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Cops kill homeless man cleared of any wrongdoing

by Lynda Carson (tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com)
Dan Hughes, the acting chief of police in Fullerton, California, offered a brief statement to the Fullerton city council that cleared homeless man Kelly Thomas of any wrongdoing before he was beaten to brain death by some of Fullerton's cops on July 5, 2011.
Cops kill homeless man cleared of any wrongdoing
By Lynda Carson -- September 19, 2012

On Tuesday evening September 18, 2012, Dan Hughes, the acting chief of police in Fullerton, California, offered a brief statement to the Fullerton city council that cleared homeless man Kelly Thomas of any wrongdoing before he was beaten to brain death by some of Fullerton's cops on July 5, 2011.

Kelly Thomas actually died five days later on July 10, 2011, when he never recovered from the brutal beating by some cops in Fullerton, and it took more than a year for the Fullerton Police Department to finally declare his innocence by stating that there is no evidence that the department is aware of that Kelly Thomas was involved in stealing anything from cars.

Police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Goodrich had originally told the press that Kelly Thomas was suspected of trying to burglarize some cars - that may have been an effort to coverup the wrongful actions of his fellow officers a day after the cops brutally beat Thomas to a bloody pulp.

Under 40 years old and innocent of any wrongdoing, Kelly Thomas will never again see the light of day, hear the laughter of children, or smell a fresh ocean breeze after the cops repeatedly shocked him with tasers and smashed his face in with the butts of their tasers and flashlights, resulting in brain injuries, severe injuries to his face and neck, in addition to fractures in the bones of his face and ribs, and his eventual wrongful death.

If Kelly Thomas was guilty of anything, he was guilty of being homeless in a world of brutality, poverty, high rents, greedy landlords, and a lack of shelter beds for the homeless community.

Kelly Thomas was unarmed and innocent of any wrongdoing at the time he was beaten to death, and out of the six cops involved in the incident former officers Manuel Ramos is scheduled to go to trial for second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, and Jay Cicinelli faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and excessive use of force. Currently a grand jury is also deciding if former officer Joe Wolfe will be indicted for the wrongful death of Kelly Thomas.

This is a shocking case of brutality that has garnered international attention, and since the brutal death of Kelly Thomas occurred ex-police chief Patrick McKinley has been replaced by acting chief of police Dan Hughes, and on June 5, 2012, a recall of three city council members with close ties to police unions took place as a direct result of community outrage and protests over the brutal incident.

The brutal event was recorded by video and audio recording devices that revealed that Kelly Thomas did comply with orders by the cops before he was brutally beaten to death, as he begged for his life while former officer Manuel Ramos put on some latex gloves and told Kelly Thomas "Now see my fists? They are getting ready to fuck you up!" Thomas can be heard screaming for his dad in the video / recordings as he was being beaten to death by the cops.

Meanwhile, the homeless community awaits the decision of the grand jury that is deciding if former officer Joe Wolfe will also be indicted for the wrongful death of Kelly Thomas, along with two other former cops.

The case involving Kelly Thomas was listed on the agenda of the September 18, Fullerton city council meeting where Dan Hughes, the acting chief of police cleared Kelly Thomas of any wrongdoing. The case is also known as Frederick Ron Thomas v. City of Fullerton (case number 30-2012-00581299-CU-PO-CJC), regarding the wrongful death of Kelly Thomas and the lawsuit brought against the city of Fullerton by his father.

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com

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