The Lynching of Cynthia McKinney
Why Isn't Anyone Investigating Her Charges of
Racism and Inappropriate Touching by Cops with
a Reputation for Racism and Inappropriate Touching?

From CounterPunch:

While most of us would agree that taking a swing at a police officer is not a well considered thing to do, that does not invalidate McKinney's charges of racism and inappropriate touching. Nor does it justify the vicious and ignorant political and media lynching that followed.

First of all, let's get some facts straight. McKinney was not wearing her optional lapel pin, but according to WXIA-TV in Atlanta, she did show her Congressional ID. It is also not the first time that the Capitol police have failed to recognize McKinney, something that is documented in the new film "American Blackout". And as Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas told Amy Goodman on Democracy Now, the same thing has happened to her and sometimes the manner in which she has been treated, "is not necessarily accepting."

Nor is this is not the only time that charges of racial discrimination have been leveled against the Capitol Police. In 2001, Black Capitol police officers filed a racial discrimination suit against the department. Inappropriate behavior towards Black legislators has also not been limited to the nation's capitol. At Coretta Scott King's funeral, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus was not allowed to join the funeral procession because the Georgia Capitol police did not recognize them as elected officials.

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This kind of reminds me of OJ: on the same day that the Heisman Trophy winner and actor was taken into custody by the LAPD after a bizarre slow speed freeway chase, liberal friends of mine, without knowing a damned thing about the actual evidence, were gleefully pronouncing the former football star guilty. Forget, for a moment, all the evidence that eventually came out. The bottom line is that OJ Simpson, a black man, was believed to be guilty by most white Americans immediately, simply because he was fleeing the cops. I would also add that the summary public judgment was also based on OJ's black skin, but no self-respecting liberal (or conservative for that matter) would ever admit that, to himself or the world.

Personally, It's long made sense to me why an innocent black American might want to get the hell away from stalking cops. There's not too good of a relationship history between African-Americans and the criminal justice system. Generally, if you're black and in front of a judge or jury, odds are you're going to be convicted, guilty or not. That's just a fact. It's been that way for as long as the US has been a nation, and it's still that way today.

So now there's this thing with Cynthia McKinny. Okay, maybe she was totally in the wrong. Maybe she was having a bad day and popped off unreasonably. But, frankly, no one really knows that. No one, except the people who were there, actually know what happened. And the Capitol Police, apparently, are not releasing security video of the incident. Nonetheless, there's been a major media and politician party stomping the hell all over this woman.

The bottom line is that, until more evidence comes out, I think it's fair to take McKinny's claims of chronic racial profiling, or, more simply, cop racism, as legitimate. Or, at least, as legitimate as the cops' accusations against her. After all, her story is totally credible. Cops do go after blacks much more than they go after whites. Cops do tend to be authoritarian dicks. High profile African-Americans continue to deal with racism--fame and money do not change people's basic attitudes; Danny Glover has spoken of not being able to get a cab in New York City late at night because he is black. McKinny may very well be telling the truth.

I want to see the video, myself.

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