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Cleveland: Protests continue at home of suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell

 Dave Summers     Updated: 11/25/2009 11:32:38 AM  Posted: 11/24/2009 10:23:01 PM
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CLEVELAND -- The vigils and protests at the house of suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell continue.

The protesters gathering on Imperial Avenue are upset about the way the city handled earlier complaints about the sexual offender.

They're calling for law enforcement resignations and an overhaul of the way police respond to sexual assault complaints.

The very passionate minister Ladonna Blaylock could not yell her message loud enough in front of the home of suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell.

"We're trying to organize women, we need all women to step up to the plate open up their mouths and help us."

Blaylock lead the chorus of "Imperial Women," a newly formed neighborhood group.

"We seek a change of public policy. We seek a change in accountability. We salute the women whose lives were taken away unnecessarily," Kathy Coleman said.

The remains of 11 women have been found at Sowell's home.

The group is protesting the handling of a rape complaint leveled against the suspect in 2008.

Reportedly the alleged victim's story was not credible to investigators.

"After that, five of the 11 women went missing.  We believe those five women might be here today, had they believed that  the black woman's story was credible," Coleman said.

Protesters demand the resignation of top brass, including the city prosecutor, safety director and police chief.

They're calling for a review of all sexual assault complaints filed with Cleveland Police over the last ten years.

Imperial women want the victim's legacy to be safer streets for all African-American women.

Police and city officials have responded in a number of ways to the question, why Sowell was not investigated further back in 2008?

Investigators say there was a lack of evidence, credibility and cooperation on the victim's part.

Critics say police did not take the disappearances seriously because each victim had a questionable past.

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