Unfair Park from p4 The court’s decision will not be official until it is published, Politico explained, and votes could change before that. “The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or pro- hibiting abortion,” the draft says. Referring to the 1992 Planned Parent- hood v. Casey decision, a ruling that upheld the 1973 decision, the draft concludes: “Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that au- thority to the people and their elected repre- sentatives.” In Texas, Republican lawmakers and offi- cials celebrated the news (while some de- nounced the unknown person who leaked the draft), and rights groups geared up for the lat- est challenge to reproductive rights in a state where they are more embattled by the day. Last year, Texas legislators passed a “trig- ger law,” which would automatically ban abortion in the state starting 30 days after Roe v. Wade is overturned. (In such case, performing an abortion in Texas would be considered a felony.) But in five Texas counties, district attor- neys have vowed that they wouldn’t pursue criminal charges related to abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ac- cording to a joint statement earlier this month. Among those who signed the state- ment was Dallas County DA John Creuzot. “Women will be afraid to seek medical treatment even if they are dying,” the state- ment said. “We cannot condone such cruelty or this distorted use of our criminal legal system. And we promise to continue fight- ing for the rights of women in this state and elsewhere and using our discretion as prose- cutors to avoid these tragic results.” Still, many Texas conservatives are ap- plauding the draft decision. In a statement, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said: “If the leaked draft is indeed accurate, it is a great day for innocent babies in the womb. They will finally be safe in Texas and other Republican states. Prayerfully, in time, all states will protect them. “They will finally be safe in Texas and other Republican states,” the statement con- tinued. “Prayerfully, in time, all states will protect them.” Jeff Leach, a Republican state lawmaker from Plano, also took to Twitter to urge Christians to “rise to the moment.” “Standing for innocent life,” he wrote. “Loving on people. Being the hands & feet of Christ. Offering hope, healing & grace. This is our moment. May God be glorified in ev- erything we do, think & say.” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, however, lashed out at Democrats, blaming them for the docu- ment being leaked. “I’ve got to say, Demo- crats have a lot to answer for … the destruction that this wreaks in the court be- cause it will carry on potentially forever,” he said on Fox News. Cruz claimed the document was leaked 66 by a “leftwing law clerk,” adding that he hoped that individual “is prosecuted and serves real jail time for violating the confi- dences of the Supreme Court.” (Who leaked the document is not known.) Last year, the Texas Legislature passed a slate of especially harsh new abortion laws, Shutterstock among them one that effectively outlawed abortion at six weeks. Rosann Mariappuram, the executive di- rector of the Austin-based reproductive rights advocacy group Jane’s Due Process, explained that “abortion is still legal, includ- ing in Texas.” “Because it was a leaked draft of an opin- ion, people think the court ruled. The court has not overturned Roe v. Wade,” she said by phone. “It’s a horrible opinion because it’s the worst case of what we were anticipating,” Mariappuram added, explaining that the na- ture of the opinion could enable attacks on other rights, including, for instance, same sex marriage. She said, “Abortion’s been legal for 50 years, so this is about losing 50 years of rights.” On Twitter, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas said everyone “deserves to make reproductive decisions for themselves and their families.” “Roe is still the law of the land,” the ACLU of Texas also tweeted. “The leaked draft opinion doesn’t change that. … But Texas abortion advocates knew this could happen and we have been preparing for it.” Meanwhile, reproductive rights protests have taken place at federal courthouses around the country, including in Dallas, in recent days. ▼ POLICE EXCESSIVE FORCE I A TEXAS SHERIFF’S RESIGNATION IS SHINING NEW LIGHT ON AN OLD PROBLEM: POLICE BRUTALITY. BY SIMONE CARTER t started in September with a man fleeing law enforcement and ended last month with the Van Zandt County sheriff’s res- ignation. Last fall, 28-year-old Nicholas Scott Crouch ran from police as they pursued him for a string of burglaries. When they caught up with Crouch, he was placed in handcuffs. Then, a sheriff’s deputy hit him in the face. The ordeal touched off a series of events that would shake up law enforcement in Van Reproductive rights protests are scheduled at federal courthouses around the country. Zandt County, located