Police murders spark demonstrations, riots in Chile
Last Friday Francisco Martínez, a 27-year-old street performer, was shot dead by Carabinero police in broad daylight and in view of dozens of witnesses in Panguipulli, a lakeside town in the Araucanía, the poorest region in Chile. Martínez, who suffered from schizophrenia, had lived in Panguipulli for only three years, but was well known, having lived on the streets and relied on community assistance.
A relative attends a wake for Francisco Martinez a street juggler who was shot by the police, in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. Martinez was fatally shot by an officer when he resisted a routine identity check, setting off protests over alleged police violence in Chile. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Feb. 9: News Briefs & Crime Blotter
NEWS BRIEFS
Big Tech and automotive partnership in West Point, Ga.
Friday, WSB-TV reported a potential partnership between Troupe County’s KIA plant and Apple. The idea is to create a production plan that would produce 100,000 self-driving cars annually beginning in 2024. The attention and job-demand brought by the cross-industry deal would turn West Point into a city depending on the population increase.
NATIONAL
President Biden aims to bring an end to the death penalty
Opponents of the death penalty look ahead as President Joe Biden begins discussions to stop scheduling new executions, WSB-TV reported on Sunday. However, they want him to proceed further by ending executions altogether. This decision would make life in prison the maximum penalty for crimes committed moving forward.
February 7, 2021
SAO PAULO, Brazil
Police cannot kill someone for resisting an ID check, Human Rights Watch said Sunday, in the wake of the killing of a young performer by Chilean police.
“A thorough and rapid investigation into these serious events is urgently needed,” said the group’s Americas director, Jose Miguel Vivanco. “Chile must urgently move forward with a serious and rigorous reform of the Carabineros.”
He demanded “a serious investigation” to “clarify whether the use of force was necessary and proportionate in this case.”
A video clip widely circulated on social media shows an officer shooting at Francisco Martínez Romero’s feet. The 27-year-old is seen carrying and sometimes waving machetes used in his performances in Panguipulli.
Feb 08, 2021
Democrats are moving forward with legislation for President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package after both the House and Senate advanced a budget resolution Friday allowing them to bypass Republican approval. Over 50 House Democrats signed a letter Friday urging Biden to reject a push by conservative and centrist Democrats to lower the income eligibility from $75,000 to $50,000 â or double those amounts for couples â in order to receive a direct payment of $1,400. Meanwhile, Democrats are unveiling a bill to provide payments of $3,000 to $3,600 per child as part of the stimulus package. The amount of assistance would decrease for people with higher incomes.
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People Gather To Pay Respects To Street Juggler Killed In Chile
People in the Chilean capital Santiago gathered on Sunday to mourn Francisco Martínez Romero, a young street juggler who was shot dead by police on Friday.
People in the Chilean capital Santiago gathered on Sunday to mourn Francisco Martínez Romero, a young street juggler who was shot dead by police on Friday. A makeshift memorial was erected outside his family home where local residents laid flowers in tribute. They killed him for doing art, read a banner.
Police said Martínez Romero was shot after he refused to cooperate with officers at an identity check. A video circulated widely on social media showed an officer shooting toward the feet of the man, who was carrying and sometimes waving what appeared to be two blunt machetes used in his performance.