A formal complaint challenging the integrity of the Clearlake Police Department, the Lake County Sheriff”s Office and the Lake County District Attorney”s Office was hand-delivered to the Lake County Grand Jury on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
A prayer vigil followed the delivery in front of the courthouse, where approximately 30 people were in attendance, including Sheila Burton, the mother of Rashad Williams, 21, of Pittsburg, who was killed in the Dec. 7, 2005 shooting, and Judy Hughes, the mother of the defendant, Renato Hughes, 21, of San Francisco.
“Clearly something is wrong in Clearlake,” said Jakada Imani, spokesperson for the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. “Our concern is about justice in this case. A black mother”s child is not worth less than a white mother”s child.”
According to the complaint filed by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, racism may be tainting the actions of these agencies. The complaint read, “We would like to emphasize to the Grand Jury that the documentation supports a pattern of police misconduct and racism.”
Hughes, a young African American man, is charged with the murder of two friends, Christian Foster and Rashad Williams who were shot by Shannon Edmonds, a local white resident.
“Matters will be resolved when evidence is brought up in court,” said, district Attorney Jon Hopkins, when asked about contradictory photographs included in evidence and presented to the Record-Bee by the Ella Baker Center. “No one from the Ella Baker Center has tried to contact me, and I question the timing of this complaint.”
Hughes was due back in court on Tuesday, Jan. 16. A motion for a change in venue was to be addressed by Judge Arthur Mann at that time.
Police allege that Hughes participated in a home invasion by Foster and Williams in which Edmonds killed Foster and Williams in self-defense. Hughes has been charged with the deaths of Foster and Williams through application of the “provocative act” law, in which prosecutors can charge a suspect in a crime with the death of an accomplice if, during the commission of the crime, their actions provoked a “lethal result” such as the accomplice being killed.
Dr. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco Branch of the NAACP, was quoted in a press release as saying, “We feel there should be a change of venue from Lake County so there will be a neutral spot and no overtones of prejudicial treatment of this case.”
As of the census of 2000, there were 58,309 people in Lake County, 23,974 households, and 15,367 families residing in the county.
The racial makeup of the county was 86.25 percent white, 2.11 percent African American, 3.04 percent American Indian, 0.83 percent Asian, 0.16 percent Pacific islander, 4.11 percent from other races, and 3.50 perccent from two or more races. Eleven percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Contact Rene Morales at rmorales@record-bee.com.
