Target: Judge Madeline Hughes Haikla
Goal: Show support for continued investigation into abusive cop.
There was outrage last year after a video reportedly emerged of a Madison, Alabama police officer throwing 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel to the ground. The incident left him temporarily paralyzed, and he needed to have a vertebrae replaced with a metal plate. Patel is an Indian citizen and was visiting America to take care of an ill family member.
Police were called because a neighbor was suspicious of Patel, who had not been in town long. The officer who allegedly threw Patel to the ground, Eric Parker, claimed that Patel was resisting arrest. Patel does not speak any English, and claimed through a translator that he was simply trying to point to the house where he was staying. It is unclear if Patel meant to resist, but the force shown by Parker was unnecessary. ForceChange covered the issue, demanding the firing of the officer who threw Patel to the ground.
Parker was fired almost immediately, with the Chief of Police Larry Muncey apologizing to Patel’s family in America and India. Although the case against Parker has been thrown out twice due to hung juries, federal Judge Madeline Hughes Haikla has opened a case against Parker, Muncey and Captain Terrell Cook, claiming that Cook and Muncey may have threatened witnesses and even officers who testified. Show your support for Patel and for Judge Haikla, and their continued efforts against this act of brutality.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Judge Haikla,
Thank you for taking the case against Eric Parker, Larry Muncey and Terrell Cook to the next level. After seeing Sureshbhai Patel get knocked to the ground, it is hard not to imagine that Parker was using excessive force in their exchange. Police should not have been called in the first place, as Patel was doing nothing wrong.
We want to applaud your continuing efforts to bring proper justice to Patel and his family. His injuries were severe and unjust, all because he could not signal to Parker that he was staying in a family member’s house. Parker being fired was a big first step, but you have committed yourself to taking even more action and attempting to expose any alleged wrongdoing in town’s police force. Thank you for your efforts and for bringing Patel the fair treatment he deserves.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Eja2k
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