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| DC Statehood Greens Call for D.C. Police Chief Ramsey's Resignation or Removal. |
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THE D.C. STATEHOOD GREEN PARTY Friday, March 12, 2004 Contact: Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator 202-518-5624, scottmclarty@yahoo.com WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Members of the D.C. Statehood Green Party called for the resignation or removal of D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey in the wake of a report from D.C. City Council charging Chief Ramsey and other police department officials with wrongful infiltration, disruption, and police procedure violations, especially the cover-up of evidence of wrongdoing in the mass arrests of demonstrators during an anti-globalization protest in September, 2002. Statehood Greens participated in a protest organized by the the Citizens' Committee to Remove Ramsey on Friday, March 12 at noon in front of Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters. "It was great to see so many activists come out and call for the removal of Ramsey," said Zoe Mitchell, Ward One representative to the Statehood Green Party's steering committee. "We need a new police chief who will respect our constitutional rights." Some Statehood Green Party members were among the 400 demonstrators and bystanders whom D.C. police arrested in Pershing Park on September 27, 2002 without issuing a warning to disperse. Detainees, many of whom were semi-hogtied, were held for more than 24 hours. Chief Ramsey sent undercover agents to meetings in the private homes of protest organizers without warrant, including Statehood Green Party member Adam Eidinger, in an effort to infiltrate and disrupt the Mobilization for Global Justice. Mr. Eidinger is a member of the party's steering committee and a frequent organizer of public events and demonstrations against corporate globalization and the war on Iraq. D.C. Council's Judiciary Committee found violations of police procedure and citizens' rights dating back to 2000. On April 8, 2003, the Statehood Green Party issued a statement urging Council not to renew Chief Ramsey's contract, citing a pattern of violations http://dcstatehoodgreen.org/pr/2003/pr040803.htm. Chief Ramsey has been widely criticized for the absence of police walking the beat (which ensures familiarity with neighborhoods and reduces street crime), the Metropolitan Police's high failure rate in solving homicides (up 20% over the past year) and other serious crimes, problems in the handling of 911 calls, and low morale among the force's rank and file officers. MORE INFORMATION: The D.C. Statehood Green Party Text of the Council report
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