Police Brutrality

Newsletter: Heroes In The War At Home

December 6, 2015 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance.org Newsletter Baltimore, Black Panthers, Carbon infrastructure, Clean Energy, Climate Change, COP21, Corporate crime, Fracking, Fred Hampton, Freddie Grey, Net Neutrality, Paris, Pipelines, Police Brutrality, Racism, TISA, TPP, Uranium, wealth inequality

By Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese for Popular Resistance. Forty six years ago this week, 21 year old Black Panther leader Fred Hampton was murdered in his bed by Chicago police and the FBI. Hampton was a hero to many in his community for the work he did to feed hungry schoolchildren, create peace in his high school and within his community as a leader of the Black Panthers. His crime was being intelligent, talented and effective. In his short life, he rattled the power structure. In the war at home - the elite's war on the poor, hungry, homeless, sick, young and old - there are many heroes. Maybe this is one aspect of the US' war culture we can embrace - honoring our heroes and sheroes. In memory of the late Howard Zinn, let's honor those who work everyday for justice and peace. We are making a difference. Let's change the culture by lifting up the change-makers - those who make the world a better place - as our role models and heroes. Let's remember people like Fred Hampton. As Bill Simpich writes about Hampton and others killed for their activism, "They died in the war at home. They died holding this country to its promises. They died so we can be free. Hold them in the place of the highest honor."

Cop Shooting Cost $5 Million To Hide

November 22, 2015 Justin Glawe, www.thedailybeast.com Educate! Accountability, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Chicago, Police Brutrality

By Justin Glawe for The Daily Beast. Chicago, IL - A judge has ruled that police must release dashcam video showing the violent death of 17-year-old old Laquan McDonald, shot 16 times by officer Jason Van Dyke last October. Judge Franklin Valderrama ruled the video must be released on Wednesday, Nov. 25 and denied a motion from the city to appeal the decision, securing the video's release. The video reportedly shows McDonald carrying a knife on the southwest side of the city on Oct. 20 last year, walking as far as the width of two car lanes away from police before an officer shoots him 16 times. If the streets explode, it will be hard for even the most skeptical observer to say it is anything but justified: McDonald never posed a serious threat to officers.

Protesters Disrupt City Council Meeting For Jamar Clark

November 22, 2015 Sam Richards and Alexa Aretz, www.nstarpost.com Resist! #BlackLivesMatter, Accountability, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Democracy, Police Brutrality

By Sam Richards and Alexa Aretz for the North Star Post. Minneapolis, MN - Minneapolis City Council meetings are usually not as lively as the one this morning. Shortly after the gavel struck, calling the Council to order, three protesters stood up and disrupted the proceedings. Later on, a vigil and march was held outside MPD Fourth Precinct. Michelle Gross, veteran activist with Communities United Against Police Brutality, was the first to speak. Gross strongly dissented against the lack of leadership from elected officials and mismanagement by the Minneapolis Police Department(MPD) in response to the on-going protests. She advocated for MPD to adopt a limited liability insurance plan, similar to those mandated for medical and other professionals.

FBI Director Admits Use Of Spy Planes Over Ferguson, Baltimore

October 31, 2015 Tom Hall, www.WSWS.org - FBI Director James Comey admitted in testimony last week before the House Judiciary Committee that the agency conducted surveillance flights over mass protests against police brutality in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland over the past year, at the request of local police departments. Comey’s remarks confirmed an earlier Associated Press report revealing the FBI’s extensive use of secret flyovers throughout the country. Educate! FBI, Ferguson, Police Brutrality, Surveillance

By Tom Hall for WSWS - FBI Director James Comey admitted in testimony last week before the House Judiciary Committee that the agency conducted surveillance flights over mass protests against police brutality in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland over the past year, at the request of local police departments. Comey’s remarks confirmed an earlier Associated Press report revealing the FBI’s extensive use of secret flyovers throughout the country. The hearing itself, mislabeled as being dedicated to the “Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” was a further indication of the ability of government agencies like the FBI to carry out illegal mass surveillance against the American population with impunity.

