In an attempt hold accountable the city council officials protecting the police who murdered Kelly Thomas, Fullerton residents have launched a recall effort, and their petition has just been approved by the Fullerton City Clerk.
The primary reason listed for recalling Councilman Patrick McKinley, Mayor Pro Tem Don Bankhead, and Mayor Dick Jones is the placing of police interest over that of the community and the culture of corruption created by these officials. Additional reasons included are support of the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency and an allegedly illegal franchise fee on water bills.
Councilman McKinley defended the murderous policemen on CNN and even claimed “facial injuries are not life-threatening.”
But as Marisa Gerber of OCWeekly reports, the police caused Thomas’s death:
Kelly Thomas died of brain injuries, which resulted from blunt force trauma to the head, according to medical records released by Garo Mardirossian, Ron Thomas’ lawyer.
And efforts have been made by the District Attorney to defend these policemen by refusing to release the video of Thomas’s beating in fear of tainting witness testimony as Kate Mather and Abby Sewell of the LA Times write:
“It’s very important that if there is a trial, that the witnesses can testify what they saw as a witness, not what they saw on television or in the media,” said Susan Kang Schroeder, the district attorney’s chief of staff.
Naturally, this same standard does not apply to the police who were allowed to watch the video of them beating a mentally-ill homeless man to death before writing their reports, according to the LA Times.
Fullerton residents wishing to sign the petition or gather signatures can learn more at www.fullertonrecall.com.
The police officers must be held accountable for what they did. But you should also look at who’d behind the recall and why, and the tactics they’re using. This has gone way past the terrible tragedy of Kelly Thomas. I’ll repeat what I said before in a quote from TS Eliot: “There is no greater sin, there is no greater treason, than to do the right thing for the wrong reason.”
RECALL them ALL!