a1257: Protestors allege racism in Miami shootings (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>

Protesters allege racism in Miami police shootings

By Diana Marrero
Sun-Sentinel
Posted March 13 2002

MIAMI -- More than 400 people gathered downtown Tuesday, holding
protest signs in one hand and bright umbrellas in the other,
saying the rain would not wash away their fervor to fight a
number of issues linked by racism.

The rally, organized by a coalition of community groups called
Justice Now, called attention to police shootings as well as the
indefinite detention of 200 Haitian immigrants since Dec. 3.
Organizers hope uniting the causes will bring greater clout to
the African-American and Haitian-American communities, two
groups that have seldom come together in the past.











“We’re all black,” said Debra Toomer, a Justice Now member. “The
disenfranchisement here is against all black people.”

Brian Dennis, president of Liberty City-based Brothers of the
Same Mind, said the misunderstandings that were once prevalent
between the two communities is fading, giving way to knowledge
that both groups are being discriminated against.

“We found out we’re all from the same land,” he said.

Holding signs saying, “Stop Using Black Men for Target Practice”
and “Free Haitian Immigrants,” ralliers gathered outside the
Miami-Dade County Commission chambers to hear the impassioned
cries of activists, church leaders and relatives of two men who
were killed by police.

“We are all in this fight together,” said Leon Thomas, whose
nephew, Alphaeus “Duke” Dailey, was shot by a North Miami Beach
police officer last year while fleeing in his wheelchair. “It’s
been a long time coming but change is going to come.”

At the rally, organizers detailed a list of demands including
ending the state’s fleeing felon law, which allows police to
shoot at fleeing suspects, ending aggressive police programs,
using federal rather than internal investigations on all police
shootings and releasing the 200 Haitian immigrants.

Diana Marrero can be reached at dmarrero@sun-sentinel.com or
305-810-5005.

Copyright © 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel


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