Ankle of Rev. Lennox Yearwood broken in assault by DC police

September 10, 2007 Bush Era, D.C., Impeachment Events 5

[IFP just received a call from Mario Penalver, who arrived today in Washington DC having walked all the way from Chicago, IL to protest the war and call for justice through impeachment. Mario is connecting us with Kathleen Gabel of WhyNotNews who witnessed and videotaped six DC police officers attack Rev. Lennox Yearwood. Yearwood was singled out from those in line to enter the public building where the Petraus Hearings are being held and told he could not enter. He was assaulted by six officers, had his head bashed into the floor and his ankle was apparently broken.]

 

MarchofthePeople Story:
George Washington Hospital, DC 1:37 pm

Rev. Yearwood, the black hip hop artist who founded the anti-war group known as the Hip Hop Caucus, was attacked and hospitalized by six Capitol Police Officers this afternoon. He was taken here, to George Washington Hospital, in the center of Washington DC. According to witnesses the Rev. was told by police to leave the premises of the Cannon House Office Building, or to risk arrest. To this, the Rev. replied, “I’m not going to allow you to arrest me.” Witnesses then saw six police officers assault the Rev., breaking one leg and visibly bashing his head. The Rev. was then carried off in a wheel chair. Currently the Capitol Police have issued no statement on the cause of the arrest, the injuries that ensued, or the current state of the Rev. As of 2:30 pm, no one is being allowed to observe the state of the Reverend’s condition”¦ March of the People organizer Mario Penalver has issued the following statement: “The incident today is a travesty of our nation, and yet another example of the gross misuse of force and the injustice polluting the highest seats of power. Rev. Yearwood inspired me. He’s a colleague and a friend. What has been done to him only convinces us in the Peace/Impeachment movement that what we are and what we do will not be silenced, by one blow or a hundred.”

(AfterDowningStreet live blogging on this action)

5 Comments

  1. Did the police read the notice of his rights– Miranda? Might that be another charge against them?

    Also, what kind of police were they? Capitol police? National Park Service? Homeland Security? All that might matter legally. Best wishes,

    Arpadiono

  2. [Editor’s comments in brackets]

    Idiots! [This is not the best way to win friends and influence strangers] Watch the Video! [We all did] Your “Rev” [He is a man of the cloth so your quotation marks insinuating that he isn’t is particularly offensive] tries to rush the officers….. [He made an entirely legal move to enter a public hearing that he had been standing in line for threee hours to get into] The should have Tazed him. [That is your understanding of proper police conduct? You would have LOVED Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany] Just because you are black doesn’t mean the law does not apply to you. [You are the first one to bring up race… so the fact that he is black is an important distinction for you?] Rot in Jail! [He is already out and has a strong case for a lawsuit against the DC Police. We hope he pursues it]

  4. I am protesting the war and call for justice through impeachment.

    Yours truly,

    B. Robert Harand
    (914)960-1900

Comments are closed.