Here we go again...Now tell me,
what if this were you?
That's what I thought.
Read more about it below, courtesy of
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Here's the original link:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=416448================================================================
Leaders call for calm, change in aftermath of Jude verdict
Ministers want independent review of police misconduct
By
MEG JONESmjones@journalsentinel.comPosted: April 16, 2006
Still reeling from the acquittals of three former Milwaukee police officers charged with beating Frank Jude Jr. at a party, community leaders on Sunday called for new legislation, protests and an independent
A group of several dozen African-American ministers took time out from Easter celebrations to call on legislators to pass a law requiring that any law enforcement officer who sees another officer commit a crime and doesn't report it be fired.
At a meeting that drew more than 500 people, ministers also asked for an independent investigator to check allegations of police misconduct in the aftermath of the beating case.
"There is never any reason why the people we pay to protect our community . . . (should) feel like they have the right to kick and pull knives on you," Milwaukee Bishop Sedgwick Daniels told the crowd Sunday night at Mother Kathryn Daniels Conference Center, 3500 W. Mother Daniels Way.
"We will not be silenced."As the news that an all-white jury late Friday acquitted three white police officers in the brutal beating of Jude, who is biracial, spread throughout the community over the weekend, religious leaders discussed what should be done, and two groups planned a series of protests for this week:
• The Milwaukee Police Accountability Coalition scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. today outside the Milwaukee County Courthouse near the Mahatma Gandhi statue.
The group wants the city to create a civilian review board composed of elected members who would review complaints against police officers. The Police Department's Internal Affairs Division and the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission now investigate complaints.
• Another group, Campaign Against Violence, is planning a march at 10 a.m. Tuesday from the Milwaukee County Courthouse to the Federal Courthouse, 517 E. Wisconsin Ave. The group said it hoped to attract 100,000 marchers.
• Daniels also said the ministers are planning a motorcade from Mayfair Mall to the Federal Courthouse to protest the acquittals. The clergy will meet today to determine when the motorcade will start.
Aside from the large gathering of African-American religious leaders, the Jude case was discussed at other religious observances, along with appeals for calm.
The Rev. Mark Thompson, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, gathered two dozen parishioners for a prayer vigil outside the 7th District police station on W. Fond du Lac Ave. Next Sunday, the group plans to gather outside the 1st District station on W. State St.
Standing on the sidewalk, a few blocks from his church, Thompson urged the group to pray "that the silence that has been deafening will come out," and to pray for justice in Jude's case. Silence, Thompson said, was a reference to the police officers who had attended the party at which Jude was beaten and later testified that they saw no one kick or punch him.
Sunday service at parkAt an Easter service in the McGovern Park Senior Center, Rachel Jordan told members of the Isom Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church to pray for God's help in protecting a struggling community.
At the start of the service, Jordan said, "The city of Milwaukee is in trouble, Lord. In the mighty name of Jesus, heal this community."
Bishop Daniels told the crowd Sunday night that it should stay calm but ask for change in the Milwaukee Police Department. Among the changes - a law that would strip benefits and pensions for police officers who don't snitch on colleagues who commit crimes as well as an independent investigator of alleged police misdeeds.
"This is not Birmingham, Alabama. We're not getting ready to go down Martin Luther King Boulevard and destroy our own buildings," said Daniels, of Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ.
McCann: Whites question verdict
District Attorney E. Michael McCann and Mayor Tom Barrett both addressed the crowd at the request of the religious leaders. In a soft voice, McCann said many white people asked him how the jury could acquit the officers.
"This isn't an issue that black people saw differently from white people," said McCann, calling the outcome a "mockery of justice."
McCann, who is meeting with U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic today to discuss the possibility of federal charges against the ex-officers, said the Police Department must change from within so officers will not be ostracized if they speak out against their colleagues.
"There cannot be two standards: one for citizens who use too much force and one for officers who use too much force," McCann said.
While praising Police Chief Nannette Hegerty for firing several officers involved in the Jude beating, Barrett said he was shocked by the acquittal, and said it's time the state law that allows fired cops to continue to receive paychecks while appealing their dismissal is changed.
"There are many that feel that justice died on Friday in Milwaukee. But it's not over yet. We must persevere," Barrett said.
Tom Held and Lawrence Sussman of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
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SORRY BASTARDS!!
