NAACP President Calls for National Legislation Following Police Shooting at Church Day Care

Two months ago, police shot and killed Mark Anthony Barmore, a 23-year-old African- American man in Rockford, Illinois.  Eyewitnesses say that outside the church day care center, Mr. Barmore encountered two police officers who apparently were looking for him on an allegation of domestic violence. 

Mr. Barmore ran inside the church, and the officers followed him, guns drawn, without a warrant.  After Mr. Barmore entered a small boiler room, the police demanded he come out.  He slowly exited the room with his hands up. 

Then, witnesses say, police shot him in front of children in the day care center.  While he lay face down, police shot him three more times in the back.  Mark Barmore's death has become a symbol of a startling lack of accountability in far too many local police forces.

The protest rally in Rockford with Reverend Jesse Jackson, President Jealous and State and local NAACP leaders on September 12th will be followed by a major mobilization.  The Rockford Branch of the NAACP will sponsor a Justice for All March on October 3, 2009 at 12 p.m. 

The march will be held at Kingdom Authority Church, 518 N. Court Street, Rockford, IL 61103.  The NAACP Illinois State Conference, Amnesty International, Rainbow Push, and the National Baptist Convention will also participate. 

The objectives of the march are: justice for Mark Barmore, counseling for the children who witnessed the shooting, and the establishment of a civilian review board.  For more information on the march, or to RSVP, please send an e-mail to RockfordMarch@gmail.com.

Those who cannot make it to this can still help:

•       Sign the NAACP?s petition demanding a full investigation into the shooting by the Department of Justice, and legislation to mandate federal standards for the use of force by police officers.  The petition is on the NAACP website at http://www.naacp.org/home/index.htm.

•       Sign on to Todd Jealous? Facebook page for the latest news, photos and action opportunities from the Rockford rally.  If you already have a Facebook account, go to Mr. Jealous? page, then click ?Become a Fan.?  If you don?t have an account, it's easy and free to sign up.

The NAACP has also been working with Congress, and specifically House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (MI) to enact legislation to mandate official standards for the use of force for every law enforcement agency from federal marshals to rank and file cops on the beat. 

Currently, there are as many use-of-force policies as there are law enforcement agencies, and there are as many interpretations of those policies as there are law enforcement officers.  This lack of uniformity is one of the core reasons behind the tragedy in Rockford and in too many other police shootings across the Nation.

This article contains information that has been posted on the NAACP website or provided by the NAACP.

Note:  Rev. Mary A. Pulley, the president of the Rolla Area Branch of the NAACP, has approved this article.  The purpose of the NAACP Point of View series is to communicate the positions of the Rolla Area Branch of the NAACP concerning subjects of interest.  For more information, or to join the NAACP, please contact the Rolla Area Branch by e-mail (unit4093@naacp.org), regular mail, (PO Box 1534, Rolla Missouri 65402-1534), or telephone (573-426-3323).