Heather Ellis Takes the Plea Deal: Dr. Boyce Breakdown

Update: 11/21/09 - 7:01 pm - Heather Ellis breaks her silence in an exclusive interview with AOL Black Voices.

Reports are stating that Heather Ellis, the woman who faced up to 15-years in prison in an incident that started with cutting in line at a Walmart, has taken a plea deal from the prosecutor. I've been actively involved in the case, and we were all surprised to hear that a deal had been taken. But after speaking to Heather's father this morning, we are both in agreement that the fight for justice can go on without making his young daughter into a casualty. I personally felt that he should not leave the future of his child in the hands of a jury from a town like Kennett, MO. During a radio interview with Dr. Wilmer Leon, Pastor Nathaniel Ellis stated that it was after seeing his daughter break down over the possibility of getting prison time that he realized that he needed to protect his child. He and the family still hold to the same contention I've shared all along: This was not about Heather being a "bad person" or even whether she broke the law: It was about whether or not the violations she may have committed justified her going to prison. The fact that she is not getting any prison time proves that, all along, Heather Ellis is not and was not anybody's felon. I personally didn't care much about the misdemeanors.

According to the terms of the deal, Ellis will plead guilty to disturbing the peace and resisting arrest. She will also serve a year of unsupervised probation, attend an anger management course and serve four days in jail before the end of the year. Also, if she stays out of trouble for the year, the charges will be sealed and the arrest will not be on her permanent record.I don't have a statement on the outcome yet, as some of you know that I held a rally in Kennett, MO on behalf of the Ellis family. I was surprised to see this outcome, but there is a part of me that is pleased that this is over. The challenge, at this point however, is that while this is over for Heather Ellis, there are tens of thousands of other African Americans being devastated by a justice system that uses prosecutor intimidation to achieve its goals. I fully intend to continue pushing for a Department of Justice Investigation, since this case was always about more than Heather Ellis.

As of this moment, I simply plan to meet with my legal team, think things through and then discuss the issue at a later date. This has been draining.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

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