Justice done in Oklahoma

Toledo Blade: Last week, an all-white jury in Oklahoma City found a former police officer guilty of 18 of 36 charges of sexual assault, including four counts of rape. Daniel Holtzclaw could spend the rest of his life in prison.

His victims were all poor black women – many with legal problems or drug addictions. The 29-year-old son of a white father and Japanese mother was fired by the city’s police department after it conducted an internal investigation that corroborated much of the victims’ accounts.

Thirteen women accused Holtzclaw of using his authority as a police officer to coerce sex from them. Their testimony about his brutality was graphic and disturbing.

From the perspective of his victims and their supporters, the cause of justice was served. The outcome is also a reminder that, in a society sometimes too riveted on race and class, a jury with sufficient evidence will hold even a figure of authority accountable when preying upon the vulnerable.