8 October—Back in May, in Childersburg, Alabama, a trio of cracker cops arrested a black pastor as he was watering his neighbor’s flowers. And last month Pastor Michael Jennings filed a federal lawsuit for false arrest, alleging the fuzz violated his civil rights and caused emotional distress and “significant PTSD type symptoms,” including nightmares and flashbacks. He wants a jury trial and unspecified monetary damages. Plus legal fees, of course.

Pastor Jennings deserves to get everything he’s asking for. He probably won’t, though, in large part because Alabama cops have qualified immunity, which in simple terms means they (like virtually all public-sector employees) can’t be sued in civil process for doing their job unless they were violating “clearly established” law.

Connecticut police deservedly lost their qualified immunity a couple of years ago, after it had been abused time and again by rotten-apple, irresponsible, poorly trained, and/or simply unsuitable cops and enforced by judges, many of whom would have preferred otherwise. The law needed to be changed in favor of justice. One of the few good things accomplished by Ned Lamont and his General Assembly.

Even though good cops who do the right thing have nothing to worry about, the police lobby wants to get its qualified immunity back. And then some, to restore and enhance their extraordinary privilege. Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski promises to give the cops what they want. That’s why they endorsed him.

Back to Pastor Jennings, himself a former cop, who was in fact doing a favor for his across-the-street neighbors—at their request—while they were away. The Childersburg cops naturally maintain they were merely doing their job because the pastor, who identified himself but refused to produce identification, was acting suspicious.

Watering flowers certainly is suspicious behavior. Especially when a black man does it in Alabama. A video, which I haven’t seen, evidently has the cops conspiring to stitch Jennings up to preserve their qualified immunity.

The case against Pastor Jennings was dismissed in June. In August the Childersburg police chief resigned, after alcohol was smelled on his breath after a motor vehicle accident. Perhaps not connected with the Jennings travesty, but worth mentioning.

The Childersburg police chief wears three stars on his collar and probably has braid on his sleeves up to his elbow. Childersburg, Alabama (in Talladega County, by the way), had a population of 4,754 in the 2020 census, a little over half Litchfield’s. And a poorly rated police force of 18. Eighteen cops in one little town. Of the six homicides investigated in Childersburg from 2013 to 2021, five remain unsolved. Of course, no Alabama police force is rated too highly.

The populace is 55 percent white, 41 percent black. That shouldn’t matter. No idea of the racial makeup of the Childersburg PD, but there must be some police officers of the black persuasion on it. That shouldn’t matter either. But, first, wouldn’t you expect that in a pretty damn small town the police would—or should—know the residents, especially a clergyman? And, second, don’t the Childersburg fuzz have anything better to do than arrest people watering flowers?