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Dear editor

I write to update you on the State of Texas vs. Terrance Watson Case #A190613-R scheduled for June 10, 2024. This marks the third attempt by our Orange County Assistant District Attorney Bard Anderson to try this case, which appears excessively vindictive.

Despite numerous concerns:

– Taxpayer burden

– Over 5 years of pursuit

– Two mistrials

– Juror hardship

– Defendant’s mental and financial stress

– Defendant’s exemplary citizenship

– Public trust erosion

– Video evidence suggesting innocence

– Priority misalignment with other cases

Recently, Latouia Dubois, Court Coordinator of 128th District Court, disclosed the trial’s postponement.

Judge Courtney Arkeen is no longer presiding, and Judge J.D. Langley of Brazos County’s 85th District Court takes over. The delay exacerbates legal limbo, impeding due process.

While condemning Terrance Watson’s actions, his rights as an American must be upheld. Peaceful protest isn’t a crime, and Brandon Scott’s actions, as seen in the video, violated Watson’s rights.

We cannot permit the manipulation of our judicial system to prosecute an innocent man, jeopardizing justice and perpetuating racial biases.

We, as Orange County residents, must unite against such injustice, rejecting the “good ole boys” system. This persistence burdens our strained judicial system, undermining fairness and equality.

By challenging this prosecution, we defend the defendant’s legal rights and oppose systemic injustices. We cannot allow personal biases to dictate legal outcomes, as articulated by past President Truman, President Theodore Roosevelt and Civil  Rights leaders.

As an elected leader representing City of Orange’s District 3 and Vice President of NAACP, I implore you to stand against injustice. Our collective voice can dismantle the divisions plaguing our county, echoing Martin Luther King Jr.’s timeless words “ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

— Terrie Turner Salter, Orange