The persecution of Cynthia McKinney
By
Monica Moorehead
Published Apr 15, 2006 1:08 PM
On March 29, Rep. Cynthia McKinney of
Georgia reportedly had a physical altercation with Capitol Police as she
attempted to enter the House of Representatives building in Washington, D.C.
The African-American congresswoman stated at a March 31 press conference that an
officer who stopped her at the metal detector entrance treated her with
suspicion as she tried to gain entrance to her office. She added that House
representatives are usually able to bypass the detector because they are
recognized by the authorities, whether they wear special lapel pins or not.
Although the nationality of the officer in question has still not been
identified, McKinney stated that she was a victim of racial profiling. At a
March 31 press conference at Howard Uni ver sity, McKinney went on to say,
“This whole incident was instigated by the inappropriate touching and
stopping of me, a female Black congresswoman. I deeply regret this incident
occurred, and I am certain that after a full review of the facts, I will be
exonerated.”
Not waiting for a full review of the case, McKinney has
been tried and found guilty by the big business media and her collea gues. The
former House majority leader, Republican Tom Delay, labeled McKinney a
“racist.” Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, has refused
to speak to her.
After speaking privately to some members of the
Congressional Black Caucus on April 5, McKinney formally apologized for the
incident on the House floor on April 6. Even with this public apology, the
Capitol Police and federal prosecutors are determining whether to seek a warrant
for McKinney’s arrest for allegedly striking the officer.
Real
issues behind the backlash
It is important to understand
why the right-wing and ultra-right politicians have used this particular
incident to launch an all-out racist offensive against Cynthia McKinney while,
at the same time, so-called liberal politicians have all but abandoned her and
treated her like a social pariah. Some of these same Democrats view
McKinney’s actions as an unhelpful distraction as the elections loom ever
larger.
Millions of African Americans and other peoples of color can
identify with McKinney being a victim of racial profiling. There isn’t a
person of color in the U.S. who has not been either the direct or indirect
victim of police scrutiny or outright harassment, whether they live in a poor,
urban area or if they are an elected politician like McKinney.
It is
crucial that McKinney receive the benefit of the doubt in this case because
racism is endemic throughout U.S. society in many forms and transcends class
barriers.
McKinney’s political history is also an important factor.
She is an articulate, outspoken Black woman who has taken many progressive
stances since she became the first Black woman elected to the Georgia state
legislature, in 1988, and the first African American woman from Georgia to serve
in the U.S. House of Represen ta tives, beginning in 1992.
McKinney
initiated conferences exposing the imperialist role of U.S. corporate interests
in Africa, including the Congo. She openly accused the U.S. government of
conspiring to allow the 9/11 attacks to happen. She has spoken at numerous
rallies against the U.S. war and occupation of Iraq and cutbacks in social
programs. In 2002, she lost her seat in the House when the right-wing mobilized
against her. She won her seat back during the 2004 elections.
McKinney
will be a central figure in the upcoming documentary “American
Blackout,” which calls for a full investigation of the disenfranchisement
of Black voters during the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.
The
right-wing likes to go after an influential figure who visibly stands up and
defends the rights of the most oppressed, and this is the main reason why they
have seized on this latest incident to politically persecute Rep. Cynthia
McKinney.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
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