Problems in Paris, Texas

That context framed the response to McClelland's case. Many African-Americans immediately called the incident a hate crime, comparing it to the dragging death of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas, a decade ago. Some townspeople argue that troopers conducted the initial investigation carelessly because of McClelland's race. "The attitude is, 'It's some black kid. Oh, well, no big deal'," says Sharon Reynerson, an attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid who has been following the case closely. When Jacquline and an entourage visited the scene of her son's death several days after it occurred, they were shocked to find pieces of what they considered important evidence, including empty beer cans and bone fragments, which they preserved for possible use at trial. (A spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety says she is unable to comment on specifics of the case.)

Now blacks are pointing to other examples of alleged racial harassment or inequality. Last spring, for instance, an African-American man accused of sexual assault found graffiti outside his apartment threatening him to MOVE OUT N––––R OR DIE, WHICH was signed KKK. In a more recent incident, says Cherry, two white men who broke into a home and allegedly stabbed a black man who was staying there were only charged with burglary. (The police report mentions only an "assault," not a stabbing.)

Many whites in town consider such examples aberrations. Allegations of unequal justice are being fueled by misinformed gossip, says Gary Young, the Lamar County district attorney, who recused himself from the McClelland case because he represented Finley in his manslaughter case. In his four years on the job, he notes, no convicted murderer has been sentenced to less than 35 years—white or black. Mayor Jesse James Freelen says: "We need to quit pointing the finger" and focus on dialogue. But "I think we're really heading in the right direction." A new exhibit on African-American history at the county historical society explores the area's brutal legacy of lynching. And a year-old Paris Diversity Task Force is bringing together black ministers, county officials, law enforcement and civil-rights activists to work through racial matters.

Last Thursday evening, more than 100 people gathered at the Paris fairgrounds—the town's historic lynching post—for the third community dialogue on race sponsored by the Justice Department. At times, the gathering grew contentious. A young African-American woman from the New Black Panther Party's Dallas branch seized the microphone to complain about her alleged mistreatment in Paris. "We've never burned a cross on anybody's front lawn!" she shouted. "We've never lynched anybody!" Later, however, Vanessa Preston, 53 and black, said: "Yes, Paris has problems … But I am proud, damn proud of this little town." Throughout the discussion, many residents struck a pacifying tone. "If we don't have love in our hearts and understanding," said Rexi Stamper, 56 and white, "there is no way we can bridge the gaps." McClelland would undoubtedly have agreed.

© 2009