Vol. 77/No. 7      February 25, 2013

Hanna, an African-American, was 45 when he died Nov. 13, 2011, from injuries suffered a week before when seven North Chicago cops beat and repeatedly shocked him with a Taser for 20 minutes.

Among those speaking at the event were Gloria Carr, Hanna’s mother; Rita Mayfield, Illinois state representative and a cousin of Hanna; Kevin O’Connor, Hanna family’s civil attorney; Ralph Peterson, rally organizer and also a cousin of Hanna; Airickca Gordon-Taylor, cousin of Emmett Till; and Bishop Tavis Grant, national field director for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

“Five hundred thirty-five people died in the U.S. last year from being Tasered,” Grant said at the rally. “One hundred eighty-four of those died from Taser torture. Darrin Hanna did not die from ‘Tasering,’ he was tortured. We’re not going to be silent until the officers who did this to Darrin are off the force.”

Following the event participants presented the North Chicago City Council with a demand that the officers involved in Hanna’s death be terminated or suspended. North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham repeated his claim that he has no authority to take action against the cops.

“Some people are saying that Dr. Rudd’s reclassifying Darrin Hanna’s death as a homicide was done as a political favor to our family,” said Carr at the city council meeting. “But a doctor would not put his reputation and professional credentials on the line if he did not believe what he was saying is true. If you really look at the photos of my son, how he was beaten almost beyond recognition, you can only conclude that this was a hate crime.”
 
 
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