PROTESTERS DEMAND ACTION IN SHOOTING PROBE

Local Rainbow PUSH Official: 'We Can't And Won't Let It Be Swept Under The
Rug'

Several dozen people picketed the Government Center on Monday afternoon to
protest the handling of the Kenneth B. Walker shooting investigation.

"This is an incident that demands our attention," said the Rev. William
Howell, Rainbow PUSH Columbus chapter president. "We can't and won't let it
be swept under the rug."

Walker was fatally shot Dec. 10 by a Muscogee County sheriff's deputy
during a traffic stop of a vehicle suspected of having armed drug
traffickers inside. Walker and three others were pulled from the vehicle.
No drugs or weapons were found. Since the the shooting, authorities have
not released the name of the deputy who shot Walker or a video recording of
the incident.

The local Rainbow PUSH chapter organized Monday's protest, which lasted
from noon to 4 p.m. Two groups of protesters marched in single-file lines
in front of the Government Center, one along Second Avenue and the other
along Ninth Street.

Some of the signs the protesters held read:

. "One Columbus is a fair and just Columbus"

. "2004. Times have changed. Have you?"

. "Walker was unarmed."

. Willie Sumpter, of Columbus, held a sign that read: "This is not a black
thing/white thing. This is a human thing."

"I'm just a concerned citizen," Sumpter said. "This could have happened to
me. It could have happened to you. It could have happened to anybody. I
would just like to see justice being done."

Representatives from the Rainbow PUSH office in Atlanta are expected to be
in Columbus this week to help with some of the actions being taken. In a
statement released Friday, Rainbow PUSH National President the Rev. Jesse
Jackson said police brutality and excessive use of force must come to an end.

"We are prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to support the Walker
family, the Columbus chapter of Rainbow PUSH and the entire community in
their search for justice," Jackson said. "We share the community's
righteous indignation over this senseless death."

Muscogee Sheriff Ralph Johnson said he has no qualms about the picketers
who expressed their First Amendment rights outside the Government Center
where the sheriff's office is located. He said that he is open to meet with
Rainbow PUSH officials to discuss some of their concerns with law
enforcement. He also said that he has been having meetings to find ways to
enhance the department's visibility.

Through patience the community will know the facts, and the issues
surrounding the Walker case will be resolved, Johnson said.