FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
May 1, 2015
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
‘Shoot em’: Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Calls for Shooting Protesters in Baltimore
Why is Prosecutors Office defending someone calling for violence against citizens?
UPDATE: Assistant prosecutor Teana Walsh has resigned.
DETROIT — Progress Michigan is calling for a thorough investigation of a Wayne County assistant prosecutor in the wake of dangerous and irresponsible comments that were made on her Facebook page about protesters in Baltimore.
According to Fox Detroit, Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Teana Walsh posted the following to her Facebook account on April 27. The comment has since been removed:
“So I am watching the news in Baltimore and see large swarms of people throwing bricks, etc at police who are fleeing from their assaults … 15 in the hospital already. Solution. Simple. Shoot em. Period. End of discussion. I don’t care what causes the protestors to turn violent…what the “they did it because” reason is…no way is this acceptable. Flipping disgusting.”
“These remarks are particularly dangerous and irresponsible in light of protests taking place right now in Detroit in the wake of yet another shooting death of a young black man by law enforcement,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “Kym Worthy must conduct a thorough review of Walsh’s conduct as a prosecutor and should lead a discussion on the issues of police violence in Detroit. For an assistant county prosecutor to call for the summary execution of disenfranchised and angered citizens shows she has little regard for justice or due process.”
The County Prosecutor’s office defended Walsh in a statement saying, “APA Teana Walsh is known for her great work ethic and her compassion for victims of crime and their families. Her post was up on line briefly and she immediately took it down.”
Earlier this week, 20-year-old Terrance Kellom was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent while law enforcement was serving a warrant for Kellom’s arrest. There are numerous questions surrounding the young man’s death and protests have sprung up in Detroit as a result.
Kellom’s death comes on the heels of numerous instances of police brutality across the country where law enforcement has either killed or brutalized unarmed African Americans. In response to these injustices, the #BlackLivesMatter movement was born to speak out against racial profiling, police brutality and a racially-biased criminal justice system.
“In Walsh’s case, we have another example of a law enforcement agency brushing off allegations against their own,” Scott continued.“Statements like this from Walsh are exactly why so many people in this country have lost faith in the criminal justice system. It’s on Kym Worthy to take quick and decisive action to remedy this situation and to improve relations with the community.”
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