BY HEATHER HOPE
OKLAHOMA CITY - The president
of the Oklahoma NAACP is calling for the U.S. Attorney General to investigate
the actions of an Oklahoma City police officer. Daniel Holtzclaw is accused of
sexually assaulting at least eight black women. The local NAACP wants the case
investigated as a civil rights and hate crime.
Oklahoma NAACP President
Anthony Douglas says he wants an extra set of eyes on the Holtzclaw case to see
if all the alleged victims were specifically targeted because of race, so he
sent a letter to both U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Oklahoma Attorney
General Scott Pruitt to assist in the police investigation.
In the weeks following the
arrest of Oklahoma City Police officer Daniel Hotlzclaw, who is accused of rape
while on duty, the Oklahoma NAACP President is asking for a federal
investigation, as all the alleged victims were black women and in his patrol
area, including Northeast Oklahoma City, at the time of the assaults.
"We look at northeast
Oklahoma city, roughly 98% of African Americans, we know that all nationalities
travel up and down northeast Oklahoma City, but we're learning that because
it's just African American women who have been stopped, and all these things
have happened to, we wanted to look at it as a hate crime,” said Douglas. “Did
he racially profile only African American women?”
In his letter to Eric Holder,
Douglas applauds the Oklahoma City Police Department's efforts, but calls for
additional agencies to investigate Holtzclaw, as well as any similar pattern of
misconduct done by the department.
"We're not just trying to
make this about just African American women, but all women should not be
abused, we cannot take women for granted," Douglas said.
But Douglas sent off the letter
two weeks ago, and so far, no response.
"And I have not gotten a
reply back from either of them, but I sent it to our attorney general also, so
it's no surprise that I sent it to Eric Holder that our attorney general is
aware of the way we feel in Oklahoma."
Douglas also plans to hold a
series of town hall meetings next month to discuss this issue and others.
Meanwhile, Holtzclaw bonded out
of jail last week and is on house arrest and will be until he goes to trial.
9/3/2014 Related Story: Bond
Reduced For OKC Officer Accused Of Sexual Assaults
Holtzclaw faces several
criminal charges, including sexual battery, indecent exposure and rape, forced
oral sex, stalking, first-degree burglary for entering one victim's home, and
intentionally touching a victim's body in a lewd and lascivious manner.