Convictions challenged
The week's news at a glance.
Tulia, Texas
Law enforcement officials this week challenged the honesty of a crusading undercover officer who arrested 10 percent of a small town’s black population on drug charges. Former policeman Thomas Coleman conducted a one-man sting operation that led to the arrest of 40 black people, with 22 later sentenced to lengthy jail terms, including terms of 60, 99, and 434 years. The only evidence in the case was Coleman’s testimony that he sold them drugs. Four defendants have challenged their convictions, and in hearings law enforcement officials from Tulia and neighboring towns testified that Coleman’s police work was worthless. One described Coleman as a “paranoid gun nut,” and another called him a racist. Coleman conceded some of his testimony in the cases might be in error, but said he was “a regular, normal human being, Texan.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The ultimate films of 2024 by genre
From the Magazine In a year dominated by sequels, here are the releases that impressed the critics, from Hollywoodgate and Twisters to Poor Things and Atomic People
By The Week UK Published
-
The big art stories of 2024
In depth From the rediscovery of a long-lost painting and the year's highest sale price to the artwork eaten by its new owner
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: December 29, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published