S. Carolina Teen Who Filmed School Cop’s Assault Arrested

October 28, 2015 Adam Johnson, www.alternet.org Educate! #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Police Brutrality, South Carolina

By Adam Johnson for AlterNet - WLTX reports that Kenny was trying to "stand up for her friend" when she filmed the assault, telling Loren Thomas of WLTX, "I was crying, screaming and crying like a baby. I was in disbelief." Both Kenny and her mother are understandably skeptical as to why she was arrested for "disturbing schools." "But looking at the video, who was really disturbing schools?" Kenny's mother told WLTX. "Was it my daughter or the officer who came into the classroom and did that to the young girl?" Ben Fields, the South Carolina police officer whose attack on a black student went viral in a video Monday, has faced previous abuse allegations.

Prosecution Of Police Killings Highest In Decade

October 27, 2015 Ian Simpson, www.reuters.com Educate! Black Lives Matter (BLM), Police Brutrality

By Ian Simpson for Reuters - WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The number of U.S. police officers charged in fatal shootings has hit the highest level in a decade in 2015, new research shows, driven by greater scrutiny over use of deadly force. Public outrage over the deaths of black men at the hands of police in New York, Missouri and elsewhere have spurred prosecutions. Police body cameras and bystanders' videos also have helped bring cases, but even with the upturn, only a small percentage of police killings result in charges, lawyers and analysts say. A dozen officers have been charged with murder or manslaughter this year resulting from shootings, up from an average of about five a year from 2005 to 2014, said Philip Stinson, an associate professor of criminology at Ohio's Bowling Green State University.

Israeli Police ‘Kick And Beat’ Journalist In Video

October 19, 2015 Samuel Osborne, www.independent.co.uk Resist! Israel, Police Brutrality

By Samuel Osborne for Independent - A cameraman was reportedly kicked and beaten by Israeli police despite telling them in Hebrew that he was an accredited journalist. The Jerusalem correspondent and a cameraman for France 2 were approaching the central bus station to cover an attack on 14 October when they were warned by an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldier not to film events. As the cameraman turned to leave the site, he was attacked by several Israeli border policemen, despite informing them in Hebrew that he was an accredited journalist, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel reports.

Confirmed: FBI’s Data On Police Killings Is Pretty Much Useless

October 16, 2015 Andy Cush, www.gawker.com Educate! Police Brutrality

By Andy Cush for Gawker - How many Americans do you think were killed by police in, let’s say, 2012? You don’t know? Neither do I, and neither does anyone else—including the FBI. That’s not to say that the feds don’t try to keep up with the number of citizens knocked off by local law enforcement officers ever year. Police are asked to report killings to the FBI each year, but not strictly ordered to. You can imagine how eager most departments are to hand over their data. The pitfalls of this volunteer-only approach are obvious, and the FBI’s data has long been known to be inaccurate.

Activists Criticize Prosecutor In Charge Of Tamir Rice Reports

October 12, 2015 Kim Palmer, www.reuters.com Resist! Ohio, Police Brutrality

By Kim Palmer for Reuters - CLEVELAND, Oct 11 (Reuters) - An Ohio prosecutor handling the fatal shooting by police of a 12-year-old boy while he played with a replica pistol was criticized by activists on Sunday for releasing two reports that called the shooting "reasonable" before any grand jury decision on charges had been announced. "It looks as though the prosecutor is trying to taint the grand jury process as well as manipulate the judicial process overall," said Edward Little, one of the so-called Cleveland 8, a group of clergy, academics and activists who have called for the two police officers involved in the November 2014 playground shooting of Tamir Rice to be indicted.

Million Man March Seeks “Justice Or Else” On 20th Anniversary

October 12, 2015 John Zangas, www.dcmediagroup.us Resist! Black Lives Matter (BLM), Police Brutrality

John Zangas for DC Media Group - On Saturday, October 10, the Million Man March converged on Washington, DC, on the 20th anniversary of the original March, with a demand for “Justice or Else.” Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, called on people of color to seize their destiny through self-empowerment and a new-found respect for each other in their communities. “The government is not able to either provide you freedom or access,” he said. Farrakhan acknowledged that indigenous people of the United States have original land rights, but people of color still share a common struggle with them for freedom, equality and economic access.

