U.N.
urges U.S. to stop police brutality after Missouri shooting
Incident casts spotlight
on state of race relations in America
By Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters
GENEVA
— The U.N. racism watchdog urged the United States on Friday to halt the
excessive use of force by police after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black
teenager by a white policeman touched off riots in Ferguson, Mo.
Minorities, particularly African Americans, are victims of
disparities, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
(CERD) said after examining the U.S. record.
“Racial and ethnic discrimination remains a serious and persistent
problem in all areas of life from de facto school segregation, access to health
care and housing,” Noureddine Amir, CERD committee vice chairman, told a news
briefing.
Teenager Michael Brown was shot dead by a white police officer on
Aug. 9, triggering violent protests that rocked Ferguson — a St. Louis suburb —
and shone a global spotlight on the state of race relations in America.
“The excessive use of force by law enforcement officials against
racial and ethnic minorities is an ongoing issue of concern and particularly in
light of the shooting of Michael Brown,” said Amir, an expert from Algeria.
“This is not an isolated event and illustrates a bigger problem in
the United States, such as racial bias among law enforcement officials, the
lack of proper implementation of rules and regulations governing the use of
force, and the inadequacy of training of law enforcement officials.”
The panel of 18 independent experts grilled a senior U.S.
delegation on Aug. 13 about what they said was persistent racial discrimination
against African-Americans and other minorities, including within the criminal
justice system.
U.S. Ambassador Keith Harper told the panel that his nation had
made “great strides toward eliminating racial discrimination” but conceded that
“we have much left to do”.
Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, who shot Brown, has been
put on paid leave and is in hiding. A St. Louis County grand jury has begun
hearing evidence and the U.S. Justice Department has opened its own
investigation.
Police have said Brown struggled with Wilson when shot. But some
witnesses say Brown held up his hands and was surrendering when he was shot
multiple times in the head and chest.
‘STAND YOUR GROUND’ LAWS
In its conclusions issued on Friday, the U.N. panel said “Stand
Your Ground” Laws, a controversial self-defense statute in 22 U.S. states,
should be reviewed to “remove far-reaching immunity and ensure strict adherence
to principles of necessity and proportionality when deadly force is used for
self-defense”.
Ron Davis, father of Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old shot dead in a
car in Jacksonville, Florida during an argument over loud rap music in November
2012, attended the Geneva session. Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, an
unarmed black teen killed in Miami, Florida by a neighborhood watch volunteer,
testified.
The U.N. panel monitors compliance with a treaty ratified by 177
countries including the United States.
“The Committee remains concerned at the practice of racial
profiling of racial or ethnic minorities by law enforcement officials,
including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Transportation Security
Administration, border enforcement officials and local police,” it said, urging
investigations.
The experts called for addressing obstacles faced by minorities
and indigenous peoples to exercise their right to vote effectively. This was
due to restrictive voter identification laws, district gerrymandering and
state-level laws that disenfranchise people convicted of felonies, it said.
Jamil Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the
U.N. recommendations highlighted “shortcomings on racial equality that we are
seeing play out today on our streets, at our borders and in the voting booth.
“When it comes to human rights, the United States must practice at
home what it preaches abroad,” he said.
