Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Justice Groups Join Conyers in Push for Investigation Into Slain Detroit Imam's Assassination by FBI Agents

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ron Scott, 313.399.7345
February 1, 2010

Justice Groups Join Conyers in Push for Luqman Investigation

In the wake of the recently-released autopsy report on the shooting of Imam Luqman Abdullah, CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) of Michigan, the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, the NAACP’s Detroit Branch, ACLU’s Michigan Branch, and MECAWI (Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice) will join 14th District U.S. Congressman John Conyers, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, TODAY:

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
10:00 a.m.
220 Bagley
Tenth Floor Conference Room
Detroit, MI 48226

Congressman Conyers will announce that a U.S. Justice Department investigation of the Luqman shooting will be initiated per his request to Attorney General Eric Holder.

Luqman was killed by law enforcement officers from various local, state and national police agencies. “Many community organizations have begun to come together to find out why a multijurisdictional task force comprised of federal, state and local officials had a virtual free-for-all in the shooting of Imam Luqman, who was shot 21 times, including 12 times below the waist,” said Coalition spokesperson Ron Scott.

Scott went on to say that the coalition of groups has been working to bring this matter to greater attention to Detroit, the nation and the world. “An independent investigation will go a long way towards accomplishing this,” he added.

The justice organizations plan to continue their efforts to see justice in the Luqman case and to support the ten defendants whose criminal trials will be held over the next year. “This is just the beginning of a large movement. The community has long asserted that this is necessary to fend off what appears to be sanctioned violence by official police organizations,” continued Scott.

The groups are calling for the following:

* Independent investigation of all events leading up to the shooting of Imam Luqman.
* Evaluation of the members of the multijurisdictional task force.
* Clarification of protocols and oversight.
* Criminal prosecution of those officers who may have been involved in the shooting.
* Immediate conclusion to the investigation of the shooting by the Dearborn Police Department so that all the facts may be known.

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