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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2014)
National News Justice Sought for Black Woman Beaten by CHP By Kenneth D. Miller Special to the NNPA from the Los Angeles Sentinel M ore than 23-years after the video- tape release of White uniformed LAPD officers beating unarmed Black motorist Rodney King in 1991 (which sparked the civil unrest in Los Ange- les and throughout the country in 1992), the savage beating of 51-year old African American woman Marlene Pinnock by a yet to be named White California Highway Patrol officer on the Santa Monica Freeway on July 1 was captured by cell phone video. A community is outraged, civil rights and community leaders are planning a protest and the victim’s attorney is demanding jus- tice. Pinnock has since been hospitalized and the CHP officer has been placed on paid administrative leave as the organization the shoulder of the freeway. Two days following the attack, the CHP issued the following statement: “The Cali- fornia Highway Patrol (CHP) is aware of the video and we are looking into the inci- dent. As a matter of policy, every time there is a use of force by our officers, there is a review conducted to determine whether the use of force was appropriate. That will be done in this case, however, since there is an ongoing investigation, it would be prema- ture to comment on this specific video segment without reviewing the entire inci- dent.” The video starts with the officer attempt- ing to detain Pinnock. She manages to get a few steps away from him before he forces her to the ground. The officer then briefly struggles with her before repeatedly punch- ing her in the face. “After the officer spotted the barefoot woman walking along the shoulder and stepping into lanes of the 10 Freeway near the La Brea Avenue exit, he approached the woman, who became ‘physically combat- ive’,” the CHP said in a statement. The video then shows the officer pull her to the side of the highway as he begins to brutally beat her. After a few moments, a plainclothes offi- cer arrives at the scene and assists the CHP officer in restraining Pinnock in handcuffs. On July 4, Chris O’Quinn, Assistant Chief of the CHP Southern Division, assured news outlets the incident would be thor- oughly reviewed. The video then shows the officer pull her to the side of the highway as he begins to brutally beat her investigates possible excessive use of force. The video of the beating has since gone viral on YouTube and viewed by nearly a quarter of a million people just as of Mon- day July 7. The video, captured by a driver passing by, shows an officer punching Pin- nock while on the ground more than eleven times in the face while she lies helpless on The savage beating of 51-year old African American woman Marlene Pinnock by a-yet-to-be-named White California Highway Patrol officer on the Santa Monica Freeway July 1 was captured by cell phone video. “We’re looking at every possibility, every fact, every circumstance that have con- tributed to this situation, and we’re going to try to come to a just conclusion,” said Assis- tant Chief O’Quinn at a news conference on Friday. Pinnock’s family has retained African American attorney Caree Harper, a former police officer dedicated to pursuing justice, according to her website. Her site lauds her federal and state jury trial experience, and states she has helped many victims of civil rights violations. Harper is asking that the two officers involved in the incident be punished. “She’s not just some animal,” attorney Harper said, “She has an aunt, a sister, a brother, a father and a great-grandchild.” Prominent Northern California based civil rights attorney John Burris has also joined the legal team representing Pinnock. California Attorney General Kamala Har- ris declined to comment on the matter as of press time. The Sentinel reached out to a number of additional elected officials who were not available for comment. We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans. It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people working in the building trades through advocacy, civil demonstration, and the long-held belief that work- ers deserve a "family wage" - fair pay for an honest day's work. A family wage, and the benefits that go with it, not only strength- ens families, but also allows our communities to become stronger, more cohesive, and more responsive to their citizens' needs. Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people working in the building trades, and to workers everywhere. In this small way, we are doing our part to help people achieve the American Dream. This dream that workers can hold dear regard- less of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious beliefs. The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5.000 construction workers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter? July 16, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 9
