PROVIDENCE, R.I.
Case against racist
killer cops gains steam
By
Michael Shaw
Providence, R.I.
Hopes
for a just resolution to the Cornel Young Jr. tragedy were revived on April 27
when lawyer Johnnie Cochran filed a $20 million wrongful-death and civil-rights
claim on behalf of the slain Black police officer's estate and his mother Leisha
Young.
On
Jan. 28, Young--who was off duty--was shot and killed by Officers Carlos Saraiva
and Michael Solitro as he emerged from an all-night diner on Federal Hill to
assist them in handling a disturbance outside the restaurant.
The
scene was well lit. Young was the son of the highest-ranking police officer of
color on the Providence force. And Saraiva and Young were in the same graduating
class at the Providence Police Academy.
Yet
both cops who fired on Young claim they didn't recognize their
victim.
Saraiva
had remained on the force despite an incident a few months earlier in which he
reportedly shot an unarmed person, Raphael Nunez, once in each leg after Nunez
asked the officer for his badge number.
Young's
killing made nationwide news as a clear-cut example of police racism. Yet
despite immediate public outcry, Rhode Island law-enforcement officials have
done nothing to punish these killers in blue. On the contrary, they have
arrogantly resisted the widespread demands for
justice.
As
a result, the Coalition for Justice and Community Reconciliation was formed
after Young's death. The group--made up of clergy and grassroots
activists--organized a rousing march against racism and police bru tality that
took place in Providence April
8.
The
coalition has also put forward demands, including the establishment of a
civilian review board of the police and the resignations of Providence Mayor
Vincent 'Buddy' Cianci Jr., Police Chief Urbano Prignano Jr. and Public Safety
Director John. J.
Partington.
Cochran
is supporting local clergy and community leaders who maintain that the fact that
Young was Black played a role in the shooting. These leaders have consistently
charged that law enforcement's investigation of the Young case was incomplete
and biased toward exonerating the white
officers.
The
pending lawsuit will also have the legal help of lawyers Barry Sheck and Peter
Neufeld. Neufeld said the lawyers would carry out a "full public" investigation.
Up until this point, he continued, "all that happened was a secret, closed grand
jury." Neufeld said the legal team would attempt to "make that whole process
public."
Clifford
Monteiro, president of the Providence branch of the NAACP, said that "this will
be the most investigated case in the history of Rhode Island."
This article is copyright under a Creative Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME :: U.S. NEWS :: WORLD NEWS :: EDITORIALS :: SUBSCRIBE :: DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page