Religious leaders file discrimination complaint against Springfield police
A group of religious leaders have filed a racial discrimination
complaint against the Springfield Police Department a week after the
police commission decided not to take action against five white
officers accused of beating a black school principal as he suffered a
diabetic attack. The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
announced it will start investigating the complaint lodged by the
Pastors' Council of Greater Springfield. The complaint accuses the
police department of having a history of brutality and discrimination
against minorities. The complaint stems from a November incident when
the five officers pulled Douglas Greer from his car as he was having a
diabetic attack while parked at a convenience store, according to a
statement released Tuesday by MCAD. Greer, the principal of the Robert
M. Hughes Academy Charter School in Springfield, says the officers
kicked and choked him and accused him of being on drugs. One of the
officers in his report said police were trying to restrain Greer as he
thrashed and screamed before he was taken to a hospital for treatment.
The city's police commission voted last week not to take any action
against the officers, saying they found no evidence of misconduct. One
of the officers involved in the incident, Jeffrey Asher, was videotaped
in 1997 while kicking a black suspect who was being arrested.[more] and [more]
Federal probe of police started
The U.S. Justice Department has confirmed it is investigating a
complaint by a black school principal who said he was beaten by white
city police officers Nov. 4 as he was having a diabetic attack in his
parked car in the North End of the city. Perman Glenn III, the
lawyer initially representing Douglas G. Greer, acting principal of
Robert M. Hughes Academy Charter School, said earlier that he received
a letter from the U.S. Justice Department saying it had asked the
Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate the allegation. The FBI
is part of the Justice Department. Eric Holland, a spokesman for
the Justice Department, confirmed this week there is an ongoing federal
investigation. He would not say specifically whether the FBI is
investigating. He said he does not know how long the investigation will
take. The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination is also
investigating the incident at the request of the Pastors Council of
Greater Springfield. The probe could take three to four months, an
agency official said. [more]
