police brutality

Woman Endured 8 Days In Psych Ward For Cops Mistake

By Christopher Mathias in The Huffington Post - Kamilah Brock says the New York City police sent her to a mental hospital for a hellish eight days, where she was forcefully injected with powerful drugs, essentially because they couldn't believe a black woman owned a BMW. In her first on-camera interview about her ordeal, which aired Thursday, the 32-year-old told PIX11 that it was all a "nightmare." It's a nightmare, Brock's lawyer told The Huffington Post, that never would have happened if she weren't African-American. Brock sued the city earlier this year in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She contends that her constitutional rights under the Fourth and 14th Amendments were violated and that she suffered "unwanted and unwarranted intrusion of her personal integrity, loss of liberty [and] mental anguish."

People Of Pleasanton, CA Oppose Urban Shield In Their Community

September 11, 2015 The Independent, www.independentnews.com Resist! police brutality, Police State, Wars and Militarism

By The Independent News - Several speakers at last week's Pleasanton City Council meeting raised objections to the city hosting Urban Shield, a regional preparedness training program for law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services. The event will be held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton over a four-day period starting Friday, September 11. Those speaking described Urban Shield as a pro-war, $1 million trade show and training exercise funded by the federal government. It is expected that anti-war protestors will be on hand. According to its website, the overarching goals of Urban Shield include striving for the capability to present a multi-layered training exercise to enhance the skills and abilities of regional first responders, as well as those responsible for coordinating and managing large scale events.

BlackLivesMatter: A Call To Pan-African Unity – Justice For Emmanuel!

September 11, 2015 Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, www.blackagendareport.com Resist! #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), police brutality

By Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo in Black Agenda Report - This is a wake-up call for African people across national boundaries to stop the in-fighting, self-hatred and come together to determine how to win the war against white supremacy that is literally killing us. The African Union (AU) must rise to the challenge of speaking out against US state-sponsored murder of Black people and provide affirmative programs for Africans in the diaspora (who are so inclined) to repatriate to Africa. Comfort has now found her voice and mission: to make sure that no other Black family suffers the death of their children by killer cops. She has also found her sea legs. Comfort has started two new businesses; she’s once again active in her church and caring for her remaining children. Comfort is fighting for Black mothers and children in America. But, she needs your help. We must demand a full, transparent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the murder of Emmanuel.

Yes, People Hate Cops—But Aren’t Stooping To Their Level

September 5, 2015 Sonali Kolhatkar, www.truthdig.com Educate! Death, police brutality

By Sonali Kolhatkar in Truthdig - But actions speak louder than words, and police have made clear just how fast they can turn any encounter into a deadly one, whether it is shooting an unarmed man in the back while he is trying to run away, as in the case of Walter Scott in South Carolina, or the gunning down of a 12-year-old child named Tamir Rice in Cleveland, who was shot “withintwo seconds of the police arriving.” Statistics provide even more clarity. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which collects meticulous data on law enforcement fatalities, found a mere 3 percent increase in the number of police officers killed this year compared with the same time last year. That increase is well within the statistical noise, and in fact, overall police deaths are gradually decreasing, with 64 officers losing their lives in the course of their jobs in 2015 compared with 62 in the first half of 2014.

Study: Inappropriate Police Tactics Inflamed Ferguson Protests

September 4, 2015 Ryan J. Reilly, www.huffingtonpost.com Resist! Ferguson, police brutality, Wars and Militarism

By Ryan J. Reilly in The Huffington Post - Law enforcement officials responding to demonstrations and unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, following the death of Michael Brown last August used a variety of inappropriate tactics and strategies that often exacerbated tensions, according to a report by policing experts that the Justice Department is releasing this week. The assessment finds that deploying dogs for crowd control was "provocative," positioning snipers on top of armored vehicles during daytime protests "inflamed tensions," tear gas was "deployed inappropriately," and law enforcement used unconstitutional policing strategies that suppressed First Amendment rights. Such strategies "had the unintended consequence of escalating rather than diminishing tension," the report states.

