Americas press review
Headlines: In Michigan, a young black man from the DRC killed by a white police officer
Demonstration in the streets of Grand Rapids, Michigan, after the death of a black youth killed by a white police officer, April 13, 2022. © AP/Daniel Shular
Text by: Stefanie Schüler Follow
4 mins
Advertisement
Read more
A young black man was shot in the head by a white policeman.
It happened on April 4 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The scene was filmed.
Four videos were released yesterday by city authorities.
The young man killed is called Patrick Lyoya.
He was 26 years old and originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the local news site
The Bridge
, the family of Patrick Lyoya had "
flee the violence in the DRC in 2014 to settle in the United States.
He was the eldest of five siblings and the father of two young children, aged 2 years and three months
.
What started “
with a routine traffic check quickly turns into tragedy
,” writes The Bridge.
Instead of showing his “
driver's license, Patrick Lyoya tries to escape
”.
He is caught by the policeman who tries to control him, but Patrick Lyoya struggles.
“
Repeatedly, the officer summoned him to stop resisting and drop the Taser that the two men seemed to be arguing with on the ground
,” details the
New York Times
.
Then, "
sitting on the back of Patrick Lyoya, the policeman shoots him in the head
".
Police opened an investigation.
The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center claim that "
the decision whether or not to charge the officer should no longer be the responsibility of the Kent County District Attorney, on which the city of Grand Rapids
”.
The organizations suspect this prosecutor of being too close to the police department of this city”.
Indeed, underlines the online media The Bridge, “
a study published by the city in 2017 found that black drivers were twice as likely to be stopped by police in Grand Rapids as white drivers and also more likely to 'to be searched
'.
Several hundred people marched through the city center last night demanding justice and shouting "
Enough is enough
".
“
For many of these protesters
,” writes the daily
Detroit Free Press
, “
the death of Patrick Lyoya is proof that the police reform promised in 2020 in the wake of the murder of George Floyd has not been followed through.
".
Chile: the Constitutional Convention adopts the disappearance of the Senate
Chile is facing a major legislative upheaval: in the future, the Senate could disappear.
In its place, the Convention responsible for drafting a new Constitution decided yesterday to create a “
Chamber of Regions
”.
“
2/3 of the members of the Convention voted in favor of this proposal
”, headlines
El Mostrador
.
“
The articles relating to the composition of this new body and its powers have, however, been rejected.
The commissions of the Constituent Convention must rework them
”.
The principle of the disappearance of the Senate being adopted to appear in the new Constitution, the senators themselves are for the most part against.
This is not just "
the end of 200 years of history of the Upper House
", as
El Pais
points out .
In the columns of
La Tercera
, several former presidents of the Chilean Senate, all parties combined, fear "
that the end of the bicameral system will endanger the balance of powers and the quality of the legislative process
".
To enter into force, the new Constitution must be adopted during the referendum scheduled for the beginning of September.
Colombia: football legend Freddy Rincon dies after a road accident
Colombia mourns Freddy Rincon: the ex-captain of the national team, who notably worked for Real Madrid, died at the age of 55 on Wednesday in Cali two days after a road accident.
Rincon was one of Colombia's stars at the 1990 World Cup in Italy where he scored "
the most magnificent goal in Colombia's history
", recalls the weekly
Semana
, moved.
“
It was against Germany, in the second minute of added time
”.
The goal earned Freddy Rincon the nickname El Coloso de Buenaventura.
"
He was 24 then.
Thirty-two years later, the Colossus have lost the most important match of their life
.
"
He was one of the most brilliant players in Colombian football
", also exclaims
El Espectador
.
“
Farewell to an idol
”, headlines
El Tiempo
.
"
The terrible news of the death of the ex-captain of the national team upsets all Colombians
".
And for good reason, believes
El Colombiano
: Freddy Rincon "
knew how to give goosebumps to an entire Nation thanks to his art of the round ball
".
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_EN
United States
Company
Newspaper
Americas press review