We have all seen US tv series where the local Corporation or rich man runs everything, including the Police and the courts. It is surprising that in real life, it does happen. I remember watching a documentary, "Harlan County, USA" that dealt with the 1973 Kentucky miners strike. We witnessed how the company brought in strikebreakers, who were in reality, hired guns. Local Police stood by and did nothing when strikers were threatened with death by gun toting thugs. It was pretty clear that when the company said jump, the local cops screamed "How High?" One man was shot dead by the leader of the thugs, and was actually filmed firing his gun from a vehicle as he drove past. What did the cowards in uniform do? Absolutely nothing! The strikers had to petition a judge for an arrest warrant for murder against the shooter, but the "Chief" of Police, point blank refused to arrest him. Too frightened of upsetting the company bosses. But the shooter was arrested. After the strikers literally had to force him to act. What was tv fare, was in fact, reality, in front of my eyes.
Another way of looking at this cowardice on the parts of Law Enforcement, was in the town of Skidmore, which is situated in Northwest Missouri. A man was allowed to run amok and commit whatever crimes he wanted, to hide behind a lawyer who bent & twisted the law to suit his client, intimidate townspeople. The cops and the courts had no spine when it came to this urban terrorist. That brilliant actor Brian Dennehy, played this man in the film "Killing In A Small Town." His name was Ken McElroy. McElroy hailed from a very large family, and indulged in any type of crime that crossed his path. Rustling, rape, arson, theft, assault, and on top of that, he was a paedophile. He loved to have sex with very young girls, and married at least six young girls. He had a total of ten children with these girls. (They were an age where here you would have to go into prison segregation!) The parents of one girl, who was only THIRTEEN, objected but McElroy subjected them to savage intimidation, forcing their "consent." Alas, state laws did not permit a wife to testify against her husband.
If somebody displeased McElroy, the intimidation would begin with himself, his wife, and grown up daughters, would all drive cars slowly past the "offenders" home, time and again. McElroy would brandish a rifle. Complaints to the Police would be rendered useless by the lawyer McElroy paid. He simply terrorised the town. Then the downfall came. Two of his daughters went into a local store. One picked up candy but neglected to pay for it. The store owner shouted at her to stop. The other took the sweets and threw them back at the owner and left. Another daughter shouted at the owner that nobody accused any of them of theft. McElroy fired a sawn off shotgun at the store owner, wounding him. As always, nothing was done by the Police. Some townspeople had had enough of McElroy and his brood and the spineless attitude of Police. It was July 10th 1981. McElroy drove into town, sat in his car, when several shots rang out. McElroy slumped over dead. When Police started questioning the people that where there when the shots - from several guns - were fired, nobody saw a thing. They were preoccupied when it all happened, or looking in the opposite direction. The case remains unsolved. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
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