Special prosecutor appointed in dragging-death case
By JEFF CARLTON
Associated Press
Nov. 13, 2008, 4:38PM
DALLAS — The district attorney prosecuting a racially charged dragging death in East Texas has recused himself because he once represented one of the murder suspects, leading to the appointment of a special prosecutor, officials said Thursday.
Before he held public office, Lamar County and District Attorney Gary Young was the court-appointed lawyer for one of the suspects in the September death of 24-year-old Brandon McClelland. Authorities said that suspect and another man, who are both white, purposely ran over McClelland, a black man, following an argument on the way home from a late-night beer run Sept. 16.
McClelland's body was dragged about 70 feet beneath a pickup truck and dismembered by the trauma near Paris, about 95 miles northeast of Dallas.
McClelland's mother, members of the New Black Panther Party, the Nation of Islam and other groups have compared the killing to the notorious dragging death of James Byrd 10 years ago in Jasper. Activists have planned a Monday rally at the Lamar County Courthouse.
In 2003, Young defended Shannon Finley, who was charged with murder and eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter for fatally shooting a friend in the head. Finley served four years in prison.
Activists said the appointment of former Dallas prosecutor Toby Shook is a victory for McClelland's family, who had argued that Young's prior defense of Finley should disqualify him. Young had originally assigned the case to an assistant, but McClelland's mother said she thought the DA would still be able to exert influence.
"I think he should have recused himself," said Brenda Cherry, a Paris community activist who is close to McClelland's mother. "I had a concern he wouldn't be fair."
Shook agreed with Young's decision, saying "it's usually best in these situations to recuse yourself, although he didn't necessarily have to do so."
Lamar County spokesman Allan Hubbard declined to comment. There was no answer at the home of McClelland's mother, and McClelland's father did not immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press.
Finley and Charles Crostley remain in the Lamar County Jail on bonds totally $800,000 and $525,000, respectively, according to online jail records.
They have not been indicted. The grand jury met Thursday but Shook did not present the case because he said he is still getting familiar with its details. The grand jury next convenes Dec. 11, and Shook said he expects to seek indictments then.
Shook is a former assistant district attorney in Dallas County. He successfully tried the escaped prisoners who became known as the notorious "Texas Seven" after they killed an Irving police officer while they were on the lam in 2000. Shook lost the 2006 election for district attorney to current Dallas County DA Craig Watkins and is now in private practice.
The special prosecutor said he has not decided whether he believes the McClelland killing was racially motivated. In Texas, a determination of racial bias in a crime can increase penalties, but not for murder charges. Such a finding, however, would be a symbolic victory for McClelland's family and activists, who said he was targeted because he was an African-American.
Deric Muhammad, a Nation of Islam member who is monitoring the case, praised the Shook appointment as "a step in the direction of justice."
"If this case is prosecuted fairly and not tinged with the racism and bias that has haunted Paris and Lamar County for decades, it could very well represent a start in a healing process for Blacks, as well as concerned Whites in Paris," Muhammad wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Shook said he is not worried about taking over such a charged case.
"It doesn't bother me to step into a case with a lot of emotion in it," Shook said. "Most murder cases do have a lot of emotion."
Source:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6111023.html
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Marion County deputies, officers make arrests
By Star & Enterprise Staff ReportsPublished: November 20, 2008
Marion County Sheriff Department
On Nov. 14, deputies arrested Carroll W. Cornish, 49, of Hartford, Conn., for driving under suspension and driving left of center.
On Nov. 13, deputies arrested Bryan Chase Sparks, 25, of Marion, for breaking into motor vehicle, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy and grand larceny.
On Nov. 7, deputies arrested James Brandon Jackson, 22, of Nichols, for criminal domestic violence and malicious injury to property.
On Nov. 10, deputies arrested Daniel Roberts II, 20, of Mullins for public disorderly conduct and threatening public official.
On Nov. 9, deputies arrested Jessica Hunt, 27, of Marion, for driving under suspension and open container.
On Nov. 7, deputies arrested Terry Latrell Blackmon, 17, of Mullins, for Lynching- second degree and violation of gang law.
On Nov. 7, deputies arrested Briand Johnson, 17, of Mullins, for lynching- second degree and violation of gang law.
On Nov. 7, deputies arrested Jeffery Gurley, 26, of Marion, for criminal domestic violence.
On Nov. 7, deputies arrested Joseph Deamin Isreal, 18, of Marion, for simple possession of marijuana and unlawful carrying of pistol.
