Share

Tweet

Share

Share

Email

Comments

 

If recent news events surrounding due process and fair treatment of and for Black people under the law have left you wondering why the wheels of justice grind so slowly, consider that perhaps racism is institutionalized.

For instance, take the actions of Burnet County Judge James Oakley. He saw fit to use social media to call for the lynching of Otis Tyrone McKane, a Black man and suspect in the murder of San Antonio Police Detective Benjamin Marconi.

Oakley wrote on the San Antonio Police Department’s Facebook page recently that it was “time for a tree and a rope” in response to a post on the site announcing McKane’s arrest. While Oakley believes that his comments have been misinterpreted, his actions have left many outraged and calling for Oakley’s removal from all governmental offices.

In addition to being a judge, Oakley holds positions on many state and regional commissions including CAPCOG, TARC, & CAMPO. A Republican and Trump supporter, he was appointed to office by former Texas Governors George W. Bush and Rick Perry. Oakley also sits on the board of the PEC, or Pedernales Electric Cooperative, where he currently serves as director. If he retains his position on the board, he will serve as vice president until 2019.

Upon hearing the news of his blunder, the remaining PEC board members quickly convened a committee as a measure to have Oakley relieved of his duties. A special board meeting was held on November 30th to address the matter. A petition has also been started at Change.org.

Larry Landaker, a former PEC board member and political opponent of Oakley’s, founded PEC Truth Watch to monitor the activities of the PEC spoke out on the site’s blog:

“What Mr. Oakley suggested was racist. A sitting County Judge in Texas has suggested that a black man accused of a crime in Houston, TX should be lynched. Do the members and employees of PEC agree with Mr. Oakley’s statement? Do the people of Burnet County? I trust they do not agree. I hope they believe America to be a nation of laws and due process. The accused is entitled to a defense before a jury, however heinous the accusations against him may be.”

Read more: http://thegedsection.com/blogs/time-for-a-tree-and-a-rope-texas-judge-trump-supporter-suggested-lynching-a-black-suspect#ixzz4S0w9xRXf

Source: The GED Section