As Freddie Gray Case Begins, Feds Probe Past Police Killings

September 1, 2015 A. Dwight Pettit and Stephen Janis, www.therealnews.com Resist! Baltimore, Law, police brutality

By A. Dwight Pettit and Stephen Janis in The Real News - A. DWIGHT PETTTIT: When the Justice Department came in they couldn't shut me up. I followed them out the door. STEPHEN JANIS, TRNN: In a city with the second-highest number of police per capita no one has had a more acute front row seat on the consequences of Baltimore's penchant for law enforcement than A. Dwight Pettit. The veteran civil rights attorney has been the city's top litigator of police brutality lawsuits for decades, which is why he's paying close attention to the upcoming pre-trial legal maneuvers in the case against six Baltimore officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Gray died in a police van shortly after he was arrested in April, and Pettit says several key motions could play a critical role in the final verdict.

Police In North Dakota Can Now Use Drones Armed With Tasers

August 28, 2015 Ariha Setalvad, www.theverge.com Educate! police brutality, Wars and Militarism

By Ariha Setalvad in The Verge - Police in North Dakota are now authorized to use drones armed with tasers, tear gas, rubber bullets, and other "non-lethal" weapons, following the passage of Bill 1328. Sponsored by Rep. Rick Becker (R-Bismarck), the bill was originally intended to limit the police’s surveillance powers, and banned all weapons on law enforcement drones. Then a policy lobby group was allowed to amend the bill, though, at which point it only banned lethal weapons, writes The Daily Beast. Putting aside the fact that these weapons are not non-lethal, making it so these weapons can be controlled remotely likely isn’t going to help curb police abuse.

New Ferguson Judge Finally Doing Something About Abusive Court

August 25, 2015 Ryan J. Reilly, www.huffingtonpost.com Create! Criminal Justice, Ferguson, Law, police brutality

By Ryan J. Reilly in The Huffington Post - Ferguson Municipal Court Judge Donald McCullin issued an order on Monday that attempts to address some of the damage caused by St. Louis County's practice of issuing arrest warrants and harsh penalties for minor violations, a revenue-driven approach the Department of Justice criticized in a March report. The judge's order withdrew all arrest warrants issued before this year, and reinstated drivers licenses that were suspended only because of a missed court date or failure to pay a fine. The move comes a year after after the death of Michael Brown helped call attention to theabusive practices of municipal courts around St. Louis County that undermined relationships between police and communities in the region.

Why US Police Are Out Of Control

August 24, 2015 Daniel Lazare, www.consortiumnews.com Educate! police brutality

By Daniel Lazare in Consortium News - A country that doesn’t even know how many times police fire their weapons or under what circumstances is one in which every local department is a law unto itself, a self-contained barony with its own special rules and customs. “It’s a national embarrassment,” Geoffrey P. Alpert, a University of South Carolina criminology professor, told The New York Times. “Right now, all you know is what gets on YouTube.” What does a lack of knowledge have to do with ultra-high levels of brutality? The answer is simple: absence of knowledge means an absence of control, which means that local departments behave with relative impunity. If local cops seem out of control, it’s because the only controls come from local politicians who are often corrupt and racist and therefore tolerant of such behavior on the part of the officers they employ.

Protests Erupt After Mistrial In NC Police Prosecution

August 24, 2015 Michael Gordon, Cleve R. Wootson JR. and Mark Washburn in Charlotte Observer, www.charlotteobserver.com Resist! Criminal Justice, Law, police brutality, Protests

By Michael Gordon, Cleve R. Wootson JR. and Mark Washburn in Charlotte Observer - Two years after a deadly struggle in the dark of night and three weeks into an emotionally charged trial, jurors said Friday they were hopelessly deadlocked, an outcome that satisfied neither side in the polarizing case of a white police officer charged with killing an unarmed black man. The jury was unable to unanimously decide whether Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Randall “Wes” Kerrick used excessive force in firing 12 shots at Jonathan Ferrell, who charged at him moments after police encountered him walking near a neighborhood pool. Eight jurors were for acquittal and four for conviction, according to someone close to the proceedings. Within moments of the mistrial, about a dozen protesters, whites and blacks, lay down with hands behind their backs and blocked traffic outside the courthouse on Fourth Street, chanting “No justice, no peace.”

