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A28 u.s. news
Diaranson 9 Maart 2022

Congress passes Emmett Till bill to make lynching hate crime

over the past century that Lynching Act is 30 years.
have tried to ban lynching in
America. The House overwhelming
approved a similar measure
It is named for the Black in 2020, but it was blocked in
teenager whose brutal killing the Senate.
in Mississippi in 1955 — and
his mother’s insistence on a Last week, the House over-
open funeral casket to show whelmingly approved a re-
the world what had been vised version and the Senate
done to her child — became passed the bill unanimously
a pivotal moment in the Civil late Monday.
Rights era.
“Lynching is a longstand-
“After more than 200 failed ing and uniquely American
attempts to outlaw lynching, weapon of racial terror that
Congress is finally succeed- has for decades been used to
ing in taking a long overdue maintain the white hierar-
action by passing the Emmett chy,” said Rush.
Till Anti-Lynching Act,”
said Senate Majority Leader The congressman said pas-
Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. sage of the Emmett Till Anti-
Lynching Act “sends a clear
The bill would make it pos- and emphatic message that
sible to prosecute a crime as our nation will no longer ig-
a lynching when a conspiracy nore this shameful chapter
to commit a hate crime re- of our history and that the
sults in death or serious bodi- full force of the U.S. federal
(AP) — Congress gave fi- lynching a federal hate Years in the making, the ly injury, according to the government will always be
nal approval Monday to crime in the U.S., sending Emmett Till Anti-Lynching bill’s champion, Rep. Bobby brought to bear against those
legislation that for the the bill to President Joe Act is among some 200 bills Rush, D-Ill. The maximum who commit this heinous
first time would make Biden to sign into law. that have been introduced sentence under the Anti- act.”

6 teens arrested in Iowa school shooting that killed 1

(AP) — Authorities ar- in the shooting, police said. 3:30 p.m. after law enforce- was not immediately known. “Unfortunately what hap-
rested six teenagers, in- Police had not released the ment gave an all clear. Authorities have recovered pened here today was just an-
cluding a 14-year-old, in a victims’ names by Tuesday shell casings from the scene other pointless tragedy in our
shooting outside a school morning. Principal Jill Versteeg de- as they investigate what hap- community,” Wingert told
that killed a 15-year-old scribed what happened as pened. TV station WOI-TV. “People
boy and seriously wound- Police said the 16-year-old “everyone’s worst night- using firearms to settle their
ed two teenage girls, Des girl remained hospitalized mare” and urged parents to Des Moines Police Chief differences.”
Moines police said Tues- Tuesday in serious condition, “hug your students and love Dana Wingert went to the
day. while the 18-year-old re- them.” school after the shooting and Police said it was the fourth
mained hospitalized in criti- expressed frustration at the homicide in Des Moines this
The suspects are each cal condition. Officials had already sus- violence. year.
charged with first-degree pended classes districtwide
murder and two counts of “While this incident occurred Tuesday so juniors could take
attempted murder in the outside of a school, it could the ACT college admissions
Monday afternoon shooting have occurred in any one of test. The ACT exams and
on the grounds of East High our neighborhoods,” police parent-teacher conferences
School, near Des Moines’ said. “The school is where were canceled Tuesday at
downtown, about a half-mile the suspects found their tar- East High School. The dis-
(0.8 kilometers) from the get.” trict also was making grief
Capitol. Police said gunshots counselors available.
fired outside the school came Police said search warrants
from several shooters from were conducted at five Des Superintendent Thomas
multiple vehicles. Moines homes and six ve- Ahart said school shootings
hicles in the hours after the have “become too common”
Police named the suspects as shooting. Investigators seized and said that “real change to
Octavio Lopez, 17; Henry six guns during those search- gun laws and access would go
Valladares-Amaya, 17; Man- es, police said. a long way to help us.”
uel Buezo, 16; Romero Per- “Our staff and students,”
domo, 16; Alex Perdomo, On the day of the shoot- he said, “are forced to train
15; and Nyang Chamdual, ing, calls started pouring in for these incidents and the
14. All are from Des Moines around 2:50 p.m. Monday, trauma associated with the
and the school district didn’t shortly before classes were repeated drills and incidents
identify any as attending East. scheduled to dismiss for the will remain with them for
Police said in a Facebook post day, police spokesman, Sgt. years to come. It’s unfortu-
that the 15-year-old killed, Paul Parizek said. nate that our state and our
who was not a student at the country have become a place
school, was the intended tar- The district said in a news re- where firearms are far too
get of the drive-by shooting. lease that the school was im- easily accessible.”
The other two shot were fe- mediately put into lockdown
males aged 16 and 18, who and students were kept inside Police said they do not be-
both attend East, and were while police investigated. lieve there is a continued
simply bystanders caught They were dismissed around threat to the public. A motive