roughly an hour southeast of Dallas. Sheriff Steve Hendrix will serve his last day on May 14. Along with two other law en- forcement officers, he’d been indicted for al- legedly lying about the incident to investigators, according to eExtra News. Crouch’s attorney, Mitch Adams, thinks the sheriff’s resignation is likely in his best interest. “Law enforcement officers, especially elected ones, ought not to allow that sort of thing to take place in their departments,” he said. In Texas, police custody can be a danger- ous place for those held there. Some who are jailed report getting beaten by guards. Police in the Lone Star State killed 105 people in 2021, 13 more than they had the previous year, according to the website Mapping Po- lice Violence. But advocates say the real number of ex- cessive force incidents could be far greater. The Washington Post reported in 2021 that for the second year in a row, just over a quar- ter of police departments nationwide handed data over to the FBI’s use-of-force data collection. Hendrix had only served as sheriff around a year and a half prior to issuing his resignation. Adams said he hopes that it’ll put an end to “folks getting beaten up in Van Zandt County by law enforcement officers.” The Van Zandt County sheriff’s depart- ment, Hendrix’s lawyer and the county dis- trict attorney’s office did not return the Observer’s requests for comment. But the sheriff’s legal team has slammed the indictment as “baseless,” adding that he “looks forward to defending the allegations in court,” according to Austin’s FOX 7. What happened in Van Zandt County is common in Texas, said Krish Gundu, co- founder and executive director of the Texas Jail Project. The fact that Hendrix is resigning comes as a surprise because law enforcement often dodges consequences in such incidents. Gundu pointed to other excessive force cases, including one in Harris County last year during that February’s historic winter freeze. The Houston Chronicle reported at the time that an inmate, Jaquaree Simmons, died after being beaten by detention officers. Eleven employees were fired, but six were merely suspended and no charges have been brought against any of them, Gundu said, adding: “It’s so rampant, and there’s no accountability.” North Texas also has cases involving a questionable use of force. Last year in Collin County, Marvin Scott III died in police cus- tody; his death was ruled a homicide. Sev- eral detention employees were placed on administrative leave but didn’t face charges. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards collects data on serious incidents each month, but they’re self-reported, Gundu said. It’s safe to assume that much more po- lice-driven violence happens than even gets logged. The trauma is on both sides, though, she added. The system is set up in such a way that it prevents good officers from effecting change and often pushes them out. “The way the system functions, the culture and the mindset, is a symptom of how deep- rooted and deep-seated our belief in puni- tive systems is,” Gundu said. In jail, it’s not actually the sheriff’s job to punish someone, she added. “If our community members can’t be safe in a sheriff’s custody, where their whole job and whole mandate is to keep us safe, then how can we expect them to keep people in the community safe?” Crouch has pleaded guilty in each of his burglary cases. Adams hopes that his client stays out of trouble while behind bars, makes parole and goes on to lead at least a quasi-productive life. Criminals don’t always receive much sympathy, but Adams said even convicts have protections under the law. Civil rights are worthless if people like his client don’t get the benefit of them. “They either apply to everybody or they don’t,” Adams added. “We’re either a coun- try of laws or we’re a banana republic.” ▼ POLITICS TRAIN TROUBLE R BETO O’ROURKE IS SLAMMING ABBOTT AFTER THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT SAID IT’S REROUTING A RAIL LINK THAT WOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH TEXAS. BY SIMONE CARTER epublicans may brag about their shrewd economic sense, but Demo- cratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke believes he’s better for Texas’ bot- tom line. As the race for Texas governor heats up, GOP incumbent Greg Abbott has taken po- litical risks. Some may have earned him points among the business-minded, like when he suggested creating a town called “Twitter, Texas,” to help entice Elon Musk to move the platform’s headquarters here. Still, critics have slammed an April order by Abbott, billed as an effort to root out drug and human smuggling, for state authorities to in- spect all commercial trucks coming from Mexico. No contraband was found during any of the more than 4,100 inspections carried out, MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 MAY 12–18, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com dallasobserver.com
