Yesterday, I had the privilege of joining the #JusticeforJohnGeer protest in Fairfax. At one point, a woman entering the courthouse stopped and asked me, Who is John Geer? When I recounted the facts of his death and lack of accountability since then, she remembered reading about it when it happened. On her way out, she picked up a sign and started walking with us. Thats how powerful this story is. When people hear it, theyre outraged. We just need greater awareness. Kudos to Mike Curtis, the lead organizer of the protest, for getting so many people to participate and so much media attention to cover it. Check out Tom Jackman (WaPo)s write-up: goo.gl/GnrWZR Again, heres a little background on the shooting of John Geer: In Aug. 2013, Springfield resident John Geer was shot and killed by the Fairfax County Police while standing, unarmed and with his hands up, in the door of his own home. Witnesses say there was absolutely no justification for the shooting, nor had he committed any crimes. The police department and county officials blocked a criminal investigation by the Commonwealths Attorney, who then handed the case to the U.S. Department of Justice. Last month, a court finally ordered the police to release some information, including the name of the officer who shot Geer. But otherwise, the police have been unforthcoming, and justice for John Geer and his family has been stymied. Read more about the case at: WaPo (8/30/13): goo.gl/YfYuCv WaPo (9/2/14): goo.gl/1oyrPc WaPo (10/8/14): goo.gl/bWslgk CBS-9 (12/5/14): goo.gl/k82Lgp CBS-9 (12/4/14): goo.gl/C3Py7b CBS-9 (1/5/15): goo.gl/AFAkrV This is not a first for Fairfax County. In 2006, a SWAT team inexplicably shot Sal Culosi while serving a warrant for a small-time gambling crime. The department steadfastly refused to release any information until forced to do so by a court well over a year later. The County ultimately settled with the family and paid $2 million in compensation. Read about the Culosi case at: goo.gl/Eri8Ja (Reason 1/17/11) goo.gl/rsTBYt (WaPo 1/12/11). See also this article on the killing of unarmed motorist David Masters in 2009: goo.gl/v7wAfR (Reason 6/29/10). Our governments should be transparent and accountable—after all, they work for us. If they arent, we have to demand it. Please Like – Share – RT, and tell everyone you know about #JusticeforJohnGeer. (Just to re-emphasize, this was NOT an anti-cop protest. This was a peaceful protest seeking policy and administrative changes that reduce the likelihood of future tragedies and increase transparency and accountability if such future tragedies do occur.)
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 19:43:55 +0000
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