On Nov. 12, deputies arrested Floyd Emery Henderson, Jr., 46, of Marion, for simple possession of marijuana and driving under the influence, open container and driving left of center.
City of Marion
On Nov. 13, officers arrested David Dudley Martin, 27, of Marion for criminal domestic violence.
On Nov. 13, officers arrested Susan M. Skipper, 21, of Marion for criminal domestic violence.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested two juveniles for shoplifting.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested Anthony Raynard Randall, 18, of Marion for drug equipment violations, disorderly conduct and giving false information to police.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested Jessica Listina Fling, 27, of Marion for giving false information to police.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested Kendrea Marquel Hannah, 20, of Mullins for driving under suspension, second offiense.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested Tony Dewayne Rollins, 20, of Marion for simple possession of marijuana and disorderly conduct.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested Monique Dixon Johnson, 19, of Marion for simple possession of marijuana and disorderly conduct.
On Nov. 10, officers arrested John Allen Fogan, 55, of Marion for driving under the influence.
On Nov. 10, officers arrested Adrian N. Williams, 19, of Latta, for shoplifting.
On Nov. 10, officers arrested Jerry Alvin Fleming, 47, of Marion for simple assault.
On Nov. 10, officers arrested Kimberly Robinson, 23, of Marion for malicious damage to personal property.
On Nov. 9, officers arrested Tony Allen Legette, 45, of Marion for public drunkenness.
On Nov. 10, officers arrested two juveniles for petit larceny.
On Nov. 9, officers arrested George Davis, 37, of Marion for disorderly conduct. On
On Nov. 9, officers arrested Rodney Tremaine Baldwin, 33, of Marion for criminal domestic violence, first offense.
On Nov. 9, officers arrested Kwame Christopher Campbell, 18, of Marion for having no S.C. driver’s license in possession.
On Nov. 8, officers arrested Jessica Leann Legette, 20, of Marion for simple possession of marijuana.
Source:
http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/article/marion_county_deputies_officers_make_arrests2/19229/
Marion County Sheriff Department
On Nov. 14, deputies arrested Carroll W. Cornish, 49, of Hartford, Conn., for driving under suspension and driving left of center.
On Nov. 13, deputies arrested Bryan Chase Sparks, 25, of Marion, for breaking into motor vehicle, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy and grand larceny.
On Nov. 7, deputies arrested James Brandon Jackson, 22, of Nichols, for criminal domestic violence and malicious injury to property.
On Nov. 10, deputies arrested Daniel Roberts II, 20, of Mullins for public disorderly conduct and threatening public official.
On Nov. 9, deputies arrested Jessica Hunt, 27, of Marion, for driving under suspension and open container.
On Nov. 7, deputies arrested Terry Latrell Blackmon, 17, of Mullins, for Lynching- second degree and violation of gang law.
On Nov. 7, deputies arrested Briand Johnson, 17, of Mullins, for lynching- second degree and violation of gang law.
On Nov. 7, deputies arrested Jeffery Gurley, 26, of Marion, for criminal domestic violence.
On Nov. 7, deputies arrested Joseph Deamin Isreal, 18, of Marion, for simple possession of marijuana and unlawful carrying of pistol.
On Nov. 12, deputies arrested Floyd Emery Henderson, Jr., 46, of Marion, for simple possession of marijuana and driving under the influence, open container and driving left of center.
City of Marion
On Nov. 13, officers arrested David Dudley Martin, 27, of Marion for criminal domestic violence.
On Nov. 13, officers arrested Susan M. Skipper, 21, of Marion for criminal domestic violence.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested two juveniles for shoplifting.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested Anthony Raynard Randall, 18, of Marion for drug equipment violations, disorderly conduct and giving false information to police.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested Jessica Listina Fling, 27, of Marion for giving false information to police.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested Kendrea Marquel Hannah, 20, of Mullins for driving under suspension, second offiense.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested Tony Dewayne Rollins, 20, of Marion for simple possession of marijuana and disorderly conduct.
On Nov. 11, officers arrested Monique Dixon Johnson, 19, of Marion for simple possession of marijuana and disorderly conduct.
On Nov. 10, officers arrested John Allen Fogan, 55, of Marion for driving under the influence.
On Nov. 10, officers arrested Adrian N. Williams, 19, of Latta, for shoplifting.
On Nov. 10, officers arrested Jerry Alvin Fleming, 47, of Marion for simple assault.
On Nov. 10, officers arrested Kimberly Robinson, 23, of Marion for malicious damage to personal property.
