[Dryerase] Killer cop sues for ‘slander’

[Asheville Global Report]

Killer cop sues for ‘slander’

By Bud Howell and Allie Morris

Greensboro, North Carolina, Oct. 8 (AGR)--  At 8am Monday morning, about 50 
people gathered in front of the Guilford County Courthouse in downtown 
Greensboro, NC to support Jessie Barber and her husband Calvert “Butch” 
Stewart on their way to court. Their son, Gilbert “Gil” Barber, was shot 
five times and killed by Guilford County Sheriff Deputy Thomas 
Gordy.  Gordy is now suing Jessie Barber for $10,000 because she called him 
a murderer during a press conference.  He cites “defamation of character” 
and “mental distress,” which he has allegedly suffered since Gil’s parents 
began questioning the circumstances which led to the death of their 23 year 
old son.
      Monday’s court date dealt exclusively with Jessie Barber’s breaking a 
mediation agreement in which she agreed to no longer refer to Deputy Gordy 
as a murderer. The agreement in question was established after a previous 
court ruling recommended a “mediation” between Gil’s parents and the 
deputy. Butch and Jessie’s lawyer, Anita Hodgekiss who works with the 
Center for Constitutional Rights, argued Monday that though the mediation 
was court ordered, the agreement that Barber signed was not and therefore 
not contractual by law.  The judge’s formal decision is expected later in 
the week.
      Members of the October 22nd Coalition To Stop Police Brutality, 
Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation, the Greensboro Peace 
Coalition, Gil’s friends and family, and other concerned citizens packed 
the courtroom after a spirited rally alerting passers-by to what they 
called the “outrageous injustices” surrounding Barber’s death. During the 
rally, amidst drumming and chants of “No Justice, No peace,” Gil’s parents 
and others spoke through tears about their son and comrade. Ed Whitfield 
from the Greensboro Peace Coalition issued a stirring condemnation of the 
Sheriff’s Department’s disregard for the life of Gil Barber. “The real 
tragedy here is that the humanity of this young man who was a member of our 
community, who had every right to live his life fully and productively, who 
was his mother’s baby, who was loved by his family
this man had his life 
shot down that night, and to some people that’s not very serious because we 
live in a community and a country where some people’s lives aren’t valued 
very much.”
     On May 18, 2001, Sheriff Deputy Thomas Gordy responded to a 911 report 
of a one-car accident on Kivett Loop in Jamestown, NC. There he found High 
Point resident Gil Barber, bewildered and suffering from a serious skull 
fracture. Barber was naked and unarmed, not wanted for any crime, and, 
according to subsequent coroner reports, not under the influence of any 
drugs or alcohol.  Yet minutes after he arrived on the scene, Deputy Thomas 
Gordy pepper sprayed Barber before fatally shooting him 5 times.  Many 
details of just what happened that night  such as why Gordy arrived at the 
scene readily armed-- have yet to be disclosed by the Sheriff’s Dept.
      Despite withheld information, District Attorney Stuart Albright, who 
based his conclusion on evidence from a controversial internal 
investigation led by Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes, ruled Deputy 
Gordy’s actions “justifiable”. Backed by the Department and the Police 
Benevolence Association, Albright has refused to turn access of the case 
over to external investigators such as the State Bureau of Investigation. 
Those following the case question the impartiality of an investigation 
conducted by the very party liable for the killing. Gil’s parents continue 
to push for an external investigation, which they consider the only means 
through which the true story will be revealed. As for the internal 
investigation, Jessie Barber remarks. “there has been no investigation as 
far as we’re concerned.”
      Many doubt the impartiality and efficacy of the Sheriff Department’s 
investigation particularly after Sheriff Barnes’ own initial remarks on the 
case. Barnes publicly referred to Gil Barber as “a raging bull” who was 
“probably on PCP,” a claim deemed impossible on three occasions by the 
coroner.  In a further show of support for his deputy, Barnes spoke on a 
local radio show calling Gil’s death “a good shoot.”
      Frustrated at being repeatedly denied access by the Sheriff’s 
Department to public information, Gil’s parents filed a suit last year 
against Deputy Gordy to obtain full disclosure of the circumstances that 
led to their son’s death. The 911 tape of the incident was not released 
until over four months after the shooting.  Ordinarily, such records are 
released in a matter of days. Authorities have given no reason as to why 
the tapes were withheld for so long. When finally turned over, Gil’s family 
said that certain intervals of time on the tape seemed to be missing.
     Also unknown is why the deputy ordered an injured car wreck victim 
forcibly to the ground. The police report indicates that Gordy’s first 
words to Barber were, “get the fuck on the ground” repeated over and over 
again. Barber’s clothing was tangled in the trees near the accident and why 
the crime scene was bulldozed immediately following the 
incident.  Uncertainties about the events of the morning of May 18 loom for 
the family who points to the rapidity with which the altercation ended in 
death.  According to the police account, only 113 seconds passed between 
Gordy’s arrival and the five shots he fired.
      Gil’s parents contend that Gordy’s lawsuit is a scare tactic, set up 
to intimidate and silence any further questioning of the undisclosed 
circumstances that led to their son’s death.  But they have no intention of 
backing down, says Gil’s father: “They stepped on the wrong toes when they 
killed Gil, ‘cause that was my only son, and I’m not going away.” Jessie 
concurs, noting the family’s work in the October 22 Coalition, “they’re 
trying to shut us up, but it won’t work. As long as they kill people, we’ve 
got work to do.”
      If found liable for breaking the mediation agreement, Jessie Barber 
faces sanctions that range from a fine to possible jail time. Butch Stewart 
defended his wife at Monday’s rally, saying “we call [Gordy] what he is: a 
murderer.”  While the verdict is pending after Monday’s case, Jessie Barber 
remains defiant: “I’m not going to ever pay [Deputy Gordy] for what he did, 
taking my son’s life. Gil had a right to live, just as Gordy has a right to 
live.”
      In his suit, Gordy is also seeking to obtain a list of the Barber’s 
individual supporters,  including local residents involved with the October 
22nd Coalition, a national organization which has provided a strong network 
of support for Gil’s 
family. 

      Members of the October 22nd Coalition, who helped organize Monday’s 
rally in front of the courthouse, point out that Gil Barber is not alone. 
Since last September nine regions of the country have reported 157 unarmed 
people killed by law enforcement officers. This fact has become a focal 
point for Gil’s parents’ pursuit of justice. In an interview, Gil’s mother 
said she has been reaching out to families who are surviving similar 
tragedies: “I have to go to other families in the same situation.  I don’t 
think I could stop if I wanted to. And I’m just glad that there are some 
people in the world who do support us and do see the wrongness of what’s 
going on.”