Filed under: News, Race and Civil Rights
On August 29, 2005, Henry Glover (Glover's mom, Edna, holds portrait above with family), 31, was shot to death by a policeman. A man looking to help, put Glover in the backseat of his car and drove him to a police station in order to get him care. Instead, he was beaten by police and his car was taken away from him.
Glover was never seen again.
Later it was discovered that the cop drove Glover to a Mississippi River levee and set him on fire.
On Thursday, ex-officer David Warren and ex-officer Gregory McRae (both pictured below) were found guilty for their involvement in Glover's death.
Glover, who was at the mall trying to get baby clothes for his child, was painted by police as an aggressive looter who appeared to have a gun. Warren testified that he was afraid for his life and acted appropriately for the situation.
Former police partner Linda Howard, though, countered Warren's claims, testifying on the stand that Glover was unarmed and posed no immediate threat.
For his part, McRae eventually admitted that he was responsible for setting Glover's body on fire and had his lawyer plead for leniency:
""I'm not saying what Mr. McRae did was right," said McRae's attorney, Frank DeSalvo. "It was foolish (but) there's no way he anticipated the pain and suffering it would cause another man's family."
U.S. District Judge Lance Africk had little pity for the officers:
"Henry Glover was not at the strip mall to commit suicide. He was there to retrieve some baby clothing," Africk said. "You killed a man. Despite your tendentious arguments to the contrary, it was no mistake. Henry Glover was gunned down because you believed he was a looter."
Warren was found guilty of manslaughter for shooting Glover and received more than 25 years. Africk also ordered Warren to pay Glover's family $7,642 for funeral costs.
McRae was convicted of burning Glover's body and then covering up the shooting. He received 17 years for his crime.
Convicted of false reporting and lying to investigators, Travis McCabe (pictured above) will be sentenced independently from Warren and McRae. Other officers thought to have gone rogue in the investigation were Lt. Dwayne Scheuermann, who also allegedly burned Glover's body, and Lt. Robert Italiano, who was charged with obstruction of justice for submitting false reports and lying to investigators.
Both Scheuermann and Italiano were cleared of all charges.
While it is a relief to see both Warren and McRae get their due, I can understand why Glover's aunte Rebecca Glover would say this after the sentencing:
"It's a joke and I'm very, very upset about it."
Warren could have received life imprisonment for his crimes, while McRae could have gotten 50 years.
From the time Warren and McRae signed on to be police officers, they were held up to a different standard than the rest of America's citizens.
Any officer who takes it upon his or herself to break the law, and in turn use their rank and authority to oppress the very people they are supposed to protect, should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
In other words, if Warren's maximum sentence is life for shooting an unarmed citizen, then he should serve out the rest of his days behind bars, and if McRae's maximum sentence is 50 years, he should be released from prison (surprise, surprise) 50 years from now.
The penal system is so quick to throw blacks in jail for getting caught with crack, but when two officers shoot an unarmed black men to death and then burn his body, they get a fraction of their maximum sentences ... and some want to argue that disparities in sentencing does not exist.
But perhaps I'm being ungrateful.
I mean, with the Amadou Diallos and Sean Bells of the world having officers get off scot-free, Warren's and McRae's sentences are a Godsend.
Either way, this case is just one of nine civil rights violations facing the New Orleans Police Department. Twenty New Orleans officers were charged for crimes last year, with five officers already pleading guilty, so this is just the beginning.
With hope, the remaining officers who are found guilty will actually get what they deserve.
Watch the full Henry Glover story here: