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The persecution of Cynthia McKinney

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.