, but only to live a kind of death with all of their injuries. 

Wrongful attacks that kill the victim’s bodily function, dreams, hopes, and ability to make a living must also be prosecuted. There must be accountability, especially in Deep South communities and small towns where perpetrators bet on not facing media coverage and the light of day.

This case is about investigating a pattern and practice. What made the officer think he could do this? Why did the other officers stand by and watch it happen? We must have justice, and we must have a full and thorough investigation by the Department of  Justice to ensure that anyone can be safe to live and move in this community.

Let me say, finally, that justice is necessary no matter the color of the victim’s skin. These lawyers have another case in North Carolina where a white man was killed by a white police officer, and attempts were made to cover it up.  They are demanding justice in that case too. Justice is all that matters.