|
pUTFJ �
<br /> U O
<br /> ,r a
<br /> 1865
<br /> BILL NO. 20-16
<br /> RESOLUTION NO.
<br /> A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,DENOUCING IN THE
<br /> STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS ALL ACTS OF RACIAL PROFILING,POLICE BRUTALTY AND THE
<br /> USE OF EXCESSIVE POLICE FORCE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
<br /> WHEREAS, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a black resident of the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was
<br /> publicly and brutally murdered through the actions and inactions of four police officers while he cried out"I
<br /> can't breathe" and called for his dead mother; and
<br /> WHEREAS, Mr. Floyd's death occurred while he was handcuffed, lying face down on the street while one
<br /> officer knelt on his neck, another officer applied pressure to his back and at least two other officers ignored
<br /> pleas from onlookers to save Mr. Floyd's life; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the officer continuedpp1 in pressure to Mr. Floyd's neck for nearlynine (9)minutes, more than
<br /> a
<br /> Y gY
<br /> three (3)minutes after he stopped breathing; and
<br /> WHEREAS, although this method of restraint has been banned or strongly discouraged by many police
<br /> departments, reports indicate that Minneapolis police used neck restraints, i.e. using an arm or leg to compress a
<br /> neck without directly putting pressure on the airway, at least two hundred and thirty-seven (237) since the
<br /> beginning of 2015, with at least forty-four(44) of the victims losing consciousness; and
<br /> WHEREAS, despite recordings of Mr. Floyd's death having been replayed innumerable times throughout the
<br /> world leading to world-wide protests, a Seattle police officer was recorded using a similar tactic on a protester
<br /> until his knee was forcibly removed by another officer while onlookers screamed"get your f*****g knee off
<br /> his neck"; and
<br /> WHEREAS, this is the second time in the past year that members of this Common Council have expressed
<br /> condolences to the family and friends of a Black man killed by a white police officer, the death of Eric Logan
<br /> on June 16, 2019, though tragic,did not draw global attention to America's problems, in part, because Mr.
<br /> Logan was killed in the middle of the night, in a dark parking lot, with no witnesses or video to document what
<br /> actually happened and the investigation of his death left unanswered many questions in the minds of many
<br /> people, unlike the public killing of Mr. Floyd, in broad daylight, with several recordings and witnesses; and
<br /> WHEREAS, historical injustices and racial disparities that have existed in our country for hundreds of years
<br /> have led to many Black men dying at the hands of white police officers in a system of policing in America that
<br /> targets people of color and which can be traced back to the long legacy of slavery, lynching, and Jim Crow
<br /> laws; and
<br /> WHEREAS, it is currently not only Black men, but also Black women and girls, Latinos and Native Americans
<br /> who suffer from this shameful history; and
<br /> WHEREAS the very public and brutal murder of Mr. Floyd has caused world-wide outrage because such
<br /> actions can no longer be willfully denied or ignorantly disregarded; and
<br /> WHEREAS, racial profiling and excessive force, which includes shootings, brutal beatings, fatal chokings,
<br /> and other excessive abuses, are contrary to human decency, the inherent dignity of every individual, and the
<br /> American ideal of equal justice for all.
<br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH
<br /> BEND, INDIANA,AS FOLLOWS:
<br /> Section I. The Common Council expresses its deep and sincere condolences, not only to the family and friends
<br /> of Mr. Floyd, but also to the family and friends of all other such victims whose suffering is renewed and
<br /> intensified every time there is another family suffers a similar loss.
<br />
|