Before Jim Harrington, Austin attorney and director of the Texas Civil Rights Project can question an editorial about his verbal assault on the Police Monitor, Iris Jones, he should answer some questions. His recent op-ed in the Austin daily is filled with inaccuracies and omissions that I would like him to answer.

Why has his complaint about the police monitor shifted from her past dealings with the police department as city attorney ten years ago, to her past dealings with the housing authority five years ago? Has he shifted lawsuit gears from APD to now possibly AHA due to lack of substance for a lawsuit after grand jury findings? What exactly has her professional efforts in the past to do with her responsibilities in 2002 as Austin’s first police monitor?

How much money has he raised in the name of Sophia King to underwrite his lawsuit ambition against either APD or AHA? He states that within hours of the death of Sophia King her family “came to our office” and the entire staff went to the scene and began helping on her case.
What case did she have within hours after her death? How did the family know his office was the source of assistance they needed to retain?

Before I and others classify Jim as just an ambulance chaser taking advantage of a tragic situation, he should answer these important questions. His lack of making public his money raising efforts makes us suspect of his so called 30 years of doing non-profit civil rights work.

He states TCRP has no agenda of besmirching the police. Is this true when he constantly stated during media interviews police personnel involved in citizen shootings should be indicted and taken to court? I find it hard to believe he is unfairly cited as being anti-police when making public statements like that. I also want to know who among the Black leaders in Austin died and left him in charge of representing us in civil rights issues? Typical of the liberal klan in Austin today, Jim thinks we need a great white father when trouble comes - as if we are not astute enough to speak for ourselves. He compounds problems we can successfully overcome by disassociating ourselves from the liberal crowd he represents, and disavowing any claim he makes of being one of us. Without our advice or consent, he stood on the body of Sophia King and viciously attacked the integrity and professionalism of Iris Jones - but he thinks the reaction to that is just because he is White. While that may be part of the problem the majority of us have with Jim, it is not all.

His assumption that he can make inflammatory statements about the police officer involved in the incident, the department, and the newly appointed police monitor on behalf of the Black community is the main problem. Our efforts are directed at making peace with APD, not waging a war we can’t win and they don’t want. I personally can attest to the ongoing effort of the department and Black leadership to meet and confer on issues such as this, and Jim has not been a part of our group.

Giving the public the impression he is a spokesperson for whatever our problems are with the way we are policed in Austin is the problem. His being White only comes into play when we consider the unsophisticated way he has abused his perceived relationship with us since June 11, 2002. We want him to leave us alone now since he has no solutions that will help us avoid another such incident in the future. I support and applaud the Austin American-Statesman editorial about his actions, and strongly advise him to take it as the gospel of how we should all conduct ourselves until the last official investigation is complete in the death of Sophia King.

Rev. Garrett is a minister in Giddings and host of the KAZI-FM talk shows, “The Wake Up Show” and “The Breakfast Club.”