It was supposed to be a pretty small deal, but it kept growing and growing,'' said Gary Gardner of Vigo Park, who helped organize the protest. I think it made a lot of impact seeing all those kids up there holding signs. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Yul Bryant against Swisher County Sheriff Larry Stewart, undercover agent Tom Coleman and District Attorney Terry McEachern. The action was filed by Amarillo civil rights attorney Jeff Blackburn, who has made a name for himself taking on controversial and unpopular cases. Court documents allege law enforcement officials intentionally singled out Bryant for false arrest because he was black, violating his civil rights.
Responses filed by all three defendants deny the allegations.
The lawsuit galvanized the supporters of law enforcement in Tulia, resulting in the formation of the Citizens for Swisher County. Many in town say the response was spurred by the charges against Stewart in particular. Sheriffs in the rural counties of the Texas Panhandle generally enjoy an amount of respect not given to law officers in larger cities, and Stewart enjoys an even higher regard than the norm. Many on the other side of the controversy also hold Stewart in high regard, despite their opposition to the arrests. Stewart's popularity is so high that he has not faced an election opponent since he was appointed sheriff in 1991.