NIAGARA FALLS U.S. inspector accused in beating of tourist

The case supports international fears about Americans.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
TIANJIN, China -- The graphic front-page newspaper photo has played to the worst fears of this provincial river port city -- showing a local businesswoman beaten so badly that her face appears a sickly black and blue. Her eyes are swollen shut.
The victim is a Chinese tourist who was recently attacked during an outing to Niagara Falls, on the U.S.-Canadian border. But the suspect isn't any violent criminal or quick-hit mugger. The man accused of punching Zhao Yan repeatedly and dousing her with pepper spray was an inspector with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Officer Robert Rhodes is accused of throwing the 37-year-old gym equipment saleswoman against a wall, kneeing her in the head and striking her head on the ground. Rhodes, 43, was charged with violating her civil rights and faces 10 years in prison if convicted.
He said he thought Zhao was with a man from whom officers had just confiscated marijuana.
International tension
The attack has touched a nerve with Chinese officials and the general public here. In what the state-run media has called an unusual move, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing this week called on U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to launch a "serious and thorough investigation" into the July 21 incident.
A Chinese-American trade group said the United States bears "unshirkable responsibility" for what it called a serious human rights violation on American soil.
For many Chinese, the attack confirmed their worst nightmares of foreign travel and raised concerns about the safety of Chinese nationals living abroad, especially in the United States.
Some also say that the attack of a woman by a male police officer illustrates the image of the United States as an international bully.
"I have been to many countries in the past for business purposes, and the U.S. is the most barbarous," Zhao told the state-run China Daily, which is distributed nationwide.
The newspaper reported that Zhao has hired an American lawyer and plans to file a lawsuit seeking $5 million in damages.
College student Liu Peili said Zhao's experience illustrated the gap between the virtues preached by the United States and the reality of life within its own borders.
"America always points its finger at other countries, including China, about their so-called human right violations," the Tianjin native said.