The Inglewood council meeting on Tuesday was adjourned early after a young man at the podium refused to leave when his time was up.
The man was one of several activists who have been showing up regularly since the one year anniversary of the shooting deaths of Kisha Michael and Marquintan Sandlin by Inglewood police. The group is demanding answers that Mayor James Butts said he cannot give, as his office has no control over the investigation.
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A woman was almost ejected at the meeting for disruptive conduct, but the mayor allowed her to stay. Supporters brought flyers showing photos of the young couple, and demanded justice. They sat, holding a flyer in each hand.
Council members voted in favor of paying the City’s bills, covering expenditures for the police department, real estate and street construction. Two resolutions were passed, authorizing rewards for information leading to the identification, apprehension, and conviction of the persons responsible for the deaths of Christopher Moreland and Keshone Fredericks.
A public hearing was set for May 23 at 2pm to receive input on regulation and control of Backflow and Cross-Connections to the City’s Water System.
After the council took care of City business, Treasurer Wanda Brown gave the public news about the world of banking, including the fact that 5 banks have failed so far this year. One has a billion dollars in assets.
During open comments, a man asked Brown what she has been doing to help others in the community. What is she doing to insure the success of future generations being financially literate?
Brown mentioned her internship program, which has been in existence for 12 years, financial literacy workshops for the past 4 years, and free tax preparation offered to seniors for the past 3 years.
The man continued to speak and the sergeant-of-arms approached him to. “Don’t touch me!” he yelled. At this point, the mayor abruptly stood up and announced the meeting was adjourned. He left the room and other council members followed.
The man and other supporters of Michael and Sandlin stayed in the chambers to discuss the couple and what had just happened. He led others in a chant:
“Say her name.”
“Kisha Michael.”
He defended his conduct at the podium while others filmed him on their cellphones.
Police—eight of them—entered the chamber and formed a human barrier in front of the public seating area. “I’m not afraid of you,” he told them. The woman who almost got ejected held up flyers and said, “These are the people you killed.”
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Thanks, great article.