 |
Palestine and Chicago: War Zones |
By
Stephen Lendman |
| Israel is at war with Palestine without declaring it. Official policy
sanctions cold-blooded murder. Praying to the wrong God is considered
a criminal offense. So is wanting fundamental freedoms everyone deserves.
Chicago is much the same, like other US cities and towns nationwide - the so-called “city of big shoulders” where I live notoriously called the police repression capital of America for good reason. Police operate freely in Black and Latino communities, committing cold-blooded murders with impunity. Shooting fatalities by Chicago cops top the nation - over 70 in the past five years along with hundreds wounded, most often innocent victims. Chicago’s Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) investigated around 400 police shootings since 2007. Only one was deemed justifiable - yet by no means necessary. Better training and tactics might prevent most, perhaps all, shootings, fatal and other ones. Instead, rules of engagement encourage police violence in Black and Latino neighborhoods. The latest incident involved two cop killings Saturday - a male college student and 55-year-old mother of five, both Black, in the city’s west side Garfield Park community. Official police statements lie, distort and coverup key facts. The one explaining this incident said officers responded to an alleged disturbance. “Upon arrival, (they) were confronted by a combative subject resulting in the discharging of the officer's weapon, fatally wounding two individuals.” The Cook County medical examiner identified the victims as Bettie Jones, mother of five, grandmother of 10, and Quintoio Legrier, aged 19, a Northern Illinois University sophomore - home for the holidays visiting family. Ms. Jones was celebrating Christmas with family members, threatening no one - fatally shot through her closed front door, according to her cousin. Police lied, claiming she was “accidentally struck,” failing to explain why a weapon was discharged through her front door despite nothing warranting it. Her wooden door showed a single bullet hole. Legrier’s mother Janet Cooksey said you ask police for help and “lose someone” unaccountably. “This has to stop.” She explained her fatally shot son was “having a mental situation.” He’d “get loud” at times “but not violent.” Nothing justified cops killing him or his victimized neighbor. Virtually always they’re given the benefit of the doubt, almost never held accountable for cold-blooded murder. Ms. Jones’ brother Melvin mocked police claiming an investigation would follow. “I already know how that will turn out,” he said. “We all know how that will turn out. When is this going to end?” Not as long as officials at the highest levels of local, state and federal government permit it. A second Saturday incident involved Chicago cops shooting a South Side man, seriously injuring him, requiring surgery. Details are sketchy. Family members said no violence was occurring when police arrived. Instead of acting responsibly, another innocent victim was shot, in serious condition fighting for his life. A Black youth cursed the officers and asked: “Why you never shoot white kids?” Why do Israeli soldiers and militarized police only shoot Palestinians? State-sponsored violence rages daily throughout the Territories, over half a dozen lethal shootings since Christmas eve, three on Saturday. The latest incident involved Palestinian youth Mos’ab Mahmoud al-Ghazali, aged 26, from the Silwan East Jerusalem Wad Qaddoum neighborhood on Saturday - murdered by Israeli soldiers in cold blood. He “carried a knife and attempted to stab an officer,” they claimed. Eyewitnesses refuted the Big Lie - the same one justifying most all Israeli extrajudicial executions. One eyewitness said soldiers ordered Ghazali to stand up. He arose, raised his arms in the air, showing he threatened no one. Soldiers first shot him in the legs, then his chest when he fell to the ground - murdering him in cold blood. Following the incident, undercover security forces stormed his family home, ransacking it and interrogated family members. Everything happened without just cause, classic evidence of police state justice, victims without recourse - in Palestine or inner city Chicago Black communities, war zones without mercy. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs. Israel is at war with Palestine without declaring it. Official policy sanctions cold-blooded murder. Praying to the wrong God is considered a criminal offense. So is wanting fundamental freedoms everyone deserves. Chicago is much the same, like other US cities and towns nationwide - the so-called “city of big shoulders” where I live notoriously called the police repression capital of America for good reason. Police operate freely in Black and Latino communities, committing cold-blooded murders with impunity. Shooting fatalities by Chicago cops top the nation - over 70 in the past five years along with hundreds wounded, most often innocent victims. Chicago’s Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) investigated around 400 police shootings since 2007. Only one was deemed justifiable - yet by no means necessary. Better training and tactics might prevent most, perhaps all, shootings, fatal and other ones. Instead, rules of engagement encourage police violence in Black and Latino neighborhoods. The latest incident involved two cop killings Saturday - a male college student and 55-year-old mother of five, both Black, in the city’s west side Garfield Park community. Official police statements lie, distort and coverup key facts. The one explaining this incident said officers responded to an alleged disturbance. “Upon arrival, (they) were confronted by a combative subject resulting in the discharging of the officer's weapon, fatally wounding two individuals.” The Cook County medical examiner identified the victims as Bettie Jones, mother of five, grandmother of 10, and Quintoio Legrier, aged 19, a Northern Illinois University sophomore - home for the holidays visiting family. Ms. Jones was celebrating Christmas with family members, threatening no one - fatally shot through her closed front door, according to her cousin. Police lied, claiming she was “accidentally struck,” failing to explain why a weapon was discharged through her front door despite nothing warranting it. Her wooden door showed a single bullet hole. Legrier’s mother Janet Cooksey said you ask police for help and “lose someone” unaccountably. “This has to stop.” She explained her fatally shot son was “having a mental situation.” He’d “get loud” at times “but not violent.” Nothing justified cops killing him or his victimized neighbor. Virtually always they’re given the benefit of the doubt, almost never held accountable for cold-blooded murder. Ms. Jones’ brother Melvin mocked police claiming an investigation would follow. “I already know how that will turn out,” he said. “We all know how that will turn out. When is this going to end?” Not as long as officials at the highest levels of local, state and federal government permit it. A second Saturday incident involved Chicago cops shooting a South Side man, seriously injuring him, requiring surgery. Details are sketchy. Family members said no violence was occurring when police arrived. Instead of acting responsibly, another innocent victim was shot, in serious condition fighting for his life. A Black youth cursed the officers and asked: “Why you never shoot white kids?” Why do Israeli soldiers and militarized police only shoot Palestinians? State-sponsored violence rages daily throughout the Territories, over half a dozen lethal shootings since Christmas eve, three on Saturday. The latest incident involved Palestinian youth Mos’ab Mahmoud al-Ghazali, aged 26, from the Silwan East Jerusalem Wad Qaddoum neighborhood on Saturday - murdered by Israeli soldiers in cold blood. He “carried a knife and attempted to stab an officer,” they claimed. Eyewitnesses refuted the Big Lie - the same one justifying most all Israeli extrajudicial executions. One eyewitness said soldiers ordered Ghazali to stand up. He arose, raised his arms in the air, showing he threatened no one. Soldiers first shot him in the legs, then his chest when he fell to the ground - murdering him in cold blood. Following the incident, undercover security forces stormed his family home, ransacking it and interrogated family members. Everything happened without just cause, classic evidence of police state justice, victims without recourse - in Palestine or inner city Chicago Black communities, war zones without mercy. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs. |
| Donate to Rense.com Support Free And Honest Journalism At Rense.com | Subscribe To RenseRadio! Enormous Online Archives, MP3s, Streaming Audio Files, Highest Quality Live Programs |