Forum Post: In Memoriam: Florence Cioffi.

Occupy Wall Street is important because simple Rule of Law no longer applies to the men who operate Financial Capitalism. Stealing trillions of dollars goes unpunished. Killing a 59-year old woman, Florence Cioffi, on Water Street was the worst of it, the most blatant criminal act to be given a free pass so far. It took several hours for her to die.

One point: the killing of Florence Cioffi in January, 2008 led to a singularly overt display of Wall Street control.

This was a DUI event, caused by driving 60 m.p.h. up Water Street -- vehicular manslaughter with aggravation by leaving the scene without rendering assistance. Yet the driver was a Wall Street CEO.

This George Anderson was able to arrange reduction of charges to misdemeanors. He served two weeks in Rikers and paid a $350 fine for the killing. Standard sentence guideline/minimum should have been 3 years in prison. How much money changed hands, what deals got cut, no one knows.

There was no Federal investigation to what was obvious corruption. No pursuit of even a denial of civil rights action related to taking her life and then arranging a "wrist slap" legal cover.

We knew Flo. She was funny, light hearted, always cheery. Tell us that FINANCIAL CAPITALISM is not today a criminal class and does not have an open season for its crimes.

Steal trillions of dollars. Kill a woman trying to hail a cab. Here is a photo of Flo: http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/14036/2478168350102267853S425x425Q85.jpg

If you need an individual symbol for Wall Street excess, please consider Flo. She died horribly. Mangled like the child in the famous carriage scene from Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities."