Jesse Jackson Condemns Saginaw Police 'No Snitch' Policy - Demands Release of Officers Names in Police Execution of Black Man - shot 46 times

From [HERE] The shooting of a mentally ill, homeless Black man by six officers firing a reported 46 shots is stirring tensions and protests over the pace of the investigation. After a tumultuous week of demonstrations and criticism by outside activists, the Rev. Jesse Jackson visited the site of the shooting and attended a town hall meeting Friday. Jackson, like other activists, said he was frustrated by what he called the slow pace of the investigation into the July 1 death of Milton Hall, an African-American.

"The idea of him being killed execution-style in broad daylight is overwhelming," said Jackson, founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Several hundred people gathered for the town hall meeting in the sanctuary at Greater Coleman Temple World Outreach Campus, listening to remarks by Jackson and others.

During an exclusive interview with MLive before Jackson’s 12:30 p.m. meeting with local leaders, the civil rights leader talked about the July 1 police killing of Milton S. Hall, comparing the six officers who shot Hall to “an execution squad” and “terrorists” while likening the move to keep the officers’ names anonymous to a “no-snitch code” that keeps citizens from informing investigators about crime.

“Clearly, he was outnumbered 6-to-1,” Jackson said. “They could have used Tasers.” - (or the dog that was on the leash in front of Hall.) “The Justice Department should intervene quickly and thoroughly to make sure those who are guilty are punished,” he said.

Jackson said he wants the names of the involved officers released. “When police names are kept anonymous, it’s called Code Blue,” Jackson said. “So police engage in Code Blue, and they won’t tell who violated the law. The ‘don’t snitch’ code comes from Code Blue. Silence about killings means they have sanctuary. Communities and police departments must not be sanctuaries for terrorists.” [MORE] 

Many couldn't understand why police shot Hall.

"He wasn't a danger to them," said Kasim Jones, 26, of Saginaw. "He didn't have a gun."

The shooting is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and jointly by the Michigan attorney general and Saginaw County prosecutor.

All three declined comment Friday.

The death began receiving national exposure earlier this month when CNN aired a video of the shooting taken by a passerby on his smartphone. The video appears to show a group of officers surrounding Hall, asking him to drop a knife and then opening fire.

Some residents of this city of 51,000 have protested the shooting but also don't like the combative tone taken by some outside activists, including ones from Detroit.

"They don't need to tell us how to do our jobs," said Doug Cunningham, 64, a Saginaw window installer. "They should worry more about Detroit than us."

Authorities have released little information about the shooting, including how many times he was shot or why the officers needed to use deadly force.

Hall, 49, of Saginaw was clutching a knife but seemed to be several feet from the nearest officer when he was shot, according to the CNN video.

He had been pacing back and forth in the parking lot of a shopping center as the officers told him to drop the knife.

"My name is Milton Hall," he told the officers. "I just called 911. My name is Milton and I'm pissed off."

The police had responded to a complaint that Hall had taken a cup of coffee from a convenience store.

The six officers have been assigned to other police work while the investigation is conducted.

Hall was a college dropout who was receiving federal disability benefits because of a mental illness, said relatives. They said he has gotten into trouble with the police before but only for minor infractions, like vagrancy. They said they believed he was homeless.

"He was never violent," said a cousin, Mike Washington of Saginaw.

Hall's mother, Jewel Hall, a retired teacher from Rio Rancho, N.M., was an activist against police shooting in that city, said relatives.

During a week of protests, the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality came to the city Thursday to announce that it would join with a Saginaw group to conduct its own investigation.

Ron Scott, spokesman for the coalition, said there appeared to be a pattern of police shootings in Saginaw.

"It's hard to see why this kind of force would have occurred," he said.