Driver charged in brother’s death

Mom, yes I do have a pretty low opinion of this place… I have been here for most of the last 31 years, and I have been treated horribly by the people here simply because I was(am) a yankee and because I would NEVER ever use the “N” word.  I was called a “yankee “n” loving b**ch” all through high school…threatened with gang rape, beaten on an almost daily basis, just because I would not hate an entire race of people just because of their color.
I came from a state that was at the time 96% white…I didn’t know any black people. The only way I knew black people even existed was because I saw them on t.v. and I LIKED ALL THE BLACK FOLKS ON TV…so why would I just all of a sudden because it was the thing to do here, start using that filthy word, and harassing and hating a whole race?
And yes things have gotten better here, but they still have those KKK meetings down in Cottonwood, and I got handed a business card from the “grand dragon wizard poobah” dude from the Klan in Midland City just a couple years ago…so it’s still here and THAT is why I can’t stand it here.  I see it everyday, and I will lose my mind if I have to see it too much more…well that and the fact that there are fire ants, water moccasins, cottonmouths, alligators, and every manner of poisonous bug or creature known to man here.  Where I come from, I can run through my woods barefoot and fall asleep on my front lawn and the only thing that will happen to me is I might get bit by a stray skeeter or two.
I just have never been suited to this place and aside from it being cheap to live here, I can’t really think of one thing I like about it here. 
I have lived all over the country, but this is definitely the cheapest area to live.  That is why my family started moving here in the early seventies.  My other family members love it here, but this is just not the place for me I guess.
You seem like a nice person and I wish I had met more like you back in ‘78 when I moved here…to Ozark as a matter of fact…folks were ok there as I remember…I did eighth grade at DA Smith school, then we moved to Midland City and that’s when I found out that southerners really didn’t like yankees.
Funny cos I THOUGHT the Civil War ended like a hundred years before I was born…guess I was wrong as far as Midland City is concerned.
Blessed Be to you and yours Mom.

Just so you know, I did not create the euphemism “the Dirty South”.  A nice old black man who has lived here his whole entire life told me that…and “U.C.L.A.“, as well(that means Ugliest Corner of Lower Alabama).
I, sir, am a D.A.M.N. Yankee and believe you me when I tell you as SOON as it is fiscally possible I WILL LEAVE THIS PLACE I CALL H.E.L.L. I don’t like it here and I have never liked it here, but unfortunately for me, life happens and I have yet to be able to escape.
Now back to the cop and his lady who “he knew”...um, yes I would have liked to have seen her arrested and made to pay a fine and lose her license, LIKE THE LAW SAYS SHE IS SUPPOSED TO DO IF SHE DRIVES OFF AND DOESN’T PAY FOR HER GAS.  I don’t care if it was just an “oversite” because she was late for work…if that had been just a regular Joe Public citizen, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED…period.  The law doesn’t say that if you know a cop or a cop knows you and knows where you live and your personal circumstances of “hardship”, that you will be absolved of all guilt.  Being late for work is not an excuse for a speeding ticket, why should it be allowed for someone stealing gas.  Because that is exactly what she did, on purpose or not.  She drove away without paying. The rest of us would have been handcuffed, put in the back of the police car and taken to jail. We would have been forced to get a bail bondsman, go to court and pay a fine and court costs and still lose our license.  Now that’s the way it is, and you don’t have to like it, but that IS the way of real life. 
It is a sad day when only friends and relatives of cops and other cops can be forgiven for their crimes.
Until you see that what this cop did WAS WRONG FOR ALL CITIZENS, you will continue to be part of the good old boy system of justice here.
If I was late for work and didn’t pay for my gas because I “forgot”, I WOULD HAVE GONE TO JAIL AND LOST MY LICENSE.
And I would venture to guess that this cop used this as a good excuse to maybe get a date from this “single mother”.
I wasn’t born yesterday you know.  They don’t do that kind of thing without an ulterior motive. I may be wrong, but I don’t know of any cop who is gonna go out of their way like that to keep from arresting someone who broke the law unless there was some PERSONAL interest in this woman.
Sorry.
I just know how they work.

PG65, First, I didn’t say he “knew” her. I said he knew who she was. A single mom with no “Good ol boy” standing in the community. Just a hard working woman who made an error. Should he have dragged her to jail in cuffs? Is that what you would have had him do? Sounds like it. Isn’t that what you guys were just complaining about? This is Enterprise, not Ozark.

Secondly, I really am sorry that you do not feel appreciated or compensated for the job you do. Many of us are in the same boat but must decide if our job is fulfilling or supports our families to make it worthwhile. Hardly anyone knows of the difference I make in making sure they live another day due to my job. I never get a pat on the back either. I am still thankful for the jobs our men and women do who serve us in various ways, including policemen and women.

I have lived all over this great nation of ours and I would rather live in the “Dirty South”, as you call it, than anywhere in the world. Maybe you should move on to greener pastures and see how you like it there. Take some illegals with you.

Mom, I have heard about some of the issues you face in your city. I sure hope things will be straightend out. In truth, the justice system in Ozark may be part of the reason for the decline in population. I, for one, would not want to live there. I sure hope things get better for you. I agree that each citizen deserves fair and respectful treatment by all who serve the public as well as all fellow man.

amazed…If that had been someone the cop didn’t know, they would have been hunted down, arrested, fined, lost their vehicle and their license…how is it ok that since your cop “knew” the person that drove off without paying, none of that happened? That is playing favorites and NOT ok in my book.  Your example is a perfect example of what’s wrong with the whole of the criminal justice system here in the “Dirty South”. It’s one of the things that is gonna keep this area the laughing stock of the country. As far as the cops being polite and respectful in the situation with your daughter’s wreck, WELL THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE PAID TO DO AND THEY DAGGONE SURE BETTER BE THAT WAY.  Why do cops get special kudo’s for just doing their job.  When I successfully deliver a product to it’s destination, there are no medal’s or plaque’s in my honor…I have done my job…what I am paid for, and not well either. 
Make excuses if you will, but the “Good Ol’ Boy” system of southern justice has got to stop.  The south can’t hide from the rest of the country anymore. Folks do care about injustice EVERYWHERE.

Enterprise may have wonderful cops who take their jobs and duties to the public seriously, and that’s wonderful. However, not all cities are that lucky. Ozark certainly isn’t. I’m sure there are a few officers in Ozark that take their jobs and duties seriously, but unfortunately, a lot of them don’t. There are no investigations in Ozark. They may tell you there are, but ultimately the police chief decides what the “findings” are and makes his press releases. And this has been confirmed to me by a VERY reliable source. To the officers who believe that ALL people should be treated equally no matter what their stature in the community may be, THANK YOU!!! To the officers who don’t, find another calling please. Innocent law abiding citizens shouldn’t be treated this way. We look to you to protect and serve…..