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Heather Ellis is the woman who once faced up to 15-years in prison in an incident stemming from being accused of cutting the line at Wal-Mart.  We fought for Heather for weeks, but I’d never had a chance to actually speak with her.  Finally, she called me and we had the chance to talk.  It was a two hour conversation and she agreed to do an interview with me to let her side of the story get out to the world.

I can tell you, from my personal perspective, that the evidence in this case adds up badly for the police.  I am hopeful that our call for a federal investigation into the Kennett, MO police department is successful, and the ACLU is already pursuing charges of its own.  The officers who almost stole Heather’s freedom should not be allowed to abuse the civil rights of other American citizens.

Additionally, it was proven in court that the woman who accused Heather of cutting in line had actually pushed her first.  That changes the whole perspective on the disturbing the peace charge that was filed against her.  You can also hear in the interview about the cop who followed her out of the store, calling her disrespectful names and eventually tackling her when she asked him to stop.  This officer had been fired from a prior job for sexual harassment, so it is not out of the question that he said these things to Heather.

I encourage you to listen to the interview by clicking here.  It will give you the inside scoop on what was happening as the nation watched this case.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and the founder of the Your Black World Coalition.  For more information, please visit http://www.BoyceWatkins.com.