Police chief in “Stand Your Ground” killing steps down
Friday, March 23rd, 2012 at
4:19 am
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SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) – A local police chief and a Florida state prosecutor overseeing the case of an unarmed black teenager shot dead by a neighborhood watch captain stepped aside on Thursday following withering criticism and national outrage that police have declined to arrest the shooter. Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee’s resignation – which he called “temporary” – failed to appease civil rights and community leaders who are calling for the arrest of watch captain George Zimmerman, 28, who shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and claimed self-defense. …
NEW YORK (Reuters) – More than 100 protesters from the reawakened Occupy Wall Street movement were ejected from Union Square Park early Wednesday after a standoff with police resulted in six arrests. Police took the unusual step of closing the park just north of Greenwich Village a short time after midnight, ordering the crowd out, said a spokesman for the New York City Police Department. “They were warned to leave the park due to it being closed,” said a police spokesman. He added that no police or protesters were injured in Wednesday’s action. …
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. police officers cleared tents from an “Occupy” protest site in downtown Washington on Sunday, but demonstrators said even without the camp they would continue to fight for economic equality and other issues. About two dozen protesters in Freedom Plaza, just blocks from the White House, watched calmly as the National Park police and sanitation workers in hazmat suits dismantled protesters’ tents, packed bedding and personal belongings into plastic bags and cardboard boxes, citing violations of rules against living in the park. …
OAKLAND, California (Reuters) – Riot police fought running skirmishes with anti-Wall Street protesters on Saturday, firing tear gas and bean bag projectiles and arresting more than 200 people in clashes that injured three officers and at least one demonstrator. Three police officers and one protester were injured during the clashes, the city said, without detailing their conditions. Internet broadcasts by activists showed several demonstrators being treated by paramedics or loaded into ambulances. …