Oklahoma City Cop Who Allegedly Raped 13 Women While On Duty, Majority Black, Gets All-White Jury

The individual pictured above is former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw. He is accused of raping and sexually assaulting more than a dozen women while on duty. The youngest was a 17-year-old minor. The oldest, a 58-year-old woman, and the first victim to come forward last year, was forced into giving Holtzclaw oral sex. She was so traumatized by her assault that she was afraid to leave her home afterward. The vast majority of Holtzclaw’s victims were Black women.

And yet, only White people were chosen during jury selection to decide what to do with this twisted individual, a majority of them male–eight men and four women. The trial began on Monday with jury selection completed Tuesday.

Holtzclaw, who has been charged with 36 felony counts that include rape, sexual battery, indecent exposure, stalking, burglary and forcible oral sodomy, is facing a possible life sentence. And that life sentence would make sense considering that a man who was supposed to protect and serve went after poor women, some with records, and forced them into horrifying sexual encounters to avoid ending up in jail. A man who was not only scary because of the power he had as an officer (you know they feel invincible and what not), but also because he was massive: a 6-foot-1 and 260-pound former NFL hopeful. In August 2014, Holtzclaw was finally arrested and fired in January 2015.

Now that his trial has commenced, according to Jezebel, the defense has already started going after the reputations and records of the alleged victims, claiming they have “street smarts like you can’t imagine,” while stating that Holtzclaw is your standard “All American good guy.” The streets vs. an All-American. Poor Black women vs. a revered White cop. Don’t underestimate the power of language used in these trials. Especially when it’s being directed toward an all-White jury.

Where is Judge Olu Stevens when you need him?

Considering that there was a Justice for Daniel Holtzclaw Facebook page and that the jury chosen include no people of color, it’s hard to feel anywhere near comfortable or confident that these women will get the justice they are seeking. All that despite the evidence, including GPS tracking devices attached to Holtzclaw’s police vehicle, which followed him to locations where victims said they were taken to be assaulted. Devices that also tracked Holtzclaw back to some of the victim’s homes where he again assaulted some and intimidated others.

And while his alleged crimes against these women of color are quite disgusting, what’s also disgusting is that not only is the jury full of White folks, but the alternates don’t even include one Black person according to the New York Daily News.

The trial is set to continue throughout November.

AP