Arrests For Minor Crimes Spur Resentment In Baltimore

August 24, 2015 Catherine Rentz, www.baltimoresun.com Educate! Baltimore, Freddie Gray, police brutality

By Catherine Rentz in Baltimore Sun - For Trayvon Wiggins, applying for a job brings almost certain disappointment. "I go through the interview process, but as soon as they check my background, I can't pass it," the West Baltimore man said. He has been convicted of minor traffic violations but believes the real problem stems from other arrests that remain on his record even though they were never prosecuted. Wiggins, who has been working odd jobs as he moves to get those records expunged, illustrates the frustration felt by some Baltimoreans who have trouble finding employment because of arrests, including those for minor charges such as trespassing. The issue, which has sparked resentment in West Baltimore and other neighborhoods for years, has received new attention in the aftermath of Freddie Gray's death.

#BLM Unveil Demands For US Policing Laws As Political Reach Grows

August 22, 2015 Jon Swaine, Lauren Gambino and Oliver Laughland, www.theguardian.com Strategize! #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Civil Rights, police brutality, Politics

By Jon Swaine, Lauren Gambino and Oliver Laughland in The Guardian - The unveiling of the detailed policy platform followed a series of disruptions by protesters affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement of presidential campaign rallies held by presidential candidates across the country, including former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. The actions have succeeded in pushing police and criminal justice reform to the forefront of the race for the Democratic nomination. “America is finally waking up to this very necessary and critical conversation about race, equity and preserving the life and dignity of all citizens,” Brittany Packnett, one of the activists behind Campaign Zero, said in an interview. “These policies, like our resistance, will save lives and introduce a new way of viewing political strategy,” said Aurielle Lucier, the co-founder of the Atlanta-based activist group It’s Bigger Than You.

Cornel West: The Fire Of A New Generation

August 21, 2015 George Yancy and Cornel West, www.opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com Educate! #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), culture, Ferguson, police brutality, Racial Justice

By George Yancy and Cornel West in NYTimes - The black prophetic fire among the younger generation in Ferguson was intense and wonderful. Ferguson is ground zero for the struggle against police brutality and police murder. I just wanted to be a small part of that collective fight back that puts one’s body on the line. It was beautiful because part of the crowd was chanting, “This is what democracy looks like,” which echoes W.E.B. DuBois and the older generation’s critique of capitalist civilization and imperialist power. And you also had people chanting, “We gon’ be alright,” which is from rap artist Kendrick Lamar, who is concerned with the black body, decrepit schools, indecent housing. This chant is in many ways emerging as a kind of anthem of the movement for the younger generation. So, we had both the old school and the new school and I try to be a kind of link between these two schools. There was a polyphonic, antiphonal, call and response, all the way down and all the way live.

One Year Later, Everyone Arrested In Ferguson Being Charged

August 20, 2015 Mariah Stewart and Ryan Reilly, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! Criminal Justice, Ferguson, Law, police brutality

By Mariah Stewart and Ryan Reilly in The Huffington Post - A year ago, after 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, police responded to even peaceful daytime protests in the St. Louis suburb by deploying attack dogs and tactical vehicles, pointing sniper rifles at peaceful protesters, arresting people for simply standing still on public sidewalks, flooding demonstrators with tear gas -- often without warning -- and shooting them with bean bags, wooden pellets and balls filled with pepper spray. A year later, St. Louis County authorities have decided they're not done with protesters quite yet. Lawyers representing the interests of those arrested in Ferguson last August say St. Louis County authorities have sent out "hundreds" of summonses to individuals swept up by police a year ago.

Big Increase In The Number Of Police Charged With Murder

August 20, 2015 Conor Freidersdorf , www.theatlantic.com Resist! Criminal Justice, Law, police brutality

By Conor Freidersdorf in The Atlantic - Observers have noted the fact that American police officers kill orders of magnitude more people than their counterparts in other western democracies. Now, the number of U.S. cops arrested for killings in the last five months exceeds the total number of people shot and killed by cops in England going back five years. This is particularly extraordinary given how reluctant many U.S. prosecutors are to file charges against police, and how much deference police reports are given in the absence of video or forensic evidence, like a bullet in the back, that blatantly contradicts their story. Are U.S. police now being charged at a higher rate than before? Maybe. Over a seven-year period ending in 2011, “41 officers in the U.S. were charged with either murder or manslaughter in connection with on-duty shootings,” The Wall Street Journal reported in 2014.

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