On the opposite end of the courtroom, two civil rights activists, Hai Bui included, wrote diligent notes as testimony about the raid unfolded.
Bui secured a standing room spot in the back of the courtroom as lawyers delivered their closing arguments to the jury Tuesday. He recalled the shock in hearing the gunbattle explode in officers’ body-worn camera footage and seeing the autopsy photos of the slain couple.
“I had sleepless nights because of all those images,” Bui said after the verdict. “I prayed every night and every day to bring them justice.”
Hai Bui, the founder of We The People Organize, a group that seeks to eliminate no-knock warrants, said in an interview on Sept. 26 that his organization hoped that Mr. Goines would be sentenced to a life in prison to send a message.
“No-knock warrants are dangerous to officers and innocent civilians,” Mr. Bui said, during a break from court proceedings.
Mr. Bui, who had been sitting with the family of Mr. Tuttle and Ms. Nicholas during the hearing, said that the mood had shifted in the courtroom after the jury’s decision to convict.
“The courtroom had a big air of relief,” he said Thursday.
“We are elated! After nearly six long, painful years,the families of Rhogena and Dennis have finally gotten justice for their loved ones, who were shot and killed in their own home by unbridled, out-of-control HPD officers after a botched ‘No Knock’ drug raid,” We the People Organize said in a statement.
The We the People Organize (WTPO) Victims Matter Town Hall meeting was successful, with concerned community members in attendance, many of whom were affected by disgraced HPD Officer Gerald Goines. They expressed concerns and fears that what happened to the Tuttles and others arrested on fabricated drug charges could happen to them.
However, Mayor Whitmire, Chief Diaz, and City Council Members were not in attendance to answer questions, calm fears, or offer any plans to ensure that such incidents would not be repeated. They were a no-show. Only Councilwoman Shabazz and DA Kim Ogg responded to our invitation, though neither could attend: Shabazz was out of town, and Ogg had a scheduling conflict. Both sent statements, which we will follow up on after the holidays.
For years, HPD officers and community activists tried to warn HPD and city leaders that HPD officers were manipulating investigations, lying to judges, tampering with, and fabricating evidence against officers and Houstonians, and were a threat to public safety. To no avail, no one listened, as in the case of the Tuttles, the victims arrested on fabricated drug charges, former HPD officer Kathy Swilley, and countless other minority officers who were terminated after reporting discrimination in HPD based on fabricated evidence.
We can’t have police reform without community input.
We hold elected officials and law enforcement accountable.
A new mural commemorating Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas was unveiled Friday — three years after the couple was killed by Houston police during a botched drug raid at their home on Harding Street.
Hai Bui, founder of We the People Organize, said the mural will serve as a constant reminder of what transpired three years ago on Harding Street…
To bring Awareness to the fact that No-Knock Warrants endanger the lives of police officers and innocent citizens; to change laws and protocol how No-Knock Warrants are served; to assure the safety for everyone and to fight for Accountability, Transparency, and Fairness in Law Enforcement for the safety in our communities; to Hold Elected Officials and Law Enforcement Accountable to their Oaths and Promises.
See all of the new evidence including photos, evidence, and data collected from the crime scene that the family attorney is now releasing to the public in this .pdf petition below.
0
estimated no-knock raids a year
0
Estimated No-knock raid Deaths 2010-2016
*Not enough data is kept on no-Knock Raids and this must change. With your help, we can raise awareness on this vital oversight and help keep records on this deadly police tactic.
Raise Awareness
To bring Awareness to the fact that No-Knock Warrants endangers the lives of police officers and innocent citizens.
Change Laws
To change laws and protocol on how No-Knock Warrants are served.
Safety
To assure the safety for everyone and to fight for Accountability, Transparency, and Fairness in Law Enforcement for the safety of our communities.
Accountability
To Hold Elected Officials and Law Enforcement Accountable to their Oaths and Promises.
#JusticeForTheTuttles
See the documents where Houston Police Officer Gerald Goines lied in order to obtain a warrant for the raid.
See the evidence that tells of a botched raid, a lying officer, and an innocent couple now dead at the hands of HPD.
Learn more about this deadly tactic used by police departments and government agencies around the world.
