Under-reported Story Redux: Rev. Lennox Yearwood

In light of the recent coverage of the tasering of student Andrew Meyer, Randi Rhodes today was discussing another video of police over-reaction.

Rev. Lennox Yearwood was in line to get into an Armed Services Committee meeting featuring General Petraeus, on September 10. According to Rhodes, Yearwood requested to hold his place in line while he participated in a radio interview. Upon his return, he attempted to take his place back in line, and after some heated--but very polite words--was tackled by the police. And they broke his leg.

[Excerpted from YouTube post]

After waiting in line throughout the morning for the hearing that was scheduled to start at 12:30pm, Rev. Yearwood was stopped from entering the room, while others behind him were allowed to enter. He told the officers blocking his ability to enter the room, that he was waiting in line with everyone else and had the right to enter as well. When they threatened him with arrest he responded with "I will not be arrested today." According to witnesses, six capitol police, without warning, "football tackled" him. He was carried off in a wheel chair by DC Fire and Emergency to George Washington Hospital. . .

Prior to hearing of this on The Randi Rhodes Show, I'd not even heard of this before. So, to give it what little attention my blog might bring, here's the video.



NOTE: I want to point out that I've taken Randi Rhodes' and the YouTube poster's word for the events that occured here. But as Randi herself says, don't take her word for it--or mine for that matter. There may be more background to this story than is revealed here. I just wanted to shed a little light on a story I'd heard nothing about. If you have more information, please feel free to share it in the comments section. Thanks!