Police Misconduct and Racism on Choctaw

[weheli]

> The State of Mississippi
> The County of Neshoba
> The City of Philadelphia and
> The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
>
> To Whom It May Concern:
> We are writing this correspondence to bring to your attention too
> many troubling reports of police misconduct and the use of
excessive
> force upon Native Americans in the State of Mississippi. We believe
> these reports call for immediate federal scrutiny by the United
> States Department of Justice as criminal deprivations of rights
under
> color of law and civil violations of the administration of the
> practice and execution in carrying out the laws on county, state
and
> federal levels. There appear to be many inequities and abuses in
the
> execution of law enforcement.
> On March 21, 2007, Philadelphia Police Officers made racial remarks
> and ultimately used unnecessary force upon two members of the
> Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Since then, others have come
> forward with their experiences which indicate that PPD and other
> officers in Mississippi are engaged in a systemic pattern or
practice
> of using excessive force, making false arrests and lodging false
> charges, and racial profiling in policing Highway 16, the road that
> leads to the Choctaw Reservation. According to research, we believe
> that these practices are violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth
> Amendments to the United States Constitution.
> We have further concerns that the practices of these officers on
the
> night of March 21, 2007 indicate discriminatory treatment of
> civilians on the basis of race and if so, are in violation of Title
> VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Omnibus Crime Control
and
> Safe Streets Act of 1968. These statutes prohibit law enforcement
> agencies that receive United States Justice Department financial
> assistance from discriminating on the basis of race, color,
national
> origin, sex, or religion.
> We ask that information or records be scrutinized in this
> investigation which include: internal files relating to citizen
> complaints of misconduct filed with the PPD; documents from recent
> civil lawsuits against the City and PPD officers relating to police
> misconduct; PPD "use of excessive force" reports, "injury to
> prisoner" reports, and reports on the use of pepper spray; policies
> and procedures of the PPD relating to the supervision and
monitoring
> of officers; and city documents that address whether reforms are
> needed in PPD management practices, practice guidelines for proper
> use of pepper spray, and training needs and or the lack of adequate
> training on the topic of racial profiling.
> We will continue to document the experiences of individuals who
have
> come forward as well as those who may continue to come forward.
> Presently, several cases reveal common experiences and patterns
that
> would seem to indicate that officers of PPD may be inciting
responses
> from the victims through racial remarks or the Officer perceives
the
> victim in disrespectful manner although the victim's actions are
> relative and or completely harmless. Ultimately, the officers breed
> and manufacture their own environment of misconduct.
> The failure of the PPD and the State of Mississippi to adopt and
> enforce proper management practices and enact laws against racial
> profiling further communicates tolerance by the very institution in
> place to oversee the rights of individuals. We believe there exist
> significant problems in the manner in which the PPD trains,
> supervises, and monitors its police officers, the submission and
> investigation procedures of citizen complaints, and the discipline
of
> officers that are found guilty of misconduct and behavior
unbecoming
> a police officer in line of duty.
> We as a members of Neshoba County, the great state of Mississippi
and
> members of the Choctaw Tribe of Mississippi, possess the distinct
> inherent right that is afforded by the Constitution of Mississippi,
> the United States Constitution, the laws and rules of the Choctaw
> Tribe of Mississippi and the rules and regulations of the county of
> Neshoba to equal protection and fair treatment set forth in
> accordance to the aforementioned constitutions, laws, rules and
> regulations and hereby call upon the United States Office for Civil
> Rights and the United States Department of Justice Programs to
> conduct an external investigation into the practices and methods
used
> on the evening of March 21, 2007 and other cases involving Choctaw
> Indians.
> We feel that the average Choctaw individual is not aware of the
> process to file official complaints and may not be aware of their
> civil rights as citizens of both the Choctaw Tribe and the United
> States of America. Additionally, many do not have the means or will
> to confront law enforcement agencies and this now has been viewed
as
> tolerance which perpetuates the abusive and in some cases brutal
> mistreatment of Native American People.
>
> Janis Jimmie, member Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
> (jrbnsn@hotmail. com)
> Ron Alex, member Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
> (ron.alex@hotmail. com)
> Please send a similar letter to the following agencies;
> U.S. Attorney General
> U.S. Department of Justice
> 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
> Washington, DC 20530-0001
> AskDOJ@usdoj. gov.
> Office of Justice Programs
> Office for Civil Rights
> 810 7th Street, NW
> Washington, DC 20531
> Governor Haley Barbour
> PO Box 139
> Jackson, MS 39205
> 601-359-3150
> 601-359-3741 fax
> 1-877-405-0733
> Mayor Rayburn Waddell
> City Hall
> 525 Main street
> Philadelphia, MS 39350
> Philip Martin, Tribal Chief
> Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
> PO Box 6010
> Choctaw, MS
> 601-656-5251
> MS Attorney General's Office
> P.O. Box 220
> Jackson, MS 39205
> or
> MS Attorney General's Office
> Carroll Gartin Justice Building
> 450 High Street
> Jackson, MS 39201
> Telephone: 601-359-3680
> Email: msag05@... ms.us
> Bennett Malone – State Senator
> Room 401C – NC
> P.O. Box 1018
> Jackson, MS 39215
> (601) 359-3367
> or
> P.O. Box 528
> Carthage, MS 39051
> (601) 298-9576 (H)
> Gloria Williamson - State Representative
> Home
> 521 Holland Avenue
> Philadelphia, MS 39350
> Or Capitol
> P.O. Box 1018
> Jackson, MS 39215
> (601) 359-3250
> Thad Cochran – US Senate
> 113 Dirksen Senate Office Building
> Washington DC 20510
> (202) 224-5054
> Web form: cochran.senate. gov/contact. htm
> Trent Lott – US Senate
> 487 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
> WASHINGTON DC 20510
> (202) 224-6253
> Web Form: lott.senate. gov/index. cfm?FuseAction= Contact.Email
> Chip Pickering
> US House of Representative
> 823 22nd Ave
> Meridian, MS 39301
> 601.693.6681 Tel
> 601.693.1801 Fax
                                                                                           Weheli