Illinois mayor: cut militarized police raids after 12 year old shot

A woman whose 12 year-old child was shot by police in a dawn raid is suing.

On 26 May 2019, according to the lawsuit filed by Crystal Worship, the mother, some two dozen Country Club Hills and Richton Park, Illinois SWAT officers entered her home in May with exploding flash-grenades and automatic rifles to execute a search warrant intended for her boyfriend. During the raid, her  son, Amir, was allegedly shot by a white officer as he sat on his bed with his hands in the air and suffered a shattered kneecap.

Blasting News reported “As Amir started screaming, Ms Worship asked officers in the next room if they were “shooting” the children, the lawsuit says. Officers allegedly refused to tell her what happened and “lied to her and told her they shot someone walking past outside.” (-as if that were somehow acceptable or reassuring).

One child was cuffed and left in a police car according to the mother, and flash  grenades were used at 5am, terrorizing the household.

Were the police looking for dangerous terrorists, a cache of guns?  They were looking for Ms Worship’s boyfriend who had been accused of drug possession.  Those charges were since dropped.  And in the meantime, “According to an orthopedic doctor, Amir will not be able to play any sports again, will have difficulty in physical education, will walk with a limp, and will have difficulty walking and running for the rest of his life,” the lawsuit states.

The increasingly militarization of civil police forces is an issue – and people are being shot, killed, harmed.  Should someone sought for drug possession lead to 24 gun-toting police to break into a house?  It seems rights are a thing of the past.

ACTION

Please contact Illinois Governor  J B Pritzker through one of the channels below and give him the following message, personalized to your liking:

 

I am pleased to know you are looking after citizens’ rights and will not allow ICE to operate private facilities in the state.  I agree ICE is out of control and denying people their basic rights:  but so are your increasingly-militarized police force.

I read about the lawsuit filed by Crystal Worship after bungling, dangerously inept police raided her home, terrorised her family with flash grenades at 5am, had some 2 dozen masked, camouflaged, gun-brandishing men round her and her children up. The reason?  Her boyfriend was wanted on some sort of drug charge that was later dropped.  And in case you didn’t know:  they shot her 12-year-old child in the knee, and he will never play sports again.

Who is paying for all this military hardware, police time and planning over a drugs possession charge?  How many such raids are taking place?  How are they getting authorized?  With financial pressures on the state, is it really appropriate to continue like this?  What about rights?  Who will pay for this family’s suffering and their medical bills?

The situation is a disgrace and it needs sorting out at the gubernatorial level – clearly the police have lost all sense of perspective.  I expect to see you take action to help this specific family and to ensure that this kind of senseless, rights-destroying, terrifying raid is a rarity used only in the most extreme cases.  I expect to hear from you by reply.

Phone:  217-782-6830 or 217-782-6831

Email: (form) https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/gov/contactus/Pages/AssistanceRequest.aspx

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GovPritzker/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JBPritzker

 

Once you have made contact, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

 

 

Demand NJ Police suspended after shooting unarmed men

1 July 2019 – Celebrating America’s Independence from Tyranny seems premature in New Jersey after several police shot unarmed Fourth of July revellers who had fireworks.

The Hudson County prosecutor’s office said a lieutenant and two officers were on patrol around 10:15 p.m. near the Arlington Gardens Housing Complex on Ralph Avenue.

The details of the case have not all been released, but according to ABC News, none of the men shot at were armed.

nj.com image from scene of shooting 1 july 19

ABC reported: “Thomas Ashley, who represents 21-year-old Devante Moore and 19-year-old Shyquan Rush, says his clients were unarmed when the officers opened fire Monday night. He’s alleging excessive force after he said the officers began firing without warning.”

The police said  “There are no indications of any violations of the attorney general guidelines on the officers’ part.”

If that is true, the police shooting unarmed people, apparently without warning and apparently from behind is perfectly legal.

ACTION:

Please contact Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office and/or Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:


I am disgusted at the behavior of the police who, responding to reports of fireworks, shot young men who were unarmed, and that the police insist there are no violations of the attorney general guidelines on the officers’ part.”


I  denounce the shooting of 21-year-old Devante Moore and 19-year-old Shyquan Rush on 1 July in Jersey City, and want the officers involved to be suspended pending an investigation.  If they cannot tell the difference between fireworks noise – close to the 4th of July –  and gunshots, and if they would shoot young people from behind, I do not want them anywhere near a gun, and I do not want them on the police force at all.  In fact, I want to see them prosecuted for illegally discharging weapons, endangering lives, and using excessive force.

It is disgraceful that the first statements coming from the police is that they acted lawfully – we shall see – but it is true the young men were unarmed.  It is understood the police did not issue any warning, and shot the men from behind:  is that really how you want New Jersey run, and is that really compliant with state and federal law?

Suspend these officers now.  I will be watching this case and your actions carefully.  The current situation of allowing them to work and saying this was somehow legal is unacceptable.  

Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office
Phone:  (201) 795 6400
Email:  hcpo@hcpo.org
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HCProsecutor/

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop

Phone:  (201) 547-5200

Email:  Email: c/o Laura Varsalona, Division of Communications lvarsalona@jcnj.org 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/steven.fulop/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/StevenFulop