According to Action News 5, the small town of Osceola, Arkansas just got a harsh reminder of how quickly police power can turn reckless and also how easy it is to get accountability when the powers-that-be give a damn. The now-former police chief, Robert “Bobby” Ephlin, managed to lose his job less than two weeks after being sworn in for allegedly slapped a paraplegic man sitting in a wheelchair.
Yes, you read that right. Not a beating. Not a shooting. Slapping a man in a wheelchair.
The ugly incident happened during a response to a disturbance involving teenagers, where Ephlin got into a heated exchange with Danarius Williams. Instead of de-escalating, something police love to preach about but rarely practice, a viral video shows Ephlin becoming violent. Says Williams, “He smacked me.”
Williams has been confined to a wheelchair since 2013 when he was shot in the back and was subsequently paralyzed from the waist down. Osceola Mayor Joe Harris Jr. didn’t bother with the usual polished political language when asked about incident, “It pissed me off.”
Still, even in his frustration, the Mayor Harris couldn’t restrain himself from giving undeserved grace to the man who he just recently hired to head his police department saying the behavior “isn’t him”. Well, if it’s “not him” who is it? Because no one else assaulted a disabled citizen but Elphin.
Facing mounting backlash, Ephlin resigned, claiming it was best for his family. Meanwhile, the city has called for an outside investigation which is typically the go-to move when the administration needs to look like they’re doing something productive while buying time.
Residents, unsurprisingly, aren’t exactly convinced this will lead to meaningful change. Some expressed outright skepticism that anything different will happen moving forward but others are remain hopeful.
“Yes, I do actually, if they find the right type of person,” Brianna Marshall said. “Bobby had worked here before and it didn’t — nothing’s changing. Bringing back old people is not gonna change the city of Osceola at all.”
Only time will tell but we certainly won’t be holding our breath.
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