Over 41 people have been shot to death or killed in other ways over the past 19 years in Chattanooga a city that remarkably has cleaned itself of much of the industrial grit and grime that plagued it when it was often referred to Pittsburgh.

Both cities had many members who fought for the Union during the Civila War and both cities are Appalachian.

However, Chattanooga is ranked as the worst small town for people who are dying or suffering at the hands of police officers.

The 3 men who have led others to fight this were put on trial January 10th 2001.

In many ways Chattanooga has improved; with a cleaner river-The Tenneessee, battery-powered buses, and an attractive Aquarium that describes some of the richness that is in Appalachia and the freshwaters of this part of a region that provides a tremendous amount of electricity in Tenneessee Valley Authority dams.

However, the good press stops here. This city has refused to stop the gun battles between a special category of public-servants its police and minority people often African-Americans. Most of the time, the minorities are 100% not guilty and most of the time the police are not fired, fined, or prosecuted.

The interview on 89.3 FM which can be heard by about 3,000,000 listeners described an important fact that has been lost to some activists: The 3 men changed the floating at large representational City Council system to a geography-based one.

Also, some persons in the Earth First! Movement are involved and their are internet pages describing much of the details.For more information type in COPWATCH in your favorite search engine. Or search for Chattanooga 3 in that engine.

This article was written by Paul Hays of the Progressive Southern Congress.

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