Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Driving While Black: The Terrence Jones Story (w/ video) - Black Man Wins Case and Sues County Prosecutor

A few months ago, I had an ongoing conversation with friends, which led into debate on this very topic. It was back around the time when Oscar Grant was killed by a police officer. I could remember me saying to them, that it's important to know your rights as a citizen per the constitution when dealing with cops. I could remember me saying that knowledge of your rights was important. Uh huh, I could remember some of my friends saying that it was irrelevant to our survival in encounters with the police.

I'm sure amnesia would kick in and they probably don't remember saying that should I bring it back up. That said, I'd like you to meet Terrence Jones. See him in the pic sitting on that nice shiny Jaguar? Yeah, that's him. Did you happen to notice that he was Black? Of course you did. Just like the police when they see a Black man driving a "nice car" that he shouldn't be able to afford, you noticed he was Black as well. You see, that was Mr. Jones' problem back in 2007.

Late one night, while driving his Lincoln Navigator - you know, the type of vehicle that if you're Black, you have to be a drug dealer to afford? - He was pulled over by the police in South Harrison, Gloucestor County in Pennsylvania. From what I hear, this area is nothing like the "hoods" of Philly, where Mr. Jones worked for 11yrs as a police officer. Plainly speaking, this place by no means is attractive to the "hood" elements. It's my guess that the police are intent on keeping it this way, hence their reason for pulling Terrence over.

Upon being stopped, he was questioned by the cop as to if he had been drinking, and if they (the police) can search his truck. To which, Terrence let it be known that he is not a drinker, and NO, they cannot search his car. Well, being the good officer that Officer Schaeffer was, he ordered Terrence out of the car, and administered a sobriety test because as he saw it, "he was acting shady." Yes, those were his exact words he uttered to a backup officer who was called. After which, he questioned Mr. Jones about being in possession of anything illegal in his car. Terrence Jones said no. However, the good officer wasn't satisfied; he peeped his head in the car to sniff for drugs.

Jones was never ticketed and was left to go his merry way. Shaken by the obvious episode where he did no wrong, Jones wrote a letter of complaint to the police chief. After about a week went by without any response, he decided to call the station. He was told that they would send somebody out to take a report at his home personally. Great, problem solved, right? Wrong! How about the police never showed up, and instead, a grand jury indicted Jones for filing a false report, and he faced up to 18 months in prison for the offense. Having done no wrong, Jones pleaded not guilty and took it to trial.

Well, he won, and now he's suing the department for violation of his civil rights? How about that? How about the Judge was appalled, and threw the case out? How about the judge was upset at the fact that he was indicted without even presenting any of the DASH CAM evidence to the grand jury? Evidence which clearly showed Mr. Jones' refusal to having his car searched. How about the judge said that when the cop leaned into this man's window and decided to snoop around it constituted a search? How about the police chief said he never received a letter? But upon receiving the call a week later, when questioning the cop, he (the officer in question) decided to invoke his right to remain silent? After which, the chief turned it over to the prosecutor for them to files the false report charges?

How about that?

How about the cop knowing his rights, and Terrence Jones knowing his as well to not consent to a search of his vehicle? How about that? How about Terrence Jones is going to win this lawsuit for lord knows how much money is involved? How about knowing your rights are half the battle?

READ FULL STORY HERE

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:

20 comments:

achoiceofweapons said...

It could have been any one of us at any time in any city. That's the chilling part. He didn't even tell the officer hey I'm a cop! Not that it would have mattered.
Jaycee

Dope Fiend said...

Word to ya motha! lol

my friend you speak sense, much sense!

cinque said...

Forget the money. Money can't buy back this man's self respect, humanity, dignity or his peace of mind. New Jersey can't buy, with any amount of money, what this man lost in this fight for his human dencency. His right to be treated humanly. I can't stand these stories, they make me sick for what has never changed in the country.....that black people are not human, that they have no rights a white/policeman are bound to respect.......EVER. Yes it may cost them a few dollars but what did it cost Terrence Jones????

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

Jones role modeled proper behavior for all of us:
1. Know your rights.
2. Document by going through the proper channels.
3. Sue their asses.
4. Win some big cash, travel, and
drink My Thais.

uglyblackjohn said...

He was (is) smart because he;
DID NOT make it a racial issue.
DID make it a Civil Rights issue.

uglyblackjohn said...

