Oklahoma Sheriff and County Officials Caught on Recording Discussing Lynching Black People and Killing Journalists
Over the weekend, The McCurtain Gazette-News, an Oklahoma print only newspaper, released portions of an audio recording and transcription on the front page exposé where McCurtain County, Oklahoma officials, including the sheriff, could be heard discussing killing journalists, lynching black people, and hiring hitmen.
CNN alleges that in the recording, officials expressed disappointment that black people could no longer be lynched, with People stating that commissioner Mark Jennings could be heard saying “I’m gonna tell you something. If it was back in the day, when Alan Marston would take a damn Black guy and whoop their ass and throw him in the cell? I'd run for f-----g sheriff.” Sheriff Kevin Clardy could then be heard saying “Yeah. Well, it’s not like that no more,” to which Jennings responded “I know. Take them down to Mud Creek and hang them up with a damn rope. But you can't do that anymore. They got more rights than we got.”
The recording was taken on March 6, after a county commissioners’ meeting when county officials, including Sheriff Kevin Clardy, commissioner Mark Jennings, sheriff’s investigator Alicia Manning, and trust administrator Larry Hendrix were talking after the meeting.
Governor Kevin Stitt has called upon Jennings, Clardy, Manning, and Hendrix’s resignations upon the release of the recording. Jennings’s resignation was confirmed by Kate Vesper, the governor’s press secretary.
