In the summer of 1999, in the tiny west Texas town of Tulia, thirty-nine people, almost all of them black, were arrested and charged with dealing powdered cocaine. The operation, a federally-funded investigation performed in cooperation with the local authorities, was based on the work of one notoriously unreliable undercover officer. At trial, the prosecution relied almost solely on the uncorroborated, and contradictory, testimony of that officer, Tom Coleman. Despite the flimsiness of the evidence against them, virtually all of the defendants were convicted and given sentences as high as ninety-nine years. Tom Coleman was named a Texas Lawman of the Year for his work. Tulia is the story of this town, the bust, the trials, and the heroic legal battle that ultimately led to the reversal of the convictions in the summer of 2003. Laws have been changed in Texas as a result of the scandal, and the defendants have earned a measure of bittersweet redemption. But the story is much bigger than the tale of just one bust. As Tulia makes clear, these events are the latest chapter in a story with themes as old as the country itself. It is a gripping, marvellously well-told tale about injustice, race, poverty, hysteria, and desperation in rural America.
In the summer of 1999, in the tiny west Texas town of Tulia, thirty-nine people, almost all of them black, were arrested and charged with dealing powdered cocaine. The operation, a federally-funded investigation performed in cooperation with the local authorities, was based on the work of one notoriously unreliable undercover officer. At trial, the prosecution relied almost solely on the uncorroborated, and contradictory, testimony of that officer, Tom Coleman. Despite the flimsiness of the evidence against them, virtually all of the defendants were convicted and given sentences as high as ninety-nine years. Tom Coleman was named a Texas Lawman of the Year for his work. Tulia is the story of this town, the bust, the trials, and the heroic legal battle that ultimately led to the reversal of the convictions in the summer of 2003. Laws have been changed in Texas as a result of the scandal, and the defendants have earned a measure of bittersweet redemption. But the story is much bigger than the tale of just one bust. As Tulia makes clear, these events are the latest chapter in a story with themes as old as the country itself. It is a gripping, marvellously well-told tale about injustice, race, poverty, hysteria, and desperation in rural America.
Nate Blakeslee, a former editor of the Texas Observer, broke the Tulia story for the Observer in 2000. It was a finalist for a National Magazine Award. In 2004, he won the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award for his drug war reporting. Blakeslee's work has also appeared in Texas Monthly and The Nation. He is a Soros Justice Media Fellow. Born and raised in Texas, he lives in Austin.
"Reading this gripping account of the appalling Tulia case brought to mind Bill Gillespie, the police-chief played so convincingly by Rod Steiger in the film The Heat of the Night. Being real life, Blakeslee's story is much worse: 39 people, almost all black, convicted for drugs on the testimony (uncorroborated and contradictory) of one police officer. That he was uncovered and a colossal legal battle reversed the convictions goes some way towards mitigating a terrible miscarriage of justice." Publishing News "Blakeslee's riveting account of what proved to be a gross miscarriage of justice does not shy away from the moral complexities of the case...This is strong stuff and would make an interesting tale in almost any hands. But Nate Blakeslee uses his considerable journalistic skill and invaluable local knowledge to turn his account of what happened in Tulia into something exceptional... this account is utterly compelling. The next time you feel the urge to pick up a thriller, don't. Read Tulia instead." Scotland on Sunday "Tulia is a splendid read: engagingly and enthusiastically written, with close attention to detail and a grim sense of tragedy. By focusing on the experience of individuals such as Joe Moore, Blakeslee gives the tale a powerfully personal thrust, but what is really disturbing is that the case was not especially unusual. No one reading this book can fail to be horrified by the staggeringly corrupt and incompetent Texas justice system - a system capable of sentencing dozens of men for crimes they palpably never committed." Daily Telegraph"
"Reading this gripping account of the appalling Tulia case brought to mind Bill Gillespie, the police-chief played so convincingly by Rod Steiger in the film The Heat of the Night. Being real life, Blakeslee's story is much worse: 39 people, almost all black, convicted for drugs on the testimony (uncorroborated and contradictory) of one police officer. That he was uncovered and a colossal legal battle reversed the convictions goes some way towards mitigating a terrible miscarriage of justice." Publishing News "Blakeslee's riveting account of what proved to be a gross miscarriage of justice does not shy away from the moral complexities of the case...This is strong stuff and would make an interesting tale in almost any hands. But Nate Blakeslee uses his considerable journalistic skill and invaluable local knowledge to turn his account of what happened in Tulia into something exceptional... this account is utterly compelling. The next time you feel the urge to pick up a thriller, don't. Read Tulia instead." Scotland on Sunday "Tulia is a splendid read: engagingly and enthusiastically written, with close attention to detail and a grim sense of tragedy. By focusing on the experience of individuals such as Joe Moore, Blakeslee gives the tale a powerfully personal thrust, but what is really disturbing is that the case was not especially unusual. No one reading this book can fail to be horrified by the staggeringly corrupt and incompetent Texas justice system - a system capable of sentencing dozens of men for crimes they palpably never committed." Daily Telegraph"
Blakeslee, former editor of the Texas Observer, provides a damning look at how America's "War on Drugs" is failing by detailing events in tiny Tulia, TX. In 1999, 39 Tulia residents-mostly African American-were busted for distributing powdered cocaine. Everything about the drug bust and subsequent trials seemed stacked against the defendants. The Tulia task force, funded by a federal grant supposed to be used to combat drug dealing in rural and suburban areas, was staffed by undercover narcotics officer Tom Coleman, who had a very shaky record in law enforcement, with ex-wives, outstanding debts, and a theft charge hanging over his head. Sadly, the prosecutor, sheriff, and everyone involved aggressively pushed though convictions-and extremely long sentences-for most of those ensnared in the Tulia arrests. Finally, in 2003, all the convictions were overturned, and Coleman was indicted for perjury thanks to the hard work of many who had rallied to the cause, led by a young attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The story is huge and the players are many-13 attorneys were in the courtroom arguing to overturn the convictions-so at times keeping track of everyone is difficult. Nevertheless, this book covers an important issue-the failure of America's war on drugs and the trampling of civil rights in the process. Recommended for public policy collections.-Karen Sandlin Silverman, Ctr. for Applied Research, Philadelphia Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
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