PHOTO/Pru Sowers/ Alex Symington, Louie Wray and Jimmy Wray show their displeasure with the Eimers investigation.
Protesters demonstrate against police action in Eimers death
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
About 40 protesters marched through the streets of Key West Sunday, startling tourists but keeping attention focused on the Charles Eimers case.
Local resident Louie Wray was the lead organizer of the march, which used social media to urge people to voice their concern over the death of Eimers on Thanksgiving Day 2013 after a traffic stop by police. Eimers stopped breathing while being handcuffed facedown by officers on South Beach. He never regained consciousness and died after being removed from life support by his family a week later.
Despite four local and state agencies clearing all Key West Police officers of any wrongdoing in the death, Wray and others have voiced concern that the subsequent investigations may have been biased because they were carried out by law enforcement agencies such as the Key West Police Internal Affairs Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Monroe County Medical Examiner and the Monroe County State Attorney. Jimmy Wray, the father of Louie Wray, said the “deck was totally stacked” in the inquiries because investigators were trying to protect their fellow law enforcement officials.
“They protect themselves,” Jimmy Wray said about police officers. “Self-oversight isn’t oversight. It [the investigation] should be completely outside.”
Louie Wray emphasized that the march was not intended to “demonize” the Key West Police Department, which he said he supports. But there are concerns over Eimers’ death and subsequent police testimony that seems to contradict two videos of the incident taken by bystanders, he said, and “we should be able to express our concerns.”
“I mostly hope to achieve awareness [of Eimers’ death] and to show our town isn’t afraid to come forward and challenge what’s been said and request accountability,” he said.
Marchers Nina Rettenwander and Barbara Maggiani said they were both there to raise awareness of Eimers’ death and the follow-up investigations that cleared all the police officers involved. Rettenwander pointed to other protests against police violence around the country currently going on involving the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York City. While Eimers’ death was not a case of alleged racial bias, it is still a cause for concern, she said.
“I’m here to promote awareness that this [police violence] happens not only in huge cities but in small towns. The Key West Police Department needs reform as much as any other city,” Rettenwander said.
As the marchers walked down Simonton Street towards Mallory Square, the chants included, “No justice, no peace. No violent police.” And when they reached Mallory Square, which was packed with tourists for the nightly Sunset Celebration, the marchers lay down in a silent circle for approximately two minutes, holding up signs that said, “End Police Brutality” and “#KWPD Cover Up.” Tourists mostly stared silently at the protesters but many took photos and videos on their cell phones.
Alex Symington, a local resident who has been vocal in his concerns about the Eimers investigation, said he supports the Key West Police Department but he also supports police accountability. He said he approves of the recent vote by the Key West Citizen Review Board, the independent police complaint investigation board, which recently voted unanimously to ask the federal Department of Justice to review the case. Symington pointed to the second bystander video, which shows blood and sand on Eimers’ face after police realized he was not breathing and turned him onto his back. Police testimony during the investigation said there was no blood or sand on Eimers during the arrest. Police also testified that Eimers resisted arrest, however, one of the videos shows him exiting his car with his hands up and falling to his knees as police move in. There were other discrepancies, as well, Symington said.
“We just want the truth. Look at the video and look at the depositions. They do not match. The cops lied. They’re guilty of lying to cover it up,” he said.
Key West Police Chief Donie Lee said prior to the march that he “welcomed the scrutiny” of a federal investigation into Eimers’ death.
“We are satisfied that the three investigations – by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a Grand Jury and our own internal affairs investigation – were fair and unbiased in their conclusions that there was no criminal wrongdoing and no excessive use of force,” Lee said in a statement emailed to Konk Life.
A grand jury also cleared all police officers of contributing to Eimers’ death.
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As long as administrators and others in power continue to coverup for police brutality and excessive use of power, all in uniform will suffer the consequences. Most law enforcement people are good, but the bad ones make life miserable for all.
Had I still lived on the island, I would have marched for police support and accountability. Not all key West Police are to be feared. Most would do all in their power to help and protect the citizens. However, how can Chief Donie Lee say he welcomes the CRB/DOJ investigation, because he believes there was no wrong doing by any of the officers involved, when Officer Lovett bragged during the incident with Charles Eimers that he “fell like a f . . . . .g bomb onto” poor Mr. Eimers? Surely he cannot condone that, among other things that happened to that unsuspecting tourist who just wanted to experience the island he’d heard so much about. God forbid anyone else experience it as he did.