The two Black men who were tortured and beaten by a group of vigilante Mississippi deputies faced their attackers in court this week. What’s so interesting is the men get to suggest their federal sentencing.
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“Everything needs to be done right because everything has been done wrong,” s Eddie Parker, one of the victims, said in a news conference.
Parker and Michael Jenkins sat in the courtroom in front of former Rankin County Sheriff’s deputies Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Daniel Opdyke, Jeffrey Middleton and former Richland Police Department officer Joshua Hartfield to express what they believed to be a fitting sentence for the men who attacked them: the maximum sentence possible, per CNN. The so-called “Goon Squad” pleaded guilty to federal charges including deprivation of rights under color of law and obstruction of justice in connection to the 2023 incident.
Parker and Jenkins outlined in a lawsuit the horrid chain of events that occurred that resulted in a no-knock raid, brutal beating, sexual assault and the crucial damage to Jenkins’ jaw after being shot in the mouth.
Now, each of them are trading in their badges for orange jumpsuits.
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“The day of justice has finally come,” said Malik Shabazz, lead attorney for Parker and Jenkins. “We want the maximum sentence.”
“The nation is watching, police officers are watching. The families are watching. And they want justice,” Shabazz added.
During Monday’s news conference, Shabazz discussed what he called their “expectations of justice,” outlining the incident and reading from the court documents.
“Kristen Clarke, US Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, has just reached out to Michael Jenkins, Eddie Parker and their families,” Shabazz told CNN on Friday. “AAG Clark expressed her commitment to civil rights and to eliminating racial intimidation under the color of law in Mississippi.”
Jenkins’ mother also called for the group to faces the harshest punishment, saying they should receive the same consideration they gave her son when they ambushed and abused him for those fateful 90 minutes, the report says. Each ex-cop faces between 20 and 30 years in prison.
The squad also pleaded guilty to state charges but still they await sentencing on those counts. Jenkins and Parker are expected to testify this week when the judge confirms how long the disgraced officers are going to spend behind bars.
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