Editing Hearne, Texas (section)

===Drug sweeps and ACLU lawsuit===
In November 2000, 15 African-American residents of Hearne, Texas, were indicted on drug charges after being arrested in a series of "drug sweeps". The ACLU filed a class action lawsuit, ''Kelly v. Paschall,'' on their behalf, alleging that the arrests were unlawful. The ACLU contended that 15 percent of Hearne's male African American population aged 18 to 34 (and at least one woman) were arrested based on the "uncorroborated word of a single unreliable confidential informant coerced by police to make cases." The government had promised the informant leniency on a burglary charge and one hundred dollars in cash in exchange for each suspect he helped convict.<ref name="Warrior Cop 2013">The Rise of the Warrior Cop, the militarization of America's police, by Radley Blako, 2013, Kindle Location 4459</ref>

On May 11, 2005, the ACLU and Robertson County announced a confidential settlement of the lawsuit, an outcome which "both sides stated that they were satisfied with." District Attorney John Paschall dismissed the charges against the plaintiffs of the suit. He also admitted that the witness had tampered with evidence and failed a polygraph test.<ref name="Warrior Cop 2013"/>
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/racialjustice/10795prs20050602.html|title=In Wake of ACLU Civil Rights Lawsuit Settlement, African Americans Affected by Texas Drug Task Force Scandal Call for Reconciliation at Town Meeting|access-date=13 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/investigates/2015/06/02/former-judge-says-he-quit-because-of-speeding-ticket-quota/28367771/ |title=EXCLUSIVE: Judge says he quit over speeding ticket quota |date=6 June 2015 |access-date=13 March 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606061034/http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/investigates/2015/06/02/former-judge-says-he-quit-because-of-speeding-ticket-quota/28367771/ |archive-date= 6 June 2015 }}</ref>

A movie, ''[[American Violet]]'', was made about the incident.