Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper in Ohio and in the Midwest, and the most read independent digital news in Ohio. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

VIRGINIA- Virginia state Rep. Ben Chafin Jr., a Republican state lawmaker and native of Russell County, died Friday from coronavirus disease. He was 60.

State Rep. Chafin's death comes after the death on Tuesday of  Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow (pictured in suit and tie), who won a runoff earlier this month to represent Louisiana's northeastern fifth District,

Letlow also died from the virus and was only 41 years old.

He was set to be sworn in as U.S. representative on Jan. 3 like other Congressional lawmakers elected or reelected in November.

He is the first federally-elected official to die from COVID-19.

Also a Republican, Letlow replaced Rep. Ralph Abraham, for whom he served under as chief of staff.

Louisiana's fifth congressional district runs along the state's Arkansas border and Virginia's governor, by law, will set a date for a special election to fill Letlow's unexpired two year term.

Whether either lawmaker truly followed protective protocols relative to the virus is questionable as the the thrust of  national Republican leaders, including outgoing president Donald Trump, has been to down play the dangers of it, and io refuse to wear face-masks and practice social distancing.

The virus has spread to all 50 states and Washington, D.C. and the nation has more than 21 million reported cases and some 351,000 people dead since early March when the pandemic hit the U.S. with a vengeance, worldwide figures showing that there are some 85 million cases globally and roughly 1.8 million deaths.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

CLEVELAND, Ohio –Six majority WhiteCleveland police officers have been suspended without pay for purportedly breaking departmental rules pertaining to a use of force incident, the city's Black safety director has announced in a news release, disciplinary action that has the police union leader of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association upset.

Safety Director Karrie Howard said in the press release that the suspended officers are Lt. Brian Chetnik, Det. Andrew Hayduk, Patrol Officer Antonio Muniz, Patrol Officer Allen Nagy, Patrol Officer Rashawn Rahim and Patrol Officer Darryl Turner.

Howard said the suspensions stem from the officers' roles relative to excessive force findings against since fired patrol officer John Petkac, who was dismissed from his job on Dec. 21 for three acts of alleged excessive force, including a November 2018 incident in which the six officers at issue are accused of overlooking and not properly reporting, a violation of the collective bargaining agreement in the least.

According to Howard, the suspensions are from 13 to 131 days for failure to intervene, inefficiency in reporting, and improper use of body cameras

The safety director did not elaborate on specific facts around the excessive force, and did not name the victim.

While Cleveland police suspensions and firings occur, they are rare when the incidents pertain to excessive force, partly because of liability issues and expensive wrongful death and negligence lawsuits the city seeks to avoid, or at least minimize. CPPA President Jeff Folmer said the six officers are grieving the suspensions through the collective bargaining grievance process and that the union is behind them wholeheartedly.

Led by Mayor Frank Jackson, the city's third Black mayor who is currently serving a fourth term, the largely Black major American city of Cleveland is still recovering from riots that broke out in downtown Cleveland during a May 30 protest for justice for George Floyd, more than 100 people arrested in connection with the protest on charges ranging from resisting arrest to aggravated rioting.

Neither Jackson nor Police Chief Calvin Williams, who is Black like Jackson and Howard, has said much publicly as to controversial suspensions without pay of the six cops

The city and the U.S. Department of Justice remain parties to a court-monitored consent decree for police reforms instituted in 2015 following several high-profile Cleveland police killings between 2012-2014

Those celebrated police killings of Blacks include  Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell in 2012, both of them unarmed and gunned down by 13 non- Black cops shooting a combined 137 bullets at them, 12-year-old Tamir Rice and Tanisha Anderson in 2014, and Brandon Jones and rapper Kenneth Smith.

Officers in those killings have largely avoided discipline or criminal charges, though the city has settled several wrongful death lawsuits, including a $6 million settlement to the family of Rice in 2016.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, and who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-Chief