Petition Background:
Whereas, Ms. Aida Guzman, small, unarmed, woman was cold-cocked by a robust policeman while she was moving away from the officer;
Whereas, the incident was recorded in video and witnessed by hundreds of Puertorrican Parade participants; as well as worldwide over YouTube;
Whereas, District Attorney Seth Williams brought assault charges against officer Josey;
Whereas, Mayor Michael Nuttter apologized to Ms. Guzman on behalf of the City of Philadelphia;
Whereas, Judge Patrick Dugan ruled that Jonathan Josey was not guilty of assault when he struck to the ground and inflicted injuries to Ms. Guzman, in the face.
Petition:
We, the Hispanic Community and all Delaware Valley’s communities, state that this miscarriage of justice in the Philadelphia Court System seems customary whenever an officer is accused of a crime against a Hispanic/Latino. This reprehensible and flagrant behavior needs to stop and those responsible held accountable.
We ask the ACLU of Pennsylvania to join the call urging the Justice Department to launch an immediate and thorough Federal investigation into this disturbing miscarriage of justice. This case has left many of us in the City of Philadelphia to lose confidence in our judicial system.
It's time the U.S. Justice Department lived up to its stated mission and provides accountability for those who perverted justice. We demand that the Department investigate this matter.
