The room is nearly full for this meeting
— Michelle Basch (@mbasch草莓传媒) 
WASHINGTON 鈥� Mentally ill Fairfax County Jail inmate a few days after jail deputies shocked her repeatedly with a Taser in February.
Last week鈥檚 decision to in connection with her death, as well as to of what led up to it, prompted protesters to show up at a public hearing on Monday night.
The event was put on by the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission, a group that鈥檚 reviewing Fairfax County police practices.
Before the meeting started at Walt Whitman Middle School in Alexandria, a few dozen people stood outside holding signs that read 鈥淛ustice for Natasha McKenna,鈥� 鈥淔ilm the Police鈥� and 鈥淚nstead of help + treatment, they gave her abuse + death.鈥�
Although the commission is focused on the Fairfax County Police Department and not the Fairfax County Sheriff鈥檚 Department, which manages the county jail, numerous people signed up to speak out about McKenna鈥檚 death.
鈥淲e demand justice for Natasha and for those like her in the detention facility today,鈥� Cayce Utley said.
鈥淭his woman was having a psychotic episode. She didn鈥檛 know what was happening to her. She had men in white suits groping at her naked body,鈥� said Erika Totten, with Black Lives Matter.
鈥淚t was a cruel reminder of how African slaves were treated once upon a time,鈥� said Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture.
Other speakers called for the prosecutor and the deputies involved in the case to be fired.
Well into the hearing, one of the members of the commission, Sal Culosi, stood to speak to the audience.
鈥淵ou need to know that my son 鈥� was killed by (the) Fairfax County Police Department in 2006. They said it was an accident. We鈥檙e not going to go into that, but I鈥檓 here trying to make the policies better. By and large I agree with everything that鈥檚 been said here by all of you with regard to Natasha except for one thing. One thing. This is not a racial issue.鈥�
That led to 鈥渂oos鈥� from several in the crowd.
Culosi continued, 鈥淭he officer who killed my son was black. And that has nothing to do with the issue of policy.鈥�
At the same meeting, the commission heard a report from its Use of Force Subcommittee, which is making about 40 recommendations for change. They include asking police patrol officers to wear body cameras and carry Electronic Controlled weapons, such as Tasers, while on duty. The subcommittee also supports a ban on chokeholds as a way of controlling suspects.
The commission is scheduled to meet again on Oct. 8 to vote on recommendations submitted by all five of its subcommittees.
