Community activists, led by Alfred Porter and Kathy Wray Coleman, remember Cleveland police shooting victims Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell on the four-year anniversary of the Cleveland police 137 bullets fatal shooting.... Activists highlighted, via Cleveland Fox 8 News and Cleveland Channel 3 News coverage, that Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty this year lost reelection over his handling of the issue and Common Pleas Judge John O'Donnell lost his bid this year to the Ohio Supreme Court for acquitting Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo of manslaughter charges in a bench trial in the case.... Brelo gunned down Williams and Russell slinging 49 of the 137 bullets.....The 12 other Cleveland cops that did the shooting escaped prosecution with McGinty's help....By www.clevelandurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader
Pictured are since fired Cleveland Police officer Michael Brelo and his fatal shooting victims Malissa Williams, 30, and Timothy Russell, 43. Brelo gunned them down while shooting 49 bullets, and after jumping aboard the hood of the car Russell was driving. Brelo was cleared in May of 2015 of manslaughter charges in a bench trial before Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge John O'Donnell
Local media that covered the gathering include Cleveland FOX 8 News, Cleveland Channel 5 News. Cleveland Urban News.Com and the Brown Report Newspaper.
The activists gave speeches and called for systemic changes as to heightened murders in Cleveland by police of innocent Black people, particularly over the past five years.
They also county down in unison beginning with the number one and ending at 137, the number of bullets police shot off in their killing pursuit of Williams and Russell, both homeless, and neither wanted by the law.
"This is an indictment against Black community," said Coleman, a former biology teacher and blogger. "Malissa Williams, Timothy Russell, Tamir Rice, Brandon Jones and Kenneth Smith, to name a few."
Williams 30, and Russell, 43, were gunned down by 13-non Black Cleveland cops slinging 137 bullets the night of Nov 29, 2012 and following a high speed car chase from downtown Cleveland to Heritage Middle School in neighboring East Cleveland.
There the two unarmed Blacks were ceremonious killed with since fired cop Michael Brelo jumping aboard the hood of the 1979 Malibu Classic driven by Russell and for which Williams was a passenger.
Brelo, who was subsequently charged and later acquitted of two counts of manslaughter in a bench trial before Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge John O'Donnell, fired 49 bullets into the then stationary car. The other 12 police officers escaped prosecutor per lobbying from county prosecutor Tim McGinty, who lost reelection this year to Micahel O'Malley with help from Black voters.
O'Donnell was also called to task by the Black community after his controversial verdict that sparked community protests and racial unrest.
And community activists reiterated their discontent with O'Donnell at the anniversary event on Tuesday.
"We made sure that Tim McGinty was ousted and Judge O'Donnell lost his bid for the Ohio Supreme Court." said on Al Porter on behalf of the Black on Black Crime group he leads.
In addition to Coleman and Porter, other community activists that spoke include Genevieve Mitchell, Ken Bender, Terry Tolefree, Donnie Pastard, Susan Schnur, and Donna Walker Brown.
Schnur is White and said that Black Lives Matter. She said that until police are held accountable for erroneously killing Black people the Black community remains at risk and the country cannot legitimately claim to be a nation that promotes Democracy and fair play.
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