There has been a new development in the case of the black woman brutally beaten by two Jasper, Texas police officers. Recently, I wrote about the story and featured video footage of Keyanika “Shea” Diggles being savagely beaten, and dragged by her feet to a jail cell after she was unable to come up with $150, which was the sum of an unpaid traffic ticket.

The video has since gone viral, and her story has gained some traction nationally. Which is a good thing given the not-so-distant racial history of Jasper, Texas. As I pointed out recently, it is not only the town where a black man, James Byrd Jr., was dragged to death. Jasper, Texas is also the town where the newly-elected first black police chief, Rodney Pearson, was removed from office in a special election called by an almost all-white city council only after 16 months on the job. Ironically, Pearson — then a state trooper — was the one forst on the scene when James Byrd Jr. was killed by three racist white men. So as you can see, times sure has changed in the small Texas town.

Watch Diggles’ interview:

Speaking to Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation yesterday, Diggles’ attorney, Cade Bernsen, explained that since her previous appearance on the show she has been receiving harassing phone calls. As I mentioned in my post highlighting the story, the two officers involved were fired. But, as Diggles’ attorney explains in the following interview, they were only fired after a whistleblower released the now infamous video. No word on the would-be whistleblower or his or her motive. But, with attention now brought to the incident, more than a few are not happy.

With calls for an investigation by an outside agency and subsequent criminal charges, it appears that the never dormant racial strife of Jasper, Texas is rearing its ugly head. Check out the following interview Sharpton conducted with Diggles’ attorney and a city councilman, Alton Scott, of Jasper, Texas. Bernsen has filed an injunction to protect and secure all evidence related to the video. He also alleges that there is a cover up. I’m not sure about the accuracy of the claim, but only an independent investigation can truly reveal, or substantiate said claim by her attorney.

Check out the yesterday’s interview:

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