PHOTO/PAN AFRICAN NEWS WIRE
CLEVELAND, OH — Congress should take a lesson from the Cleveland City Council, where they opt for silence instead of endorsing the slaying of unarmed people.
The House of Representatives, on the other hand, applauded with a unanimous vote of thanks after a mishmash of federal police agencies riddled a dental hygienist with bullets in front of her 17-month old daughter in Washington, DC in October. No one asked why the weaponless woman was gunned down, and there was no expression of concern for the long-term psychological needs of her traumatized child. There was just a thanks for executing someone who may have been a confused tourist who fled when weapons were pointed at her toddler, or at worst, a mentally disturbed person in need of medical help.
After a similar bungled chase, in which more than 100 Cleveland police participated last November, officers fired at least 137 shots to kill two unarmed people. One policeman even stood on the hood of their car and shot through the windshield as he reloaded and discharged 47 bullets at them.
In fairness to City Council, there were some confused questions at first, followed by a sudden and long-lasting hush. None of the13 police who were identified as shooters has been disciplined. At least 12 returned to regular duty. The Cuyahoga County prosecutor is supposedly investigating, but there is no evidence that anything has been presented to a grand jury. A call to the prosecutor’s office just gets a “no comment,” as if it is none of the public’s business. (Update: Some supervisors who were on duty have been disciplined and one was fired for the way the chase was handled. A number of patrolmen are facing administrative action, but not the shooters because of the criminal investigation by the prosecutor.)
The apparent indifference of City Council looked incredibly insensitive until Congress showed how callous such bodies can be.
Here’s how the DC police killing and the House’s standing ovation looks in another part of the world: http://iranian.com/posts/view/post/21969
