Saturday, December 27, 2014

The ‘Woman Eric Garner’ Who Suffocated To Death In Police Custody
December 27, 2014 9:20 am·
Countercurrentnews.com

A new petition is circulating in response to death of an African American citizens at the hands of police officers who many are calling the “female Eric Garner.” The petition demands is demanding a federal and state investigation into the death of 18-year-old Sheneque Proctor.

Proctor was kill in the Bessemer City Jail after she was arrested on November 1st. She was at a Bessemer hotel at a part with friends when police arrived and arrested her for “disorderly conduct,” according to her aunt, Tracy Rodda.

Early the next morning, Proctor was found dead in her jail cell, after having complained of problems with asthma which police apparently refused to take seriously.

Bessemer City Attorney Shan Paden commented, “I know the case. I know we had a death in the jail. Erring on a conservative side, not to protect the city but to protect the rights of an 18-year-old, the city of Bessemer will not disclose any information.”

The petition was created on Change.org last Monday, but has received relatively little attention. The petition explains the following about Sheneque Proctor’s death and links it to unrest throughout the nation.

“The death of Black Men like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice is a clear indication that Black Lives are in jeopardy from Police who have declared it open season on Black Men,” Karen Jones of Montgomery Alabama writes, in her description of the petition.

“Insult over injury no indictment and a video which clearly shows officers using a choke hold on Eric Garner who loudly and clearly stated that he could NOT breathe was not enough to save his life.

“Yet in Alabama where most of the historical landmark Civil Right Movements and cases we have lost an 18 year old Black young woman under the hands of Bessemer Police,” the petition continues.

Proctor’s family says that she suffered from asthma, and had complained of being treated violently by Bessemer Police officers who made the arrest.

After making her complaints, she was found dead in her jail cell the next morning. But Bessemer authorities have refused to so much as comment on the case. All media inquires have been referred to the State Bureau of Investigations, which spokeswoman Robyn Bryan says “is looking into the case.”

“This family deserves some answers,” the petition declares. “We don’t need another ‘I can’t breathe’ story. Her life mattered and still matters to her family. They deserve answers from the State Bureau of Investigations and the FBI.”

The petition demands that State Senator Quinton Ross, State Representative Alvin Holmes and U.S. Representative Terri Sewell “request both State and Federal investigations in the death of this 18 year old Black female.”

“We don’t know what happened,” Proctor’s mother, Scherita, told reporters. Her family is encouraging people to sign the petition and help put the pressure on for a real, and thorough investigation.

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