#2773: The Louima Verdict: Statement by The National Urban League (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:nozier@tradewind.net

Tuesday March 7, 12:15 pm Eastern TimeCompany Press Release

The Louima Verdict: Statement By Hugh B.Price, President, National Urban
League Onthe Conviction and Sentencing of the Officers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 7, 2000--In the wake of a press
conference last Friday where he unveiled an evaluation of the US
Department of Justice's response to police misconduct over the past year
and issued a call to action to the President and the Attorney General to
take more aggressive action in cases of police misconduct, National
Urban League President Hugh B. Price, speaking about the conviction of
three officers in the Abner Louima case said, 

``We fully support the jury's decision in this case, in which three
 police officers have been found guilty of a conspiracy to cover up
the abuse of Abner Louima, a citizen in their custody who was
eventually cleared of any wrongdoing. This case provides a clear
example of the need for the federal government to more closely
monitor the activities of the nation's inner-city police departments. As
we urged the President and the Attorney General,officers found guilty of
abuse or gross misconduct should be punished to the fullest extent of
the law and receive the maximum sentence possible. For victimizing the
citizens they are charged  with protecting, there should be no leniency,
no exception and no   mercy. More importantly, the African-American
community and anyone concerned with the preservation of the civil rights
of all Americans must not feel placated by this one particular victory.
We should continue to push for aggressive reform of police policy and
procedure, so there will be no more Louimas, no more Diallos and no more
senseless pain and slaughter.``

Founded in 1910, the National Urban League remains the premier social
service and civil rights organization in America. The League is a
non-profit, community-based organization headquartered in New York City,
with 115 affiliates in 35 states and the District of Columbia