Target: Joseph Lumpkin, Sr., Savannah-Chatham Police Chief
Goal: Praise suspension of cops responsible for tasering someone they’d misidentified as a wanted man.
An innocent man, Patrick Mumford, is finally seeing justice after being tasered by police when he was wrongfully profiled. After numerous petitions like this one on ForceChange, Patrick Mumford’s case got attention from Chief Lumpkin. Chief Lumpkin not only personally apologized to Mumford on behalf of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department (SCMPD), he has also announced the suspension of all the cops involved in Mumford’s wrongful assault.
Patrick Mumford was approached by police officers claiming that they had a warrant for his arrest. Per his right as an American citizen, Mumford demanded to know what the warrant was for. He was on parole for a minor, non-violent drug crime at the time, so he was understandably perplexed and frightened by the officers’ claim. Rather than answer him, the officers continued to harass him, demanding that he get out of his car. The problem was, their warrant was for a man named Michael Clay, not Patrick Mumford. The officers continued to approach Mumford because they thought that he fit Clay’s description, but they failed to ask for his ID to confirm their suspicion.
This innocent man was profiled by police officers who failed to fulfill the most absolutely basic task of confirming a suspect’s identity before taking action. Within seconds of being approached, Mumford lay stunned on the ground, tasered twice by a stun gun.
This gross miscarriage of justice remained unreported for six months, until it was finally brought to Chief Lumpkin’s attention. Thank Chief Lumpkin for continuing to be an upstanding figure of law enforcement and seeking to repair the damage done by the SCMPD by signing below.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Chief Lumpkin,
I was pleased to hear about your decision to suspend the officers involved in the wrongful tasering of Patrick Mumford. Far too many black Americans are unfairly profiled and harassed by law enforcement, leading to unjust arrests and tragic, untimely deaths. Most of these innocent citizens never see justice, but thanks to your commitment to righteousness, Patrick Mumford is not one of them.
Thank you for apologizing to this innocent man for the trauma that he suffered at the hands of Savannah-Chatham’s officers and for punishing these officers for their irresponsible behavior. If there were more police chiefs like you, the United States would probably be a far safer place. Again, thank you for your actions in this matter and for your years of dignified service.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Yankeefan0242
Its about time something is done about the corrupted and over aggressive cops in the Savannah, GA area. Their motto is attack first and ask questions later.
I applaud you Chief Lumpkin and hope you continue to hold all your officers accountable for their actions.
If they wrongfully shoot someone who is unarmed or attack innocent people they should be held to the same standards as us citizens of Savannah, NO SPECIAL TREATMENT!