Ellis County Judge Suspected of Negroes ‘Negroes’ in Courthouse

Recent controversy over a historic sign in the basement of the Ellis County courthouse has taken an unusual turn after an act of vandalism.

Ellis County Judge Todd Little is a suspect along with another man in the eviction of the sign, who says “negroes”, according to court records. The criminal investigation was handed over to District Attorney John Creuzot of Dallas County after Ellis County prosecutors requested an order to withdraw.

No one has been charged and it is still under investigation. Few could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Someone spray-painted over the board last month, which hung over the spot where a water fountain once stood and was preserved as a reminder of the mistakes of the past. The sign became the center of a controversy involving Constable Curtis Polk Jr., the only black person serving in an elected province, after Polk objected in mid-November to moving his office to the basement of the courthouse. had to move and had to see the board every day.

After Polk’s story sparked a spate of negative publicity, Little offered the constable a private office in the courthouse in Waxahachie to solve the problem. Then there was a YouTube video that apparently showed Little urging another man, Ernest Henry Walker, to spray paint across the board, according to Ellis County court records.

Patrick M. Wilson, the outgoing district attorney for Ellis County, wrote in a court document that he wanted to deny that the vandalism recorded by Walker and posted online occurred on November 17th. The graffiti was an “attempt to erase historical signs of an era of segregation,” Wilson said in the document.

There is little in the video ‘heard and seen prominently’, and he ‘encourages and guides’ his alleged accomplice in the act of vandalism, the documentation reads. When Walker finished violating the plate, Little told the sheriff’s deputies in nearby Ellis County, “stand still and take no action,” Wilson said in the documentation.

“Little can also be considered a person with a legal duty to prevent the vandalism and who has not made a reasonable effort to prevent the act,” Wilson wrote in the court request.

And that could result in criminal liability to the magistrate, the DA added.

Little and Walker have a “long-standing relationship” whose nature is unclear, Wilson wrote. Walker could not be reached for comment.

The Ellis County DA said preliminary estimates suggest it would cost $ 750 to repair the damage, meaning the cost of vandalism could apply. The sheriff of the country has investigated the case, and possible charges could include criminal mischief; reckless damage or destruction; or graffiti involving a public monument is evident from the court reports.

Wilson said in his motion that an outside prosecutor should investigate the case to determine if criminal charges are justified because Little has authority over his office’s budget.

Creuzot was out of town and not available for comment. An official from his office said he had just received the court order to appoint him, but that he had not seen the case.

Ellis County Commissioner Lane Grayson said Thursday that vandalism is not the answer.

“Any abolition of government property is an absolute insult,” he said. “The sign was left as a historical reminder of a place we would never have to go again.”

Grayson said the sign will be restored to its original condition and that it is worthy of staying in the courthouse.

“I am very sad that it happened, and the circumstances how it happened,” he said. “What they did was correct to preserve it.”

The sign, which was outside Polk’s office in a staircase he used for storage, was unveiled almost 20 years ago during the court renovation. The exfoliating black-and-gold letters were preserved and indicated with a poster below, stating that the sign probably indicated separate facilities for black people.

It was at one point covered with white paper and duct tape.

The Dallas County Records building has a similar sign over a water fountain in downtown Dallas, labeled “whites only.” Provincial officials hired an artist to turn it into a video installation a few years ago. The fountain plays video clips of civil rights protests on a special screen before releasing water.

Polk, 42, who has held the position of constable for District 3 of Ellis County since January 2019, said he decided to talk about his move to the basement because he needs to take a stand for myself. ‘

Little, a businessman in the insurance industry who has served as a magistrate since January 2019, said in a public video statement at the time that he believes former Ellis County leaders have kept the sign ‘so the evil of harassing people of a different color required to drink at an alternative water fountain would never happen again. ”

Little also said that if the sign ‘is too painful to see in the future, then we can change it.’ Little said he had known Polk for years and that the decision of the commissioners on office relocations to make room for a new court in the building should not offend the constable. He also said there is no political or racial motivation behind the move.