On Nov. 9, officers arrested Tony Allen Legette, 45, of Marion for public drunkenness.
On Nov. 10, officers arrested two juveniles for petit larceny.
On Nov. 9, officers arrested George Davis, 37, of Marion for disorderly conduct. On
On Nov. 9, officers arrested Rodney Tremaine Baldwin, 33, of Marion for criminal domestic violence, first offense.
On Nov. 9, officers arrested Kwame Christopher Campbell, 18, of Marion for having no S.C. driver’s license in possession.
On Nov. 8, officers arrested Jessica Leann Legette, 20, of Marion for simple possession of marijuana.
Source:
http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/article/marion_county_deputies_officers_make_arrests2/19229/
Serial killer to stand trial in another slaying
Serial killer to stand trial in another slaying
By Robert ZulloSenior Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 7:23 p.m.
THIBODAUX – The serial killer sentenced two months ago to eight back-to-back life sentences for killings in Terrebonne was transferred to the Lafourche jail last weekend, where he will await trial for a murder authorities say he committed in that parish.
Ronald Joseph Dominique, 44, who is suspected of raping and strangling as many as 23 men in south Louisiana over a decade, faces trial in Lafourche District Court for the first-degree murder of 27-year-old Christopher Charles Sutterfield. Though authorities believe he was killed in Lafourche, Sutterfield’s body was found Oct. 15, 2006, near the Tippy Canal Boat Landing on La. 69 in Iberville Parish.
Lafourche District Attorney Cam Morvant II would not say whether his office intends to seek the death penalty for Dominique, adding that he intends to consult with Sutterfield’s family.
Dominique was indicted Oct. 30 by a Lafourche grand jury for Sutterfield’s murder, more than a month after he pleaded guilty to eight murders in Terrebonne in an agreement with prosecutors that spared him from facing execution.
Terrebonne Assistant District Attorney Mark Rhodes said the agreement was the product of months of talks with the Terrebonne victims’ families, who unanimously consented to the deal to avoid the lengthy death-penalty process.
Dominique was shipped to the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola after pleading guilty to the murders of the Terrebonne victims -- Michael Barnett, Leon Lirette, August Watkins, Kurt Cunningham, Alonzo Hogan, Chris Deville, Wayne Smith and Nicholas Pellegrin – but was brought back to Lafourche at the request of the Lafourche District Attorney’s Office.
He appeared before a magistrate Tuesday and is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 2.
Investigators told family members Sutterfield, who lived on St. Charles Bypass Road in Thibodaux but was staying at the A-Bear Motel in Houma at the time of his death, was strangled, like others whose deaths are attributed to Dominique.
Dominique targeted men he picked up off the side of the road or other places. He propositioned them for sex or lured them into his car with the promise of drugs or sex with a fictitious woman, police have said.
Dominique tied the men up, sometimes at gunpoint, and raped them before suffocating or strangling them. He dumped their bodies, which were often found shoeless or semi-clothed in cane fields and near remote bayous, across a swath that stretched from New Orleans to Iberia Parish.
Staff Writer Raymond Legendre contributed to this report. Senior Staff Writer Robert Zullo can be reached at 850-1150 or robert.zullo@houmatoday.com.
By Robert ZulloSenior Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 7:23 p.m.
THIBODAUX – The serial killer sentenced two months ago to eight back-to-back life sentences for killings in Terrebonne was transferred to the Lafourche jail last weekend, where he will await trial for a murder authorities say he committed in that parish.
Ronald Joseph Dominique, 44, who is suspected of raping and strangling as many as 23 men in south Louisiana over a decade, faces trial in Lafourche District Court for the first-degree murder of 27-year-old Christopher Charles Sutterfield. Though authorities believe he was killed in Lafourche, Sutterfield’s body was found Oct. 15, 2006, near the Tippy Canal Boat Landing on La. 69 in Iberville Parish.
Lafourche District Attorney Cam Morvant II would not say whether his office intends to seek the death penalty for Dominique, adding that he intends to consult with Sutterfield’s family.
Dominique was indicted Oct. 30 by a Lafourche grand jury for Sutterfield’s murder, more than a month after he pleaded guilty to eight murders in Terrebonne in an agreement with prosecutors that spared him from facing execution.
Terrebonne Assistant District Attorney Mark Rhodes said the agreement was the product of months of talks with the Terrebonne victims’ families, who unanimously consented to the deal to avoid the lengthy death-penalty process.
