Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 2-14-20

National News
Texas Officer Charged With Manslaughter In Fatal Shooting
Maryland Unveils Statues Of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass In Capitol
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — At a time when states are debat- ing the removal of Confeder- ate monuments, Maryland unveiled bronze statues of famed abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass during a cere- mony Monday night in the Maryland State House.
The life-sized statues were dedicated during a special joint session of the Maryland General Assembly in the Old House Chamber, the room where slavery was abolished in the state in 1864.
“A mark of true greatness is shining light on a system of oppression and having the courage to change it,” House Speaker Adrienne Jones, the state’s first black and first female House speaker, said in prepared remarks. “The statues are a reminder that our laws aren’t always right or just. But there’s always room for improvement.”
While the commissioning of the statues was put in mo- tion more than three years ago, their arrival coincides with new leadership in the state legislature. This is
Both Tubman and Douglass were born on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Tubman escaped from slavery to become a leading aboli- tionist who helped slaves escape through the Underground Rail- road. Douglass also escaped slavery, and he went on to become an author, speaker, abolitionist and supporter of women’s rights. His autobiography, published in 1845, was a bestseller that helped fuel the abolitionist movement.
Jones’ first session as speaker, and the first new Senate president in more than three decades was elected by senators last month.
The statues, dedicated during Black History Month, were made to show Tubman and Douglass as they would have appeared in age and dress in 1864.
BELTON, Texas — A Cen- tral Texas police officer was charged Monday with manslaughter for the fatal shooting of an unarmed man during a traffic stop, officials said.
Temple Officer Carmen DeCruz was charged with the second-degree felony in the Dec. 2 shooting of Michael Dean, Bell County District Attorney Henry Garza said in a statement. His bond was set at $500,000. He was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting.
If convicted of the charge, DeCruz could face two to 20 years in prison.
Police in Temple, a city of 76,000 people about 70 miles (112 kilometers) northeast of Austin, have said little about the shooting and consistently referred questions to the Texas Rangers, who submit- ted the findings that led to the charge.
Dean was black, while jail booking records list DeCruz
This Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, booking photo pro- vided by the Bell County Jail shows Temple Police officer Carmen DeCruz.
as American Indian. DeCruz tried to stop
Dean’s PT Cruiser for speed- ing on the night of Dec. 2, but the 28-year-old didn’t stop and a “short pursuit ensued,” according to a police report dated Dec. 30 and sent to the Texas Attorney General’s Of- fice. It also referred to “an al- tercation of some sort between” the men but didn’t elaborate, and the charging document doesn’t reference it.
School Cop Caught On Video Putting Black Student In Chokehold
A Camden, Arkansas stu- dent resource officer has re- portedly been put on paid leave after a video of him placing a high school student in a chokehold and lifting from the ground as others are screaming for the officer to release him circulated online. In the footage, the officer, Jake Perry is seen trying to detain the teen, identified as Dekyrion Ellis, a student at Camden Fairview High School, after an argument be- tween himself and another student.
“I feared for my life,” Ellis told West Monroe, Louisiana station KTVE. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. I blacked out. I really didn’t see anything until he took me back to the office.”
After seeing the video, Camden Police Chief Bo Woody released a statement saying the officer was taken off the job.
A shot from the video posted on Facebook.
“Because of the video I saw, effective immediately, Officer Perry has been re- lieved of his duties pending
the investigation and the out- come of it,” said Woody, ac- cording to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “I just wanted everybody to know, including the mayor that as the police chief, I’m not going to tolerate misconduct from officers from this depart- ment.”
The chief saw the video on Facebook and has spoken to Perry, who has given state- ments to investigators and that a Criminal Investigation Division captain has been as- signed to the case, according to the Democrat-Gazette.
Woody told KTVE that Perry has been with the po- lice department for two years and had worked in the schools before this incident. “I’ve never had an incident with him,” he said. “He’s well received in the community. He’s lived here all of his life and never had an incident like this.”
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