LIMA, Ohio - The air of Southside is foul-smelling and thick, filled with fumes from an oil refinery and diesel smoke from a train yard, with talk of riot and recrimination, and with angry questions: Why is Tarika Wilson dead? Why did the police shoot her baby?
"This thing just stinks to high heaven, and the police know it," said Jason Upthegrove, president of the Lima chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. "We're not asking for answers anymore. We're demanding them."
Some facts are known. A SWAT team arrived at Ms. Wilson's rented house in the Southside neighborhood early in the evening of Jan. 4 to arrest her companion, Anthony Terry, on suspicion of drug dealing, said Greg Garlock, Lima's police chief. Officers bashed in the front door and entered with guns drawn, said neighbors who saw the raid.
Moments later, the police opened fire, killing Ms. Wilson, 26, and wounding her 14-month-old son, Sincere, Chief Garlock said. One officer involved in the raid, Sgt. Joseph Chavalia, a 31-year veteran, has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Beyond these scant certainties, there is mostly rumor and rage. The police refuse to give any account of the raid, pending an investigation by the Ohio attorney general.
Ivory Austin, center, the brother of Tarika Wilson, was among those marching Saturday to protest her shooting death and the wounding of her 14-month-old son.
Black people in Lima, from the poorest citizens to religious and business leaders, complain that rogue police officers regularly stop them without cause, point guns in their faces, curse them and physically abuse them. They say the shooting of Ms. Wilson is only the latest example of a long-running pattern of a few white police officers treating African-Americans as people to be feared.
"There is an evil in this town," said C. M. Manley, 68, pastor of New Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. "The police harass me. They harass my family. But they know that if something happens to me, people will burn down this town." [...]
"The situation is very tense," Mayor David J. Berger said. "Serious threats have been made. People are starting to carry weapons to protect themselves."
Surrounded by farm country known for its German Catholic roots and conservative politics, Lima is the only city in the immediate area with a significant African-American population. Black families, including Mr. Manley's, came to Lima in the 1940s and '50s for jobs at what is now the Husky Energy Lima Refinery and other factories along the city's southern border. Blacks make up 27 percent of the city's 38,000 people, Mr. Berger said.
Many blacks still live downwind from the refinery. Many whites on the police force commute from nearby farm towns, where a black face is about as common as a twisty road. Of Lima's 77 police officers, two are African-American.
"If I have any frustration when I retire, it'll be that I wasn't able to bring more racial balance to the police force," said Chief Garlock, who joined the force in 1971 and has been chief for 11 years.
Tarika Wilson had six children, ages 8 to 1. They were fathered by five men, all of whom dealt drugs, said Darla Jennings, Ms. Wilson's mother. But Ms. Wilson never took drugs nor allowed them to be sold from her house, said Tania Wilson, her sister.
"She took great care of those kids, without much help from the fathers, and the community respected her for that," said Ms. Wilson's uncle, John Austin. [...]
Nezua is an author and illustrator by trade, a rebel at heart, and a fugitive from the iron claw of ennui. You can find more of his writing at http://www.theunapologeticmexican.org , his videos at http://think.mtv.com/profile/Nezua , and graphic art at http://www.xolagrafik.com
No offense, but putting yourself on the side of a lady with 5 kids from of different fathers, most of whom were admitted drug dealers is kind of a stretch. Lets find out what really happened before you make blanket statements that this is part of the overall police problem in that town.
Where I live we have an area where roughly 75% of the crimes happen, and its also where the most assaults on police officers happen. So who could blame a cop for being edgy in these circumstances? They go into areas where no one turns in the criminals, they are disrespected and assaulted, but according to people like the author these cops should treat the area like the others who have relatively little crime. Unbelievable, if you're going to pick a cause, this may be one where you are wrong.
And yes, I realize that there are over-reactions, as well as corrupt cops, but I'll take my chances that most are decent people put in impossible situations.
by
denvan (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 28 comments)
on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 1:57:37 PM
"I'll take my chances that most are decent people put in impossible situations." Maybe, maybe not...but your comments lack any sense and I'll bet ya you're not "a person of color" or that you have any idea what it's like to be one. Dumbass. Sorry about that last word, but it is a dumbass comment.
by
Papawhale (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 62 comments)
on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 4:51:33 PM
There sure is. It might be worse in Lima but inequality and injustice exist all across this country.
Thanks, Nezua. I'm tired of people blaming the victims (like the poster above). That seems to be the lazy person's way of dealing with racism.
There's no excuse for killing a mother of six, shooting a baby and putting other children at risk just because they were unfortunate enough to be in the house of a suspected drug dealer. Or are the children guilty, too, by association?
by
Kathlyn Stone (42 articles, 220 quicklinks, 26 diaries, 638 comments)
on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 5:01:05 PM
It isn't a war on drugs. It's a war on people who use drugs. More accurately it's a war on people who use drugs and anybody in their vicinity.
Americans seem to accept collateral damage as long as those murdered are "gooks", "ragheads" or "niggers."
I saw a video by a guy representing a group of law enforcement officials against the war on drugs. He claimed that 1.3% of the population had drug problems when the first drug laws were introduced, and that figure has remained constant ever since.
You probably don't know that when a single city in Australia proposed to trial a "harm minimisation" rather than "punitive legal" approach to the heroin problem, America threatened trade and diplomatic sanctions against the whole country.