Dominique was shipped to the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola after pleading guilty to the murders of the Terrebonne victims -- Michael Barnett, Leon Lirette, August Watkins, Kurt Cunningham, Alonzo Hogan, Chris Deville, Wayne Smith and Nicholas Pellegrin – but was brought back to Lafourche at the request of the Lafourche District Attorney’s Office.
He appeared before a magistrate Tuesday and is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 2.
Investigators told family members Sutterfield, who lived on St. Charles Bypass Road in Thibodaux but was staying at the A-Bear Motel in Houma at the time of his death, was strangled, like others whose deaths are attributed to Dominique.
Dominique targeted men he picked up off the side of the road or other places. He propositioned them for sex or lured them into his car with the promise of drugs or sex with a fictitious woman, police have said.
Dominique tied the men up, sometimes at gunpoint, and raped them before suffocating or strangling them. He dumped their bodies, which were often found shoeless or semi-clothed in cane fields and near remote bayous, across a swath that stretched from New Orleans to Iberia Parish.
Staff Writer Raymond Legendre contributed to this report. Senior Staff Writer Robert Zullo can be reached at 850-1150 or robert.zullo@houmatoday.com.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Protesters: Judicial System is Racist, Dragging Death Should Have Never Occurred
Protesters: Judicial System is Racist, Dragging Death Should Have Never Occurred Tuesday , November 18, 2008
PARIS, Texas — As many as 200 protesters have been gathering outside an east Texas courthouse to speak out against a judicial system they say is racist.
Outrage centers on the death of Brandon McClelland. Authorities say two white men drove over the black man on purpose, after an argument.
McClelland's mother says her son is dead because one of the men had been allowed to serve just four years for manslaughter earlier this decade.
Authorities say race wasn't a factor in McClelland's death. They note that he and the suspects had been long-time friends. McClelland had admitted giving one of the suspects a false alibi in the earlier manslaughter case.
Ten-years-ago James Byrd was killed in another east Texas town when 3 white men chained Byrd to the back of a pickup and dragged him for three miles.
In this case, McClelland was run over by -- not chained to -- a pickup, which dragged him 70 feet.
Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,453988,00.html
PARIS, Texas — As many as 200 protesters have been gathering outside an east Texas courthouse to speak out against a judicial system they say is racist.
Outrage centers on the death of Brandon McClelland. Authorities say two white men drove over the black man on purpose, after an argument.
McClelland's mother says her son is dead because one of the men had been allowed to serve just four years for manslaughter earlier this decade.
Authorities say race wasn't a factor in McClelland's death. They note that he and the suspects had been long-time friends. McClelland had admitted giving one of the suspects a false alibi in the earlier manslaughter case.
Ten-years-ago James Byrd was killed in another east Texas town when 3 white men chained Byrd to the back of a pickup and dragged him for three miles.
In this case, McClelland was run over by -- not chained to -- a pickup, which dragged him 70 feet.
Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,453988,00.html
Deputies arrest Florence man in beer bottle, Maglite beating
Deputies arrest Florence man in beer bottle, Maglite beating
By Morning News Staff Reports
Published: November 18, 2008
A Florence man was arrested Monday after deputies said he and his brother severely beat a man during a dispute at the Cooty Hut nightclub in Florence, said Florence County Sheriff’s Lt. Brett Camp.
Damon McSwain Welch, 29, of 3026 McCracken St. is charged with second-degree lynching, Florence County Detention Center bookings reports show. He was released the same day after posting bond.
The incident happened Nov. 2 at the nightclub when the two suspects struck the victim several times with a beer bottle and a Maglite flashlight, Camp said.
The victim suffered a skull fracture during the fight and received extensive treatment at a local hospital, he said.
The suspect’s brother Michael McSwain Welch, 35, of Summerton also is wanted on second-degree lynching charges.
Anyone with information about Michael Welch’s whereabouts can call the Florence County Sheriff’s Office at (843) 665-2121 or Crime Stoppers of the Pee Dee at (843) 667-TIPS (8477) or (866) 369-TIPS (8477).
Source:
http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/pee_dee/article/deputies_arrest_florence_man_in_beer_bottle_maglite_beating/19129/
By Morning News Staff Reports
Published: November 18, 2008
A Florence man was arrested Monday after deputies said he and his brother severely beat a man during a dispute at the Cooty Hut nightclub in Florence, said Florence County Sheriff’s Lt. Brett Camp.
Damon McSwain Welch, 29, of 3026 McCracken St. is charged with second-degree lynching, Florence County Detention Center bookings reports show. He was released the same day after posting bond.
