[Vauhxx Rush Booker\Lynching]
State Sen. Melton: “Every time our state fails to deliver the swift justice that situations like this demand, we are being shown that we are far from having total and complete justice for every Hoosier in Indiana.”
Photo: YouTube
An Indiana state senator is condemning the assault and attempted lynching of Black activist Vauhxx Rush Booker on July 4.
Indiana State Senator Eddie D. Melton has released the following statement in response to the videotaped attack against Vauhxx Rush Booker as reported by The Bloomingtonian newspaper and other news outlets on July 5: https://bloomingtonian.com/2020/07/05/bloomington-man-threatened-with-noose-during-assault-at-lake-monroe/
“I wholeheartedly condemn the recent racist acts that took place in Bloomington, Indiana against Vauhxx Rush Booker. Every time our state fails to deliver the swift justice that situations like this demand, we are being shown that we are far from having total and complete justice for every Hoosier in Indiana.”
“This tragic incident and the hesitation shown by the Department of Natural Resources in arresting those shown in the video assaulting and threatening to lynch Mr. Booker, speaks volumes about our current fight against racism.”
“I join my colleague, Senator Mark Stoops, of Bloomington in calling on Governor Holcomb to immediately suspend the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officers involved pending further investigation. I also urge the local authorities to act swiftly and bring those involved to justice.”
“For over a month, the members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus and I have been calling on the governor to take action on policing reform in Indiana. With this latest situation, I urge the governor to act with a sense of urgency on these issues.”
– Eddie D. Melton Indiana Senate District 3 (D)
A series of videos of this assault can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yql5MmMDjI
About Eddie D. Melton:
Eddie Melton was elected as State Senator for Indiana’s 3rd District on November 8, 2016. He also was a Gubernatorial candidate in 2020. In the State Assembly, Senator Melton has led the charge to return Gary to economic vibrance. His success in passing an ambitious economic development bill for Gary that allows the casino to move, the Gary Port Authority to establish a multimodal district with a railroad and helps establish a community foundation will spur economic development of the area.
Senator Melton serves on the following Standing Committees: Appropriations, School Funding Subcommittee, Education and Career Development (where he serves as the Ranking Minority Member), Health and Provider Services, Homeland Security and Transportation, Veterans Affairs and The Military. He is Deputy Chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party. Melton was elected by lawmakers from around the country to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators.
Melton has served as chairman of the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males, has served on the State Board of Education, representing the First Congressional District of Indiana and has also served as a national board member for the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE). Melton has been recognized with multiple awards and accolades, such as; the top “20 Under 40” young professionals in Northwest Indiana by The NWI Times Media Company (2010) and is a (2012) South Shore Leadership Award winner and Freshman Legislator of the Year by the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities.
In 2015, he worked with President Barack Obama’s Administration in implementing “My Brother’s Keeper,” an initiative designed to address persistent opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color. He is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and received a B.S. of Organizational Management from Calumet College of St. Joseph.
Eddie has spent his life working to give a voice to the voiceless.