I personally saw a lot of "gooks" smiling the day after 9/11. They felt sad for the individuals killed and injured; but were very pleased to see America get a bloody nose for once.
By the way, congratulations to "The Land of the Free" for being the clear world leader on having the highest % of its citizens in prison. 700+ per 100,000 compared to 120/100,000 for China.
by
John Haigh (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 106 comments)
on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 11:24:12 PM
Y'all can blather on about inequality all you want, but the sad fact remains, if this lady hadn't of put her children in this position (repeatedly) then this would have never happened. I was in no way making this into a racial incident or to bring anyone down. To me it was a matter of time before the house was busted by the man or shot up by a rival dealer.
It's amazing how limited the press is on the DAILY killings of blacks by blacks, but the occassional mis-step from the police gets all the press. Maybe if the former received more press and something was done within the community, then the latter would be eliminated.
Anytime a child is hurt or killed it is a truly sad experience. So is consciously putting your children in the potential line of fire, whether its from the cops or criminals.
And unlike most of you, if the facts come out that the cops failed to follow procedure and let things get out of control (i.e. spoiling for a fight), I will be the bigger man and gladly come back on and apologize for what I said in this instance. There are always two stories to every situation... I also hope that there is a fair trial (i.e. not 12 white people on the jury).
by
denvan (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 28 comments)
on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 11:45:03 AM
The fact that Tanika had all these kids with different fathers whom, you allege, were all pushers, should not be under discussion here. Those were her choices and you weren't there to assess her situation or her selection of boyfriends. You know nothing about her life or her psychology. So there's no point in even mentioning it and to bring it up is incredibly judgmental.
The ONLY THING to investigate in this tragedy is: why did these cops not hold their fire until a woman and her baby were out of harm's way? That is their responsibility. What is most important here (and anywhere -- although don't ask Madeleine Albright for her answer), shooting a possible suspect -- a suspected perp, not proven guilty at that moment -- or protecting an innocent person who happens to be on the scene, and evidently, in the way?
by
Jami (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 25 comments)
on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 12:14:20 PM
thank you. i'm just amazed by the people who want to judge her on her boyfriends...the mention insinuates a very ugly statement. that somehow her murder is mitigated by it. and that sickens me. ghouls.
so thank you for bringing the conversation back on track.
by
Nezua (42 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 93 comments)
on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 3:11:46 PM
...I find it curious that the folks who commented on this topic (other than the article's writer) carry zero articles written under their names. I don't know what that means, except perhaps someone (or many someones) are doing a bit of chain-yanking.
As far as this particular situation is concerned, *IF* the police were at fault, then they should face the most severe prosecution available. If, however, the mother killed was wielding a gun, then she got her just deserts.
As for her child, it's a sad thing indeed when an innocent child is killed. However, if her lifestyle was indeed the reason for what happened, then you cannot remove the mother's responsibility for what happened. Our choices create our reality, and sometimes the reality of innocents in our lives. This is an immutable truth...like it or not.
That said, the war on drugs is a sham, and has been since Richard Nixon brought it to us. If we were REALLY so against drugs, we wouldn't do business with countries whose economy is built on drugs...like Columbia. We also wouldn't look the other way as the poppy fields in Afghanistan come back into season. We wouldn't feign righteous indignation about users, needles. crack pipes, and blunts as we slurp down martini number ten (shaken, not stirred).
At this point, at least from as far as I have read, all the details aren't in, and the investigation isn't done. Everything is theoretical until we know what happened. If, in fact, it was a case of trigger happy cops, then everyone of the individuals whose bullets are found in the body of the child should rot in prison...oh wait, cops don't rot in prison, they die there. No biggie, if they did the deed.
If, however, it is found that the mother endangered her child, or goddess forbid, shot it herself, then too bad. It's a shame when a child dies, but children die daily...as do adolescents, and adults. It's even more of a shame when the parents are either too dumb, or too irresponsible to care for said child. It's even a worse shame when the race card is used to cover up or mitigate someone's irresponsible or dangerous behavior.
It's far too convenient to blame someone's reality on external incidents. When does the question of personal responsibility come into the discussion?
Blessed be! Pappy
by
Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 860 comments)
on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 5:36:58 PM
sorry, can't read all of your note...the black on blue is very hard on the eyes.
but of what i read, i think you missed some important evidence. the evidence that most of the town's black population cites this as only one more instance of police brutality and harassment and racial profiling.the killing of tarika must be placed in this context.
but i agree with your ending. when will the cops be held personally responsible for all this racism that is reported even by the pastor?
thank you!
by
Nezua (42 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 93 comments)
on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 5:41:23 PM
Police enforce the laws made by the ruling elite and reflect their corrupt and rotten policies. Believe me, I know from personal family experience. If you are poor and of color you are guilty until proven innocent, PERIOD. People of color are always suspect no matter how repectable their lives may be and police are always trying to put them in jail for any reason they can find. This is especially true in California, the number 1 incarceration state in the number 1 incarceration nation. By the way, if you thought I was a black person when you read this, you were wrong.
by
memary (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 70 comments)
on Monday, February 4, 2008 at 6:08:17 PM
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LIMA, Ohio - The air of Southside is foul-smelling and thick, filled with fumes from an oil refinery and diesel smoke from a train yard, with talk of riot and recrimination, and with angry questions: Why is Tarika Wilson dead? Why did the police shoot her baby?
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