Urban League Leaders and Koen Call For Dismissal and Prosecution of Officers Who Brutalized Paraplegic Man

URBAN LEAGUE LEADERS MORIAL & KOEN CALL FOR DISMISSAL AND PROSECUTION OF OFFICERS WHO BRUTALIZED PARAPALEGIC MAN  

DAYTON, OHIO (October 11, 2021) – Condemning their brutality and appalling lack of judgement, the leaders of the National Urban League and the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio today demanded the dismissal and prosecution of the police officers who dragged a paraplegic man from his car by his hair.

“The violence these officers inflicted on a man with a disability who poses no threat whatsoever is painful to watch,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “The senselessness of repeatedly ordering him to walk when he clearly says he cannot is mind-boggling. This is the behavior of officers so drunk with power they believe their own authority supersedes the laws of physics.”

Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio President and CEO Eddie L. Koen said, “It’s incidents like this that undermine local reform efforts and erode public trust.  Now is the time to show that this behavior will not be tolerated.” 

The two leaders said members of Congress who have blocked the passage of police reform legislation bear a measure of responsibility for ongoing police misconduct and excessive force. 

“Washington has sent a message to reckless and violent police around the country that they will not be held accountable for their behavior, that they can continue to abuse vulnerable members of the community with impunity,” Morial said. “If members of Congress refuse to act when they see blatant evidence of misconduct like this, we can only infer that they are content to allow it to continue.”

 Koen said the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio will continue to monitor the city’s investigation of the officers.