Good News Tuesday: Jack Thomas Fights for Human Rights in Frederick MD

Our minds float to places like Gaza, Somalia or Haiti when we think about human rights. As such, it intrigued me to learn about a man willing to take up the fight for human rights in his own home town.

Jack Thomas Sr. became involved with the Frederick County Human Relations Commission in 2006 after the controversy surrounding the arrest of six African American students in Jena LA, resulting from the beating of a white classmate. [SOURCE]

Thomas joined a rally at the Frederick County Courthouse to bring attention to the Jena Six, the severity of the charges and the appearance of racially motivated circumstances that led to the beating.

"I felt like I owed it to myself to get involved in the community," he said.

Thomas, 55, was born and raised in Frederick , attended Frederick High School, college at Bowie State University and graduate school at Colorado Technical University, where he received a master's degree in program management.

An information technology specialist for 33 years, Thomas has lived and worked in Minnesota, Colorado and Florida and worked in IT-related positions for telecommunications, banks and insurance companies.

He has helped develop background systems and applications for these companies to ensure everything from their websites to their ATMs worked properly.

Thomas works in Virginia for Freddie Mac as a technical project manager consultant.

In 2001, Thomas moved back to Frederick to be closer to his extended family and friends.

"I felt like it was important to get back home," he said.

One change to Frederick that he noticed was the dispersal of a once-vibrant Black community, he said.

"That sense of community that existed back then has changed significantly," he said.

Now Black residents have integrated into the community, which he described as having positive and negative consequences.

"It's really good in that people get to branch out and be involved in other things," he said. "We're all one country."

On the other hand, "it's always bad when you lose sight of where you came from," he said.

Thomas had taken small steps to engage himself in the affairs of the community, but the Jena Six served as the final incentive he needed.

He spoke with the former chairman of the Human Relations Commission, Sam Bennett Jr., who encouraged him to join the volunteer group, where he serves as treasurer.

Through the years, Thomas has seen his share of people treating others unfairly. Overall, the rights of citizens in the United States have become more equal than in other places he has traveled, such as Ghana. Still, he said, improvements are needed.

"I try to make a difference, so we can bring about some equality and equal rights for all people in the Frederick area," he said.

Jack Thomas reminds all villagers that it is important to make a difference in our own neighborhoods ... our own communities.


Seek not for fresher founts afar,
Just drop your bucket where you are.

Wisdom is right in front of the man with understanding, but the fool does not see it. He roams all over the world in search of what is right under his nose. The fool is like the proverbial cow who always thinks the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. The wise man sees plenty of green grass in the field where he is. The fool can be enthusiastic about what might be if only things were different, and he was someplace else, or somebody else. He can dream of the opportunities of the future in far off places, but the wise man sees the opportunities before his eyes right where he is. Which of these two kinds of vision you have will determine the success you make of your life.

Taser Lawsuit: Jarrell Gray (Frederick County, MD)

Frederick County Sheriff’s Office deputy Rudy Torres killed Jarrel Gray in November 2007 with his taser. Deputy Sheriff Torres didn't spend any time in jail.

Hopefully, he will spend some time in the poor house after he deals with a $10 million lawsuit filed by Gray's family.

Torres tried to have the case dismissed. The judge told him that the case would go to trial and that it will be up to a jury to determine whether the use of force was appropriate.

Torres has said he shocked Gray twice because he failed to obey his commands after a fistfight. What Torres doesn't say? Jarrel Gray was hearing-impaired.

I anticipate that some of the 24 people killed by tasers in 2009 will eventually be filing lawsuits as well.

NAACP Investigates Excessive Use of Tasers by Police

I was glad to see that the NAACP Frederick County Branch is seeking information and testimony from people about alleged excessive use of Tasers by police. NAACP has been looking into the use of tasers after the death of Jarrel Gray in November 2007 by Frederick County Sheriff’s Office deputy Corp. Rudy Torres.

An internal investigation done by the Frederick City Police shows that deputies never checked Gray's pulse after he'd been shocked twice. His pulse wasn't checked until emergency medical personnel got on the scene four to five minutes later. The medics discovered Gray was in cardiac arrest and started doing CPR.

Gray, who is hearing impaired, had been one of four people fighting in the parking lot of the Gresham Court East townhouse complex around 5 a.m. Nov. 18. Cpl. Rudy Torres had said he ordered all four people to show their hands, and when Gray did not comply, he used a Taser.

The internal investigation includes interviews with two men and a woman who were friends of Gray's and with deputies on the scene. One witness told investigators Gray, who had his hands in front of his pants, was very drunk on Grey Goose vodka and didn't want his grandmother to see him that way.

Witnesses on the scene had yelled to Torres that Gray was too drunk to comply with an order to show his hands. Gray, according to Torres, repeatedly told him he was not doing anything.

None of the witnesses said Gray moved, spoke or showed any sign of consciousness after the first shock. Yet, 23 seconds after the first shock, Torres tasered Gray a second time because Gray refused to show his hands.

Another deputy on the scene told investigators that after Gray was tasered, he was on the ground with his hands beneath him. He said it looked as though Gray was struggling to keep his hands beneath him. The deputy thought Gray "must have something very important he doesn't want us to see." When Gray was rolled over by deputies, the deputy said he thought Gray had "passed out."

Torres, who has been cleared of wrongdoing by a grand jury, said he didn't realize Gray was in medical distress until CPR was being done. Gray died three hours later.

The medical examiner said the cause of Gray's death was a combination of the method of restraint, in this case the Taser, alcohol intoxication, and Gray's anatomical unique makeup.

Gray's family filed a $145 million federal lawsuit against Frederick County.

I hope that all NAACP branches take on this investigation into taser deaths and the use of force continuum in their local area. It is beyond time that these extra-judicial-electrocutions stop.

I wonder if there is an NAACP branch in Australia?