Deliberate Indifference : A Story of Racial Injustice and Murder

An award-winning investigative journalist recounts a story of a sanctioned murder and miscarried justice that brings home the hard truth about America's stubborn legacy of racism. 35,000 first printing. $25,000 ad/promo.

On Dec. 25, 1987, Loyal Garner Jr., a law-abiding black man who lived in Louisiana with his wife and six children, drove into Sabine County, Tex., with two friends. All three were arrested, although they were not told the charges. In the Hemphill, Tex., jail Garner was beaten unconscious by three officers; the next morning he was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Tyler, where he died a day later. Hemphill Police Chief Thomas Ladner had a reputation for abusing prisoners, but when he and his two assistants were arrested, the white community closed ranks behind them. The trial of the three officers for violating Garner's civil rights was held in Hemphill, where they were acquitted. The second trial, for murder, however, was held in Tyler, where all three were found guilty and received sentences of 10 to 28 years. The appeal of Ladner, who had drawn the longest sentence, was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court; appeals by the other two are pending. Swindle ( Once a Hero ), an editor at the Dallas Morning News , has written a devastating report about a segment of society he views as inbred, ignorant, racist, self-deluding and hypocritical.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Arrested with two friends for drunkenness in East Texas on Christmas day 1987, Loyal Garner Jr., was separated from them and taken into another part of the jail. He returned with a severe head injury, but police did not move him to a hospital until the following morning, and he subsequently died. The results of the autopsy, combined with testimony by Garner's friends and other prisoners, led to the arrest and prosecution of three Hemphill, Texas, policemen for civil rights violations and murder. Swindle, winner of a George Polk Award for investigative journalism, provides a careful account of the incident, the investigation, and the complex legal proceedings, painting a disturbing portrait of an insular community in which racism and police brutality were everyday realities. He also documents the determination of a number of lawyers and the bravery of ordinary citizens, white and black, who struggled to obtain justice through the legal system. This inspiring narrative is recommended for all collections.
- Ben Harrison, East Orange P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.