The incident happened Nov. 2 at the nightclub when the two suspects struck the victim several times with a beer bottle and a Maglite flashlight, Camp said.
The victim suffered a skull fracture during the fight and received extensive treatment at a local hospital, he said.
The suspect’s brother Michael McSwain Welch, 35, of Summerton also is wanted on second-degree lynching charges.
Anyone with information about Michael Welch’s whereabouts can call the Florence County Sheriff’s Office at (843) 665-2121 or Crime Stoppers of the Pee Dee at (843) 667-TIPS (8477) or (866) 369-TIPS (8477).
Source:
http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/pee_dee/article/deputies_arrest_florence_man_in_beer_bottle_maglite_beating/19129/
High and low roads to U.S. history
by PAT MURPHY
How small, bitter and beleaguered by hate the intractable foes of Barack Obama look and sound.
In his hour-long Sunday interview on "60 Minutes," Obama came through as a man of superior poise, intellect and deep thought, with a firm and unrattled grasp of immense problems requiring Solomonic wisdom and Herculean courage. To those weary of President Bush's stumbling inability to speak intelligibly, and his frequent use of gunslinger imagery, Obama's command of the language ensures that Americans no longer need endure a president mocked for malapropisms and fractured syntax. Instead, eloquence has returned.
The lofty character Obama will use to restore dignity and integrity to the Oval Office also includes generous helpings of magnanimity. He reached out to his defeated rival, John McCain, for help in rebuilding America's shattered economy, despite brutal smears and belittling slurs by McCain and Sarah Palin, and also generously asked Senate Democrats to keep the perfidious turncoat Joe Lieberman in their caucus and not expel him.
If Obama represents the high road in the historic drama of the 44th presidency, extremists on the right show that some Americans don't want amity and conciliation but instead prefer the low road.
The conscience of the Republican Party's far right wing, Rush Limbaugh, is sticking with his election morning-after slam that Obama is an "old-fashioned Chicago thug" and that America's financial catastrophe is an "Obama recession," not George Bush's doing.
Thousands of panicked Americans are rushing to gun stores to stock up on weapons and ammo, thanks to the predictable and reckless scare mongering of the National Rifle Association—that Obama is a "radical" who'll restrict gun ownership and tax ammunition heavily. And what does more guns per home mean to national recovery, pray tell?
Rednecks and racists are busy, too. More than 200 incidents across the country involving threats against Obama are being investigated, including the threat of a "public lynching" in Vay, Idaho.
But nothing has been so unnerving as the report of second- and third-grade students on a school bus in Rexburg, Idaho, chanting "assassinate Obama, assassinate Obama."
What's so frightening is the school district's explanation that the children didn't really know the meaning of "assassinate," and the public must understand the Rexburg district was heavily for John McCain.
Thus, the children presumably learned the chant of a lynch mob in homes that are devout Republicans.
Is this what Idaho wants to perpetuate—"the reddest red state," where children learn the ABC's of racial hate and lynching before their 10th birthday from parents?
source:
http://www.mtexpress.com/story_printer.php?ID=2005123692
by PAT MURPHY
How small, bitter and beleaguered by hate the intractable foes of Barack Obama look and sound.
In his hour-long Sunday interview on "60 Minutes," Obama came through as a man of superior poise, intellect and deep thought, with a firm and unrattled grasp of immense problems requiring Solomonic wisdom and Herculean courage. To those weary of President Bush's stumbling inability to speak intelligibly, and his frequent use of gunslinger imagery, Obama's command of the language ensures that Americans no longer need endure a president mocked for malapropisms and fractured syntax. Instead, eloquence has returned.
The lofty character Obama will use to restore dignity and integrity to the Oval Office also includes generous helpings of magnanimity. He reached out to his defeated rival, John McCain, for help in rebuilding America's shattered economy, despite brutal smears and belittling slurs by McCain and Sarah Palin, and also generously asked Senate Democrats to keep the perfidious turncoat Joe Lieberman in their caucus and not expel him.
If Obama represents the high road in the historic drama of the 44th presidency, extremists on the right show that some Americans don't want amity and conciliation but instead prefer the low road.
The conscience of the Republican Party's far right wing, Rush Limbaugh, is sticking with his election morning-after slam that Obama is an "old-fashioned Chicago thug" and that America's financial catastrophe is an "Obama recession," not George Bush's doing.
