Rep. Marcia Fudge Rips Brelo Acquittal: ‘Our Lives Have No Value’


Ohio Representative Marcia Fudge released a hotly worded statement after Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo was found not guilty in the shooting deaths of two unarmed African-American motorists. She called the decision by Judge John P. O’Donnell to acquit a “stunning setback on the road to justice.”

“The verdict is another chilling reminder of a broken relationship between the Cleveland Police Department and the community it serves. Today we have been told – yet again – our lives have no value.”

According to Reuters, Fudge isn’t the only one outraged by the decision. Protesters took to the streets of Cleveland shortly after the court’s decision, and police have arrested at least 20 people.

The case revolved around 13 police officers who fired 137 rounds at Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, both unarmed African Americans, at the conclusion of a high-speed car chase in 2012. Representative Marcia Fudge, whose district covers most of Cleveland, called the firepower used “extreme, excessive, and unnecessary.”

“The same can be said about Officer Brelo’s individual actions. My heart goes out to the families of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams and to the entire city of Cleveland.”

Michael Brelo, a white former Marine, was one of the 13 officers who fired. Judge John O’Donnell ruled that the officer acted reasonably when he stood on the hood of their surrounded vehicle and shot multiple times through the windshield. The judge threw out the charges of voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.

Marcia Fudge pointed out that the Department of Justice already reviewed the police policies in Cleveland and found a need for sweeping reform. That report described a number of incidents that created a “distrust that had been percolating between the police and the community for years.”

The complaints included forcibly handcuffing a Latino teenager with Down syndrome without reasonable cause and kicking a prone, handcuffed African-American man in the head. The department issued a series of recommendations for change, which Marcia Fudge insists she will pursue. The Justice Department also said in a statement that it is reviewing its legal options in the shooting.

Representative Marcia Fudge ended her statement saying, “The decision may not be what we want, but our march for justice continues. We still have a long way to go toward racial equality and justice in Ohio, and in the entire United States of America.”

According to ABC News, other commentators and celebrities have spoken out on court’s decision, including LeBron James and Ohio Governor John Kasich.

Marcia Fudge’s full statement can be found here.

[Image Credit: Getty Images]

Share this article: Rep. Marcia Fudge Rips Brelo Acquittal: ‘Our Lives Have No Value’
More from Inquisitr