Demonstration spreads to Monticello; Mayor joins the effort

Posted 8/21/12

MONTICELLO, NY — The demonstrations that have erupted across the nation in recent weeks appeared in Monticello on December 14, when about 40 people turned out to demand justice for all.

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Demonstration spreads to Monticello; Mayor joins the effort

Posted

MONTICELLO, NY — The demonstrations that have erupted across the nation in recent weeks appeared in Monticello on December 14, when about 40 people turned out to demand justice for all.

The protests were sparked by the decision of grand juries in Ferguson, MO and New York City not to indict white police officers who caused the deaths of two unarmed black men, Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York. The protestors carried signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and another that showed a man with raised hands that read, “This stops today.” Some of the signs indicated they had a connection with the American Civil Liberties Union.

More than one speaker noted that the police treatment of black men is a problem across the nation. Lawyer Michael Sussman related an experience he had in a restaurant the previous evening, when a patron asked the people he was dining with why there were protests occurring in places like Oakland, CA and Washington DC, when the incident took place in Ferguson, MO. Sussman said, “The ignorance we face on a day-to-day basis is astounding.”

Gordon Jenkins, the mayor of Monticello, was also carrying a sign. He said, “You can see all over the country what’s been happening. There are issues as far as district attorneys being so close to police officers that no one can do their job. There should be accountability for police officers and district attorneys; there’s no accountability.”

Jenkins has had several high-profile run-ins with the local criminal justice system. Most recently, a judge granted Jenkins a stay for a 45-day jail sentence he received for hitting a police officer in an incident at his store on Broadway. Jenkins was convicted of hitting a police officer while attempting to defend himself from a person who was seeking to harm him. The police officer testified that he believed the hit was accidental, and it did not prevent him from doing his job. The conviction in that case is being appealed.

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