He was (is) smart because he;
DID NOT make it a racial issue.
DID make it a Civil Rights issue.

Anonymous said...

Damn Straight! Know Your Rights... Read The Constitution!

Keep preaching it Brother RiPPa!

Anonymous said...

Little do people know that Terence Jones has accused countless white people over the past decade for supposed death threats and racial crimes. In philadelphia when he was a cop, he shot and paralyzed an innocent man and accused him of pulling a gun on him, back in 1995. 3 Years later, in 1998, he shot and killed an innocent white male sleeping in his cousins car. Then he moved to Illinois where he called the police and said a white man in a mini van was following him and pulled a gun on him. The police found the man and searched his vehicle and found no such gun. Also, in Illinois, Jones supposedly ran 3 blocks to the police station and told cops that he was carjacked at gun point by two white guys. The police investigated and found no foot prints or tire tracks in the snow where he said it happened. A few days later they found his car 2 blocks away with the keys in it and a full tank of gas. Then in New Jersey he accused a white man of pulling a 9mm glock on him while he was driving down the road. Several months later he went to police telling them 2 white males in hoodies and ski masks pulled 9mm glocks on him and told him to drop his charges against the man he was accusing or they would kill him. The prosecutors office investigated and asked neighbors and found it hard to prove something like that happened in the middle of his development in broad daylight. Then he went after the New Jersey mans family stating they tryed running him off the road. Then after that he accused a white male teenager of threatening to kill him and his family. Terence Jones seems to me to be the criminal and needs to be stopped before he does this to someone else or worse kills someone again!!!

Anonymous said...

http://revcom.us/a/v22/1052-059/1056/philly.htm

Scroll down half the page to read this article.

The victims who were remembered on May 13 were mostly Black--but there were also a number of white people in the march whose family members or friends were murdered by the police. George Webb explained how his cousin Tommy died: "On November 29, 1998 my cousin Thomas Webb got locked out of our apartment... and found refuge in my car that was parked outside our building. He got into my car through a vent window which had been broken a week prior to the incident. A neighbor alerted a cop that lived in our building that someone was breaking into a car outside the building. Police officer Terrance Jones, an 11-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, grabbed his pistol then went outside and savagely shot my cousin in the abdomen as he was sitting in the car...

"If you come from poverty, if you're poor, low income families, they take everything and drain you down to the ground. They use you, they abuse you and that's what happened in our case. We need to get together and stop it now before it happens to anyone else. It's unfortunate that we have to gather today under these circumstances, but it's also a good feeling to see so many people out here crying for help." Tommy's family finally succeeded in getting the cop who killed Tommy dismissed, but he has still not been charged with murder.

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madmad said...

the story is not as reported by the press . it was not in south harrision, it was woolwhich twp. jones did file a complaint, he filed a written complaint against the cop. in the complaint about 75% was found to be total fabrication [ he lied ] He lies alot. he was dismissed as a phily cop. he knows about violating civil rights first hand. they called him the terminator at the police ststion. his neighbors call him pinocheo jones. hes family and neighbors live in fear of this guy. he has a record going back years. the judge that ruled in his favor must be on crack. or just a doope who bought his act.

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Kit (Keep It Trill) said...

Saw the link to this post from your current one. So glad that guy stood up for his rights. What great happy ending story.

autoparts said...

Right! Right! say it again... yest, you should know what's your right and what's right.. right? LOL

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Anonymous said...

fast forward 9 years later , and a guy taking pictures for a bank is near his home in a public street, jones asks him what he is doing, while seemingly recording him, and the white guy says it is none of his business, the liar Jones then gets in his car and follows the guy, slowly rolling through several towns stopping at lights etc, and the guy just kept going, on his way, wondering what the guy was doing. eventually 2 police cars pull the guy over, (he called 911 when he was following) Jones pulls in behind. He tells the police the white guy threatened him and used a racial slur, flat out lies. when Harrison twp came they informed the guy was told by 911 (he called 911) not to follow me. the guy advised the officers that Jones video recorded the encounter, yet he declined to show the police, Why? it did not support his lies. The officer proceeded to tell me they already know him, and that off the record, he is a notorious liar. who just tries to make trouble for anybody white. He had 3 officers from 2 towns needlessly involved in this over his lying hole, just because the guy did not have to tell him someone elses business. . Terrence Jone, The guy is a flat out liar.

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