If What Happened to George Floyd Angered You, This Should Outrage You
Police officers in Mississippi formed a Goon Squad and tortured two Black men
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Most of the nation looked on in horror in 2020 when a white police officer knelt on the neck of a Black man named George Floyd.
Floyd, unable to breathe, died as a result of this violent encounter.
If the murder of George Floyd angered you, then the actions of a group of police officers in Mississippi—dubbed the “Goon Squad”—should outrage you.
On January 24, 2023, six officers in Rankin County and the city of Richland, right near Jackson, raided a home and took into custody two Black men—Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker.
What happened next is a horrific account of police abuse of power and racist violence under the protection of a badge.
As CNN reported…
Details from the January 24, 2023, incident in Braxton, just southeast of Jackson, eventually came to light after victims Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in June. They alleged the officers illegally entered the home of a woman whom Parker was helping to take care of; handcuffed, kicked, waterboarded and used Tasers on Jenkins and Parker; and attempted to sexually assault them over nearly two hours before Elward put a gun in Jenkins’ mouth and shot him. Many of the claims were later borne out by federal prosecutors in August as the six former officers pleaded guilty.
My intent here is not to pit one form of suffering against another as if what Floyd suffered is less substantial than what Jenkins and Parker endured. All of these men were robbed of their civil rights and dignity, and in the case of Floyd, his very life.
We do not have video evidence of the Goon Squad’s actions like we did with Floyd, but we should realize that all the actions and attitudes on display in Floyd’s murder in 2020 were amplified to an audacious degree with the Goon Squad in 2023.
Abuse of power, violence, racist targeting, denial of basic rights, and the collusion of other officers—the Goon Squad took those elements and organized them into a longstanding conspiracy to target and brutalize Black people in their jurisdiction.
The racial overtones of the torture are undeniable.
A white neighbor called the police after seeing Jenkins and Parker enter the home of a white woman.
Officers hurled racial slurs and epithets at the Black men throughout the torture.
Once inside, they handcuffed Jenkins and his friend Parker and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces. They forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess. They mocked the victims with racial slurs and shocked them with stun guns.
To make matters worse, the officers conspired to cover up their crimes.
They planted guns and drugs on Jenkins and Parker and charged them with crimes that had the men facing prison time before they sued the officers for violating their civil rights.
This was not the first time this happened.
At least four of the officers were linked to previous cases of police brutality including encounters that left two Black men dead.
In a rare case of holding police officers accountable for their actions, sentencing has begun this week.
The first officer has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. The rest will be sentenced later this week.
In a written statement Jenkins declared,
"I am hurt. I am broken. They tried to take my manhood from me. They did some unimaginable things to me, and the effects will linger for the rest of my life."
I lived near Jackson, Mississippi for five years while I attended seminary.
Rankin County had a reputation among local Black people as one where racist police officers targeted Black folks and acted with impunity.
I was always nervous driving through the small towns outside of Jackson for that very reason.
As Black people, our apprehension about police officers is well-founded.
Not only are there cases of individual officers unnecessarily escalating situations and ending in violence, there are also cases like the Goon Squad which show coordination among entire units over a long period of time to commit hate crimes under cover of law.
Too often, however, the concerns of Black people and other marginalized groups about police are dismissed as exaggerated or imaginary. Too often our cries for justice are met with calls for more “law and order.”
If there is to be more “law and order” then let it begin with the police officers charged to “serve and protect.”
The murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests did not bring about the changes in policing that will save lives of ordinary citizens. The existence and the actions of the Goon Squad in Mississippi remind us of the work that remains to be done nationwide and at the local level.
This IS OUTRAGEOUS!!!! Just the fact that a “goon squad” even exists is outrageous!!! As a trauma therapist I know that this trauma will impact Parker and Jenkins for their lifetimes and beyond. Praying justice will prevail!
These things need to be told again and again and again. When our Black godson visits family in Mississippi, I pray continually that he will not be pulled over - but it's not just Mississippi. Not long ago here in Virginia a Black patient who was taken to a mental health facility was beaten to death before he was even evaluated.