latest homeless murder by cop - Here's another "Broken Window"
Coalition on Homelessness, SF (coh@sfo.com)
Sat, 11 Dec 1999 21:21:32 -0800
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Friday, December 10, 1999
Cops investigated for death of homeless man
MONTREAL (CP) -- Quebec's provincial police force is investigating
whether a pair of Montreal officers were responsible for the death of a
homeless man.
The city force is already under fire for waiting almost two months to
report the death of Jean-Pierre Lizotte, who was taken to
hospital with a fractured spine after police were called to a bar where
Lizotte allegedly committed an indecent act Sept. 5.
Lizotte died Oct. 16; police reported his death on Wednesday.
A witness claims officers and a bar bouncer beat Lizotte mercilessly
and continued hitting him while he was already down.
"He tried to fight them off, but they kept punching him," said Jean-Maxime
Leroux, who was sitting at a nearby coffee shop.
"The bouncer held his hands while (the officers) hit him. Even after he
fell to the floor, they still kept punching him -- in the face, all over."
The officers will remain on duty at least until the provincial police
receives an autopsy report, which is expected next month.
"It doesn't take a genius to know this is police oppression," said Yves
Manseau of Citizens Against Police Brutality. "Not to let us know about
such an occurrence -- or waiting 52 days to tell us -- that's indecent."
Montreal police responded to the criticism by saying they informed the
provincial force immediately after Lizotte's death.
Lizotte, 45, had been in and out of jail for a variety of petty crimes,
but was remembered by fellow inmates as a talented man.
"He wrote poems, wrote songs for artists," said Jean-Paul Catellier, an
inmate at Bordeaux prison. "He was a great entertainer and everybody loved
him here -- even the guards."
His death has already drawn comparisons to what Montrealers call "l'affaire
Barnabe," the beating death of a local cab driver who was arrested for
breaking church windows six years ago.
After Richard Barnabe was taken to jail, officers beat him into a coma. He
died in 1996.
Seven officers faced disciplinary charges before the police ethics committee.
Two were discharged and two were suspended without pay for four months.
Copyright © 1999, Canoe Limited Partnership.
All rights reserved.
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