SIGNATURES AND COUNTING..

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1.) Who is Surafel Assaminew and what is this site about?

2.) Which civic/human rights organizations have supported our call for a full and open investigation?

3.) How can I get a copy of Surafel's children's book or his music?

ACTION: GETTING INFORMED, GETTING INVOLVED

For Individuals/Concerned Citizens

1.) I am an individual/concerned citizen. How can I help?

For Member(s) of News and Media Organizations

1.) I am a member of a media organization and would like to do a coverage of Surafel's case. How can I contact the spokesperson?

For Human Rights/Civil Rights Organizations & Representatives

1.) I work with a human rights/civil rights organization. How can I send a letter of support calling for an open and honest investigation on behalf of my organization? How can I help publicize this case?

2.) Our organization has received a response for the letter of support we wrote. How can we contact Surafel's family to share the response?

NEWS AND UPDATES

April 16, 2004

The SCLC, the group partly founded by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. held a press conference on Thursday, April 15th, 2004 calling for the state of Georgia to investigate the deaths of several black men they say may have been killed unlawfully at the hands of law enforcement officials. [read more]

December 12th, 2003

929 emails were sent to Cobb County District Attorney Patrick Head's office in response to the Grand Jury's decision to not indict the two officers who shot Surafel Assaminew on the morning of Tuesday, September 16th, 2003. To read the statement released by DA Patrick Head and our preliminary response please click here..

December 10th,2003

Candlelight Vigil in Downtown Marietta

The Ethiopian Community Association in Atlanta held a candlelight vigil in downtown Marietta in memory of Surafel Assaminew. Various media organizations attended and covered the event. Click here to see images from the vigil..

Nov. 21st, 2003
Amnesty International, a worldwide non-governmental organization that promotes awareness of and adherence to human rights, writes letter to Chief of Police regarding the case of Surafel

November 17th, 2003

Friends and supporters attended the peaceful rally at the Capitol building in Atlanta, Georgia on the afternoon of Monday November 17th, 2003 to demand justice for Surafel Assaminew. Approximately 300 people attended the event and the peaceful rally was covered by WAGA-TV Fox Channel 5 News. The family of Surafel Assaminew presented the 5,000 signature petition along with letters of support from several civic, business, and human rights organizations to the office of the Governor of Georgia. Earlier in the morning a copy of the petitions were also delivered to the office of the District Attorney and the Attorney General of Georgia. To read statements made at the peaceful rally and see photos from the event please click here.

November 7th, 2003

The community is organizing a peaceful rally at the Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, November 17th, 2003. The rally will take place from 3pm to 5pm and the location is 206 Washington Street between MLK and Mitchel street. The family plans to present Governor Perdue the petition at the rally.

An official statement has now been released to the press. Click here to read.

To see images of support from around the world click here!

Oct. 22th,2003

Today is a NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY. Those of you in Atlanta can join the rally at Woodruff Park. For more information for participation in other cities please visit www.october22.org.

Oct. 11th, 2003

Pacific News Service reports on racially motivated violence impacting Ethiopian communities in their Oct 9th news release. Meanwhile, friends and concerned citizens gear up for upcoming rally in Cobb County, Georgia as police officers return to duty despite pending investigation on their conduct. More than 4,793 individuals from 47 states in the U.S. and 59 countries worldwide have signed a petition calling for a full and fair investigation on the unprovoked shooting death of 30-year old Surafel Assaminew.

Sept. 27th, 2003

The petition calling for a full, open, and fair investigation into the shooting death of Surafel Assaminew has now drawn over 3,250 signatures from 43 states in the U.S. and 40 nations around the world. To read and sign the online petition please click here.

Sept. 25th, 2003
An online petition was launched by Ethiopian-American community members on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 25th, 2003 calling for an inquiry into the fatal shooting of 30 year old Engineering student Surafel Assaminew. Petitioners are requesting a full and open investigation into the incident that took place at noon on Tuesday, September 16th, 2003 in Cobb County, Georgia. To learn more about the petition and background story please click here.