
Brothers' story led to Rosenthal's resignation
February 18, 2008
By Courtney Zubowski
HOUSTON -- What happened inside the Ibarra home in southeast Houston
eventually led to what happened in a courthouse six years later: Chuck
Rosenthal's resignation.
“My favorite show got interrupted and it said Rosenthal resigned. What?
Whoa, that went quick,” Erik Ibarra said.
Quick, because just hours earlier the Ibarra brothers and their
attorney, Lloyd Kelly, announced that they were filing a second lawsuit
asking for Rosenthal to be removed from office.
They filed their first lawsuit four years ago against four Harris
County Sheriff’s deputies.
Six years ago, the brothers were arrested on charges of resisting
arrest after they videotaped a drug raid at their neighbor’s home.
The brothers claim their civil rights were violated, and they don’t
believe Rosenthal did anything to investigate their claims.
“I was taught if you wrong someone, you can own up to it and you
apologize and you try to do something to make it right. And he didn’t
do that. We don’t feel that office did that,” Ibarra said.
Ibarra, his brother, Sean, and their mother, Marie, were all witnesses
that day in January of 2002.
Marie believes they could have all been shot and killed.
“It has snowballed. We didn’t expect the snowball. It’s been one
snowball and all we wanted was our day in court,” she said.
It’s a day they’re still waiting for.
Their civil rights case has been postponed again because of a
last-minute request to remove the judge who was supposed to hear the
case.
They say they’ll continue to fight even if it takes another six years.
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