Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

Justice for Antonio Harris moved one step closer recently when three Louisiana State Troopers were charged in a beating incident involving Harris. The charges stem from a 2020 arrest of Brown following a high-speed chase in Franklin Parish, where Harris was apprehended in a cornfield. When Harris realized that he had nowhere else to run, he surrendered to troopers( remind you of another Black man), lying prone with his arms and legs spread. What happened next is something that the Black people have seen play out too many times. Instead of cuffing a compromised Brown and placing in a police unit, troopers Jacob Brown, Dakota Moss and George Harper allegedly used excessive force to secure the arrest by "kneeing, punching and slapping him, then allegedly hoisting him by his braids to his feet. Unfortunately, this was not the first incident of LSP troopers allegedly beating Black drivers when making arrests. Ronald Greene was the victim of a May 2019 beating at night by the hands of LSP troopers in Union Parish, where he was savagely beaten bloody and dragged across the concrete, where he later died that night. Greene's case became a local controversy but has since risen to national prominence after videos that LSP suppressed became public, forcing officials to change the narrative of what actually happened. In the aftermath of Greene's death, a new LSP head was appointed, but still, problems still exist within the agency. The three troopers also allegedly shared text messages, bragging that "the whoppin'" that Harris received would give him "nightmares for a long time". The troopers admitted(?) that they beat Harris instead of making a lawful arrest, though LSP would deny whether it was excessive. The "nightmares" part is consistent with what many Black people have said that they experience when trying to cope with the trauma of being a victim of excessive force by police officers. The troopers also deactivated their body cams and falsified the arrest and use of force report by a trooper. The troopers were originally arrested in February 2021 on charges of Felony Malfeasance in Office but have since been reduced to Misdemeanor Simple Battery by local prosecutors. If a conviction is secured, the troopers face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Local NAACP president, Rev. Ambrose Douzart, gave his reaction to the charges saying, "They have got to be held accountable. There are no ifs or buts about it". Douzart also said that if LSP is to regain the public trust, they must be held accountable. That is especially true in the case of Black people who "want to feel confident" that whether they call on an officer or are stopped, they don't want to wind up as a victim. Douzart said that policies and procedures should be re-examined, and the current LSP Supt. Lamar Davis said the agency is now in the process of doing it. Douzart said officers should undergo stress training to prepare for challenging scenarios.