Texas City Councilman Arrested Same Sheriff’s Dept As Sandra Bland

October 12, 2015 Nicole Hensley, www.nydailynews.com Resist! Black Lives Matter (BLM), Police Brutrality, Texas

By Nicole Hensley for The Daily News - A Texas city councilman was stunned with a Taser while on his knees and then arrested outside his Prairie View home Thursday night — the same agency whose officer helped arrest Sandra Bland. The arrest involved a Prairie View cop – one of the city's six-officer force – with ties to Bland's arrest alongside Texas Department of Public Safety in July, authorities confirmed. Newly-elected Councilman Jonathan Miller identified himself as an elected official while stepping between Prairie View cops confronting four of his fraternity brothers practicing a step routine, local reports said.

Walter Scott’s Family Reaches $6.5 Million Settlement

October 10, 2015 Melissa Cronin, www.gawker.com Resist! Black Lives Matter (BLM), Police Brutrality

By Melissa Cronin for Gawker, The family of Walter Scott, a black South Carolina man shot and killed by a police officer last April, has reached a $6.5 million settlement with city officials in North Charleston, S.C. Scott was fatally shot multiple times in the back by a white ex-police officer named Michael Slager. A video taken by a bystander shows Scott fleeing from the officer after he was pulled over, reportedly for a broken brake light. Slager was charged with murder for the case, and was denied bond last month. The video of Scott’s death was splashed across news outlets all over the world, adding to a slew of cases of unarmed black men being killed by police officers over the past two years.

Black Lives Matter Holds Peaceful Protest At Twin Cities Marathon

October 7, 2015 Staff, www.huffingtonpost.com Resist! Black Lives Matter (BLM), Police Brutrality, Race

By Staff of The Huffington Post ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Members of the St. Paul-based Black Lives Matter group have held a peaceful rally at the Twin Cities Marathon. The group initially vowed to disrupt Sunday's marathon to raise awareness about issues between St. Paul police and people of color. But the group backed down after a meeting with the mayor and threats of arrest. KSTP-TV reports the group marched within 50 yards of barriers near the end of the course but did not disrupt the event. St. Paul police say no one was arrested. A potential disruption raised fears among runners who had trained for months. The race is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

I Wonder What She Thought At The Very End?

October 6, 2015 Fairfaxian999 , www.fairfaxunderground.com Educate! Black Lives Matter (BLM), Police Brutrality

By Fairfaxian999 for Fair Faux Underground - I wonder what she thought at the very end? Natasha’s naked body was pinned to the cold concrete, hands already cuffed behind her back, under the weight of half a dozen armored cops who punched her while she cried. The blows came and went, a background of violence between the brain-jarring impact of voltage that caused her entire body to spasm. The kind of teeth-grinding, spine-arching pain that 50,000 volts will inflict, from a weapon designed to drop linebacker-sized felons in their tracks. But Natasha was already down, not just on the floor but on the floor of a jail, being tortured by the very cops she had called for help in her time of need. She couldn’t understand why she was subjected to treatment we wouldn’t inflict on a rabid dog.

Protests Prompt Metro Police To Stock Up On Riot Gear

October 5, 2015 Stephen Montemayor, www.startribune.com Educate! Black Lives Matter (BLM), Police Brutrality

By Stephen Montemayor for Star Tribune - Suburban police chiefs around the Twin Cities metro are buying more riot gear as civil disturbances both nationally and closer to home have them questioning their preparedness. Protests in the Twin Cities have not escalated to the scale seen in the past year in Baltimore or Ferguson, Mo. However, several recent Black Lives Matter rallies are prompting some police departments to reassess their tactical equipment. Growing police use of riot gear and other military-styled equipment is being criticized by some who say it does more to antagonize than keep the peace. But as some departments stock up on new equipment, chiefs in the metro say it’s foolish to not err on the side of protecting officers in a riot.

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