Congresswoman Fudge, her staff to reschedule June 17 meeting with Imperial Women, activists, family members of deadly shooting victims by Cleveland police and family members of loved ones murdered and raped in Cleveland
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| Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (D-11) |
CLEVELAND, Ohio-The Imperial Women, other community activists groups, Black elected officials and family members of victims of deadly force by Cleveland police and whose love ones have been raped and murdered this year in Cleveland will not meet with Ohio 11th Congressional District Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, her district executive director John Hairston, and district office affiliate Linda Matthews on Monday, June 17 as planned and the meeting will be rescheduled.
According to her office staff, the congresswoman had a death in the family and had to cancel. She is in Cleveland today to bury a first cousin, who was like a brother to her, sources say.
Topics of discussion relative to the upcoming meeting include The Violence Against Women Act, the 137 bullets shooting deaths late last year by Cleveland police of Malissa Williams, 30, and Timothy Russell, 43, and other deadly shootings by Cleveland police such as those of Daniel Ficker, 27, and Kenneth Smith, 20, both unarmed too.
Abduction rape and murder of women and children, foreclosures, jobs, education and the legal system will also be addressed with activists seeking, among other support, a bill by Fudge that would give women and children that are abducted access to a free elementary or secondary education and subsequent college tuition if they desire and qualify, if the abduction occurs during any formative years of education, kindergarten through college. If women abducted are murdered, the proposed bill would be applicable to their surviving children, activists respectfully request.
Activists will also speak on whether a consent decree or federal takeover of the Cleveland Police Department might be applicable to seek due to potential unconstitutional and discriminatory infractions against the Black community and others, and because of findings earlier this year by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine of systemic problems throughout the police department continuum following a comprehensive investigation by his office around the November 29 137 bullets deadly shooting.
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, who is Black, told reporters last week, including Channel 5 News in Cleveland, that he disputes DeWine's findings and that all of the problems, including the 137 bullets shooting, are linked to police rank and file malfeasance, and his police supervisors, and that his top brass, including police chief Michael McGrath, have done nothing wrong. Activists want a discussion on it and said that such dialogue is necessary, given the manner in which police have harassed the Black community and others.
The community activists want a federal law where foreclosed homes are appraised for resale based upon property tax values rather than county sheriffs to stop what they believe is rampant foreclosure fraud as to the deflation of home values by the county sheriffs that by state law appraise foreclosed properties for rich mortgage companies and banks to by the homes back, after they steal them, for pennies on the dollar. And that want the federal law that gives states the authority to decide how many years of welfare poor women and children get up to a maximum of 5 years to be amended to mandate the maximum by states across the United States.
In addition to the Imperial Women grassroots groups that will be represented during the upcoming forum include the Carl Stokes Brigade, the Fairfax Business Association, the Northeast Ohio Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, Organize Ohio, Black on Black Crime, the Oppressed People's Nation, Stop Targeting Ohio's Poor, the Family Connection Center, Ohio Family Rights, and the National Organization for Parental Equality, the Women's Federation.
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