Thousands of panicked Americans are rushing to gun stores to stock up on weapons and ammo, thanks to the predictable and reckless scare mongering of the National Rifle Association—that Obama is a "radical" who'll restrict gun ownership and tax ammunition heavily. And what does more guns per home mean to national recovery, pray tell?
Rednecks and racists are busy, too. More than 200 incidents across the country involving threats against Obama are being investigated, including the threat of a "public lynching" in Vay, Idaho.
But nothing has been so unnerving as the report of second- and third-grade students on a school bus in Rexburg, Idaho, chanting "assassinate Obama, assassinate Obama."
What's so frightening is the school district's explanation that the children didn't really know the meaning of "assassinate," and the public must understand the Rexburg district was heavily for John McCain.
Thus, the children presumably learned the chant of a lynch mob in homes that are devout Republicans.
Is this what Idaho wants to perpetuate—"the reddest red state," where children learn the ABC's of racial hate and lynching before their 10th birthday from parents?
source:
http://www.mtexpress.com/story_printer.php?ID=2005123692
Diocese Condemns Lynching of Suspected Criminals
Diocese Condemns Lynching of Suspected Criminals
Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
NEWS
18 November 2008
Posted to the web 18 November 2008
Mombasa
The Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa has condemned mob violence in which eleven youths suspected to have been terrorising the residents of Tiwi village in Kwale District were lynched last week.
Investigations by the Catholic Justice and Peace Office in Kwale found that Tiwi had been plagued by insecurity for a very long time and the youths in the village were prompted to take action following alleged police laxity.
"As the Catholic Church, we envisage a society based on human values and dignity of the whole human person. In fulfilling this mandate, we endeavour to protect and preserve life in line with the non-negotiable command from God, "Thou shall not kill". All human beings are entitled to their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms," the archdiocese said in a statement.
"Serious denial of these rights wounds the entire human community and destroys solidarity among persons. We condemn all forms of violence, regardless of their source or motivation. Life in all its forms is God-given and therefore sacred and should be preserved at all costs."
The violence in Tiwi was an indication of the breakdown of the rule of law and increased immorality in society, the archdiocese said. "The Catholic Church is worried that if such trends are encouraged to take root in our society, there will be total breakdown in moral values, law and order."
The archdiocese asked the police to step up their efforts in fighting crime. Citizens should also support the community policing strategy to help the police crack down on law breakers and prosecute them in accordance with the law.
Specifically, the archdiocese recommended that police and other security agencies increase patrols within the region to ensure maintenance of law and order.
The police should motivate the local community to partner with them in promoting security by implementing the community policing strategy. The church also appealed to members of the public to protect the right to life of others.
"We, therefore, appeal to the public to desist from actions that result in loss of life. All persons, including Tiwi residents, have a role to play in eliminating the culture of violence and impunity that is slowly taking root in our beloved country Kenya."
source:
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200811181192.html
Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
NEWS
18 November 2008
Posted to the web 18 November 2008
Mombasa
The Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa has condemned mob violence in which eleven youths suspected to have been terrorising the residents of Tiwi village in Kwale District were lynched last week.
Investigations by the Catholic Justice and Peace Office in Kwale found that Tiwi had been plagued by insecurity for a very long time and the youths in the village were prompted to take action following alleged police laxity.
"As the Catholic Church, we envisage a society based on human values and dignity of the whole human person. In fulfilling this mandate, we endeavour to protect and preserve life in line with the non-negotiable command from God, "Thou shall not kill". All human beings are entitled to their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms," the archdiocese said in a statement.
"Serious denial of these rights wounds the entire human community and destroys solidarity among persons. We condemn all forms of violence, regardless of their source or motivation. Life in all its forms is God-given and therefore sacred and should be preserved at all costs."
The violence in Tiwi was an indication of the breakdown of the rule of law and increased immorality in society, the archdiocese said. "The Catholic Church is worried that if such trends are encouraged to take root in our society, there will be total breakdown in moral values, law and order."
The archdiocese asked the police to step up their efforts in fighting crime. Citizens should also support the community policing strategy to help the police crack down on law breakers and prosecute them in accordance with the law.
Specifically, the archdiocese recommended that police and other security agencies increase patrols within the region to ensure maintenance of law and order.
The police should motivate the local community to partner with them in promoting security by implementing the community policing strategy. The church also appealed to members of the public to protect the right to life of others.
"We, therefore, appeal to the public to desist from actions that result in loss of life. All persons, including Tiwi residents, have a role to play in eliminating the culture of violence and impunity that is slowly taking root in our beloved country Kenya."
source:
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200811181192.html
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