City Council voted Wednesday to advance an ordinance for dealing with abuse by police, although it is not clear yet what the new law will end up saying about taking service weapons away from accused officers. Only a strong law on the books will tell officers in no uncertain terms that their jobs will be in jeopardy if they can't keep their hands to themselves.Pittsburgh City Council will take their final vote this Tuesday.
If a police officer can't control his temper with his family members (or even with a partner in this case), the public has to wonder how it would be treated by such an officer out in the street. It's time for council to pass a law that shows no tolerance for such behavior.
It's been a long time coming.
Kudos to all involved, especially the many women who took numerous days off work to come down to City Council and all the lobbying they did to bring this to pass.
And, here's where we ask you to attend one more meeting. From Gloria:
It's appropriate that this vote is taking place during the "16 Days of Action Against Gender Violence" which started on November 25, the International Day Against Violence Against Women.After five months of hard work by so many, we would like to mark the date and invite you to gather with us, prior to Council's meeting, to stand together in unanimous support of the ordinance and to underscore that we will remain vigilant – there is more to be done.
Please plan to join us & feel free to invite your friends and colleagues:
DETAILS
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2007
Time: 9:40 a.m.
(Council's meeting starts at 10 a.m., it'd be great if you could stay to witness the vote too.)
Location: Pittsburgh City Council Chambers, City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Corner of Grant & Forbes, 5th Floor)
Please let me know if you will attend.Thank you,
Gloria
gtforouzan@gmail.com
(Gloria's also posted some great resources for victims of police officer domestic violence at The Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society.)
(You don't have to speak Spanish to get this.)
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John K. says: Be sure to bring the guilotine. Afer all if you are going to convict without a trial, you have to make sure the accused does not get to present their side of the argument.
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