A small newspaper in rural Oklahoma secretly recorded what it mentioned was an unlawful public assembly the place a county official talked about hanging Black individuals and a number of other officers spoke of hiring hit males and digging holes for 2 of the newspaper’s reporters.
Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma mentioned on Monday that 4 officers in McCurtain County — the sheriff, jail administrator, a sheriff’s division investigator and a county commissioner — ought to resign.
But the sheriff’s workplace has argued that the recording violated state legislation as a result of it was made with out the consent of no less than one of many events concerned. The workplace additionally claimed the recording had been “altered,” though it was not clear how.
Clips of the recording launched on Friday night time by the newspaper, The McCurtain Gazette-News, have touched off shock and anger within the county of about 31,000 residents within the southeastern nook of the state, bordering Arkansas and Texas.
The Gazette-News, which was based in 1905 and doesn’t have an internet site, revealed a QR code on its entrance web page that linked to transcripts and audio clips of what it mentioned was an extended and meandering dialogue that passed off after a commonly scheduled county commissioners’ assembly on March 6.
The newspaper, which publishes 3 times every week, additionally ran a narrative in regards to the recording underneath the headline: “County officials discuss killing, burying Gazette reporters.”
On Monday, dozens of residents protested outdoors the workplace of the board of county commissioners, holding indicators that deplored racism and demanding the resignation of the sheriff, Kevin Clardy, and different county officers. In an anticipation of the protest, a county hospital introduced that it was going into lockdown.
“Let’s call it what it is — it’s hate, and the community is tired of it,” mentioned Lonnie Watson, 51, an area instructor and retired corrections officer who’s Black and joined the demonstration.
Bruce Willingham, who has been writer and editor of The Gazette-News since 1988, mentioned he made the key recording on March 6 by leaving his voice-activated recorder within the room the place county commissioners have been assembly. He mentioned he wished to show that officers have been discussing county business after the assembly had led to violation of the state’s open-meeting legislation.
He mentioned he had consulted with attorneys who assured him that the recording was authorized so long as the officers have been speaking about public business. “This was all an ongoing public meeting,” he mentioned.
After the assembly was over, he mentioned, he retrieved his recorder and listened to the three-hour dialogue. “I thought I was going to hear a lot of small talk about county business, but as it got farther along, they started talking about bizarre things,” Mr. Willingham mentioned.
According to the transcript launched by the newspaper, Mark Jennings, a county commissioner, talked about hanging Black individuals by a creek. “But you can’t do that anymore,” he mentioned, based on the transcript. “They got more rights than we got.”
Mr. Jennings, Sheriff Clardy and Alicia Manning, a sheriff’s workplace investigator, additionally complained about Mr. Willingham and his son, Christopher Willingham, a reporter for The Gazette-News, based on the newspaper.
Christopher Willingham sued Sheriff Clardy, Ms. Manning and the board of county commissioners final month, claiming that he had been slandered in retaliation for an eight-part investigative collection he wrote in regards to the sheriff’s workplace in 2021 and 2022.
“I know where two big deep holes are here if you ever need them,” Mr. Jennings mentioned on the recording, based on the transcript.
The sheriff responded: “I’ve got an excavator.”
Mr. Jennings replied: “Well, these are already pre-dug.”
At one other level, based on the transcript, Mr. Jennings mentioned, “I’ve known two or three hit men, they’re very quiet guys.”
“Yeah?” Ms. Manning responded.
“And would cut no mercy,” Mr. Jennings mentioned, including an expletive.
Bruce Willingham mentioned he had turned over the total audio recording to the police and the F.B.I.
“I’ve been concerned for my safety and working closely with law enforcement,” he mentioned in an interview on Monday. “On Friday, I thought I was writing my last editorial. I thought something might happen to me.”
A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Oklahoma City mentioned the bureau doesn’t verify or deny investigations. The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office mentioned: “We can confirm that we are investigating the situation in McCurtain County, but have nothing else we can comment on at this time.”
Governor Stitt mentioned that he deliberate to ask the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to find out whether or not any unlawful conduct had occurred. He additionally known as for the resignations of Sheriff Clardy, Ms. Manning, Mr. Jennings and the county jail administrator, Larry Hendrix.
“I am both appalled and disheartened to hear of the horrid comments made by officials in McCurtain County,” the governor mentioned in an announcement. “There is simply no place for such hateful rhetoric in the state of Oklahoma, especially by those that serve to represent the community through their respective office.”
Sheriff Clardy, Ms. Manning and Mr. Jennings didn’t instantly reply to telephone messages and emails on Monday and Tuesday. Mr. Hendrix mentioned he had been suggested to not remark.
In an announcement launched on Monday, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned that an investigation had begun into violations of state communications legislation.
“Many of these recordings, like the one published by media outlets on Friday, have yet to be duly authenticated or validated,” the assertion mentioned. “Our preliminary information indicates that the media released audio recording has, in fact, been altered. The motivation for doing so remains unclear at this point. That matter is actively being investigated.”
The assertion additionally claimed that the audio didn’t match the newspaper’s transcription.
Christin Jones, a lawyer for the Willinghams and The Gazette-News, mentioned in an e-mail on Tuesday: “It is an accurate recording and does not violate the Oklahoma Security of Communications Act. The full audio is planned to be released on Thursday.”
Mayor Craig Young of Idabel, Okla., the county seat, mentioned that he had joined the demonstration on Monday and supported the decision for Sheriff Clardy and different officers to resign. Mr. Young, who’s Black, mentioned the feedback on the recording didn’t replicate the values of the group.
“Our community is not so racist and so divided,” he mentioned. “We’re not like that. They don’t speak for our community.”
Bruce Willingham additionally mentioned that the feedback on the recording have been “not reflective of the community.”
“This community has really held together well, and has been supportive, generally,” he mentioned. “This is really shocking behavior from public officials — just really shocking and surprising.”
Source: www.nytimes.com