Dallas man gets 35 years for spitting at cop

On May 14, a man infected with HIV was sentenced to 35 years in prison for spitting in the eye and mouth of a Dallas police officer.

Justice system finds science and evidence to be immaterial when the “victim” is one of their own.

Willie Campbell, 42, was arrested for public intoxication in May 2006, and became agitated once inside the police car. The jury deemed that Campbell’s saliva constituted a “deadly weapon,” which means Campbell must serve at least half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. (Associated Press, May 15)

The judge should have rejected outright the preposterous argument. Recent scientific studies have confirmed that HIV cannot be transmitted by saliva. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation, one of the largest community-based AIDS service organizations in the United States, states in no unclear terms that. “HIV is not transmitted by saliva.”

The SFAF website reports: “In a study of 79 men with AIDS, the virus could be found in the saliva of only one. This man had PCP, thrush, and other mouth and throat lesions. Even in this man, the level of virus found in his saliva was 10,000 times less than the level in his blood. … Recent findings suggest that saliva contains an enzyme which kills HIV.”

The SFAF page adds that there is no evidence of even a single infection from numerous cases of saliva exchange through kissing, sharing food and other means. The U.S. government’s own Center for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website that “saliva, tears, or sweat have never been shown to result in transmission of HIV.”

The corporate media have so far failed to mention this part of the story. By refusing to clarify how HIV is actually transmitted, they implicitly defend the “deadly weapon” argument. Instead of stigmatizing those with HIV and perpetuating the crudest stereotypes, there needs to be a broad education and open dialogue about the virus.

The Dallas ruling goes in the exact opposite direction. It is an abomination that illustrates the class nature of the U.S. justice system. U.S. courts dismiss the most heinous crimes committed by cops and mete out harsh punishment in response to the most minor of offenses against their own.

Willie Campbell will spend at the very least 17 years in prison, while the three New York City cops who executed Sean Bell are roaming freely. Bell, a 23-year-old African American, was unarmed when cops gunned him down hours before his wedding.

We must fight the hypocrisy of the courts. Free Willie Campbell! Jail Sean Bell’s killers!