- December 27th, 2006, 3:01 pm
#49996
Journalist to air documentary on death of Clarence Beard Jr.http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Sate ... 1039&path=
By Ron Brown
rbrown@newsadvance.com
December 26, 2006
As Virginia State Police wrap up their investigation into the death of Clarence Lightfoot Beard Jr., television journalist Andre Whitehead prepares to release findings of his own.
In January, the 39-year-old Lynchburg man will televise a five-part documentary outlining his take on the death of Beard, who died Sept. 24 during a confrontation with Lynchburg police at James Crossing Apartments.
Police said Beard struck two police officers, who pepper-sprayed him to subdue him as he allegedly struggled with them and stopped breathing.
Witnesses, including a 16-year-old girl, told local civil rights activists that the police officers beat Beard before he died.
With video camera in hand, Whitehead, the owner of Whitehead Media Ventures, and his crews have been following the Beard case since its inception.
As a minority journalist, Whitehead believes he brings a unique perspective to his reporting of the case.
“Over the past 17 years, I have interviewed the most affluent, wealthiest people and some of the most downtrodden,” he said. “When viewers have watched my show over the years, they’ve seen the diversity that I’ve brought to the table.”
It’s a diversity reflected in his educational background. He attended the predominantly black Norfolk State University and graduated from Liberty University.
“We highlight positive things that go on in the black community all year long,” Whitehead said. “We bring forth positive things from the rest of the community in general.”
He said he hopes his documentary on the Beard case will serve to educate the community on problems that exist.
“As a black man, I have a heartbeat for the black culture,” he said.
His documentary, named “A Search For Justice For Clarence,” will air on “Conversations with Andre Whitehead,” which will be televised locally at 5:30 p.m. every Monday in January on WPXR-TV (Channel 38), formerly the PAX network.
In addition to the Lynchburg-Roanoke-Danville television market, his programs are seen in Hampton Roads, Charlottesville, Washington, D.C., and parts of North Carolina and West Virginia.
“With all of that coverage area, we get a lot of phone calls,” he said.
When Beard died, at least 25 people called Whitehead and asked him to look into the death.
“A lot of people felt like they wanted us to get involved to present a different angle and meet the people of that area and people closest to the situation,” Whitehead said. “I still reside in Lynchburg. Therefore, I am sensitive to the needs of Lynchburg. We put a lot of things to the side and began to work on filming different features around the case.”
Whitehead has video of community leaders who led a rally of concern over Beard’s death, an interview with Beard’s brother, conversations with residents of James Crossing and coverage of Beard’s funeral, which includes camera shots of the injuries he received.
Whitehead also filmed Beard’s apartment the day after the confrontation with police.
“There was still blood on the wall,” he said. “There were indentions in the wall.”
Whitehead also talked to police.
“We talked to the head of recruiting for the police department as far as the importance of having minorities on the force to help curb some of these situations,” he said. “The series is going to be an educational tool. We sat with the police department and talked about ways the community can help the police department recruit and get minorities on the force.”
The interviews included a 90-minute sit-down interview with Maj. Michael Spencer, who oversees the police department’s patrol division.
“We tried to be as non-biased as possible. We shot right straight down the middle,” Whitehead said. “We talked about citizens’ rights. What should someone do when they’re pulled over? What are the police officer’s duty and obligations?”
Whitehead said minority representation on the police department is an essential ingredient in curbing a public perception of out-of-control police officers who lack sensitivity when dealing with minorities or people in low-income communities.
“People feel that there have been cases of excessive force nationally, regionally and locally,” Whitehead said. “A lot of people want it to stop. A lot of people are sick up what appears to be excessive force.”
Part of the public anger is that Beard had no history of violence, he said.
“Nobody has yet to tell me in front of the camera, or even off camera, that this guy had a bad temper or was subject to lose his temper or could possibly hurt someone,” Whitehead said. “The big concern is that something like this could happen to such a nice, decent guy.”
State police are waiting to receive a copy of a toxicology report from the state medical examiner’s office before finalizing their report on Beard death.
The medical examiner’s officer last week said the report showed no signs of drugs in Beard’s system on the day he died.
City Manager Kimball Payne requested the state police investigation.
The Lynchburg Police Department is conducting its own internal investigations.
Both officers involved in the case are currently on administrative leave.
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