MPD/NewSham oversight hearing suspended after community activists ejected
Video: tough testimony and citizen expulsions from the MPD oversight hearing
On the 1st of March, the DC Council held a long-awaited oversight hearing on MPD and Chief Newsham. Citizens called out Newsham for lying in his own testimony. Citizen testimony call condemned Newsham for fostering overt racism in DC's police department and using counterinsurgency tactics learned from Israeli trainers to suppress dissent, notably in the J20 mass arrest and cases.
One activist was forcibly ejected while calling out Newsham for the unlawful J20 mass arrests and police brutality. Another was ordered out while saying He's lying, he's a domestic abuser." This refers to a domestic abuse incident where NewSham actually had to turn in his gun for a while to comply with weapons restrictions in domestic abuse cases. DC Councilmember Anita Bonds arrived too late for the public testimony but had some tough words of her own for Police Chief NewSham.
The Washington Post reports that the hearing was suspended due to "repeated disruption" by protesters. One of these "disruptions" was an immigrant warning Newsham that in her home country it would be illegal for him to lie in his official testimony.
Photo by Jewish Voices for Peace Metro DC
"New Sham" turns red in the face as a protesters is expelled while warning "we will never forget that" for what he has done to J20 protesters
Official DC camera turned away in shame as citizens called out Newsham for an overtly racist police department
Newsham testifying as police build up outside
