(theGrio) Swimming while black is a crime? Or having a black pool party? Maybe the police in Texas have lost their minds. Then again, maybe the Lone Star state still denies black people the freedom to assemble, just like the black codes.
A police officer was placed on administrative leave after a video surfaced of police detaining, manhandling and cursing at black teenagers at a pool party in McKinney, Texas, a Dallas suburb. The officers reportedly broke up the party after complaints in the neighborhood that there were too many black young people in the area. An officer is seen pinning a 14-year old girl to the ground and grabbing her by the breasts, and pulling a gun on young men who attempt to intervene. “Call my mama, oh God!” the young woman is heard shouting as the officer forces her to the ground. “On your face!” the officer orders her as he slams her, crying, to the ground, face first.
Showing posts with label police brutality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label police brutality. Show all posts
July 3, 2015
June 6, 2015
MOVE Bombing: The Day the Police Burned Down a Black Philly Neighborhood
(Atlanta Blackstar) Never could one imagine the police doing this in a white neighborhood.
On May 13, 1985, the Philadelphia police engaged in a race riot when they dropped a bomb on the roof of a row house in a Black section of West Philadelphia. It was Mother’s Day, and Black mothers and children were killed that day, intentionally burned and shot to death by police. Eleven people, including five children ages 7 to 13 — all members of the radical Black liberation group MOVE — died.
In the end, 61 homes in this Black residential neighborhood were burned to the ground. Most of all, all of it was done on purpose because the officials in charge said their intent was to let the fire burn.
On May 13, 1985, the Philadelphia police engaged in a race riot when they dropped a bomb on the roof of a row house in a Black section of West Philadelphia. It was Mother’s Day, and Black mothers and children were killed that day, intentionally burned and shot to death by police. Eleven people, including five children ages 7 to 13 — all members of the radical Black liberation group MOVE — died.
In the end, 61 homes in this Black residential neighborhood were burned to the ground. Most of all, all of it was done on purpose because the officials in charge said their intent was to let the fire burn.
Why the Latest Protests in Tel Aviv is Damming Proof That Brutality Against Black People is a Global Struggle
(Atlanta Blackstar) #BlackLivesMatter everywhere.
This scene sounds familiar: A Black man was stopped and beaten by police, and the attack was caught on video. In response, Black people protested in the streets—not only because of the police attack on that particular man, but as a reaction to years of the systemic racial discrimination, economic marginalization and police brutality they have collectively faced. Tensions have been brewing for quite some time, and the incident was just the spark that set things off. And of course, police responded to the demonstrators with heavy-handed tactics, causing violence to erupt.
This is not Ferguson, North Charleston, Staten Island or Baltimore—this is Tel Aviv, Israel. And to be Black in Israel, not unlike America, is to be treated like a second-class citizen.
This scene sounds familiar: A Black man was stopped and beaten by police, and the attack was caught on video. In response, Black people protested in the streets—not only because of the police attack on that particular man, but as a reaction to years of the systemic racial discrimination, economic marginalization and police brutality they have collectively faced. Tensions have been brewing for quite some time, and the incident was just the spark that set things off. And of course, police responded to the demonstrators with heavy-handed tactics, causing violence to erupt.
This is not Ferguson, North Charleston, Staten Island or Baltimore—this is Tel Aviv, Israel. And to be Black in Israel, not unlike America, is to be treated like a second-class citizen.
The Community Can Bring About an End to the Police as We Know It
(Atlanta Blackstar) Observing all of the activity coming out of the U.S. Department of Justice these days, it seems the feds are now in the business of cleaning up police departments or at least telling the police about their business. Will things change as a result, and should the community play a more active role in policing?
The DOJ investigated the Cleveland Police Department and released a report that found that the police had a pattern of using unreasonable and unnecessary force in violation of the Fourth Amendment, including deadly force, Tasers and chemical spray, excessive force against the mentally ill and dangerous tactics that place civilians and officers at risk. The feds told the Cleveland police to stop beating people upside the head with their guns.
The DOJ investigated the Cleveland Police Department and released a report that found that the police had a pattern of using unreasonable and unnecessary force in violation of the Fourth Amendment, including deadly force, Tasers and chemical spray, excessive force against the mentally ill and dangerous tactics that place civilians and officers at risk. The feds told the Cleveland police to stop beating people upside the head with their guns.
The LaQuan McDonald killing and the problem of criminal police
(theGrio) What happens when the police are the criminals?
The city of Chicago settled with the family of LaQuan McDonald for $5 million, in connection with the October 20, 2014, fatal shooting of the 17-year-old by a police officer. Johnson was shot 16 times, including nine times in the back, and a total of six police officers have been named in connection with the cover up.
Despite news of this settlement, LaQuan’s family will never be made whole, because nothing can replace the loss of one’s child. And we still need to hear more about the police deleting 86 minutes of a surveillance video of the incident from a nearby Burger King. The feds are investigating the killing, as they should, but the investigation, trial and conviction, if any, will not resolve this fundamental question: Why are the police allowed to harbor criminals in their midst?
The city of Chicago settled with the family of LaQuan McDonald for $5 million, in connection with the October 20, 2014, fatal shooting of the 17-year-old by a police officer. Johnson was shot 16 times, including nine times in the back, and a total of six police officers have been named in connection with the cover up.
Despite news of this settlement, LaQuan’s family will never be made whole, because nothing can replace the loss of one’s child. And we still need to hear more about the police deleting 86 minutes of a surveillance video of the incident from a nearby Burger King. The feds are investigating the killing, as they should, but the investigation, trial and conviction, if any, will not resolve this fundamental question: Why are the police allowed to harbor criminals in their midst?
Condemning police violence doesn’t mean we don’t care about other violence
(theGrio) We pay lots of attention when police kill unarmed black people — and we should — but do we care as much when black people kill each other?
We do, and it is ok to care about both at the same time.
In a damning report on the Cleveland Police Department, the U.S. Department of Justice takes that city’s police force to task for its excessive, unnecessary and unreasonable use of deadly force. The cops in Cleveland, according to the DOJ, shoot at people who pose no threat, brutalize unarmed people and misuse stun guns. Meanwhile, the CPD has agreed to accept federal oversight and limits on how and when their officers are able to use force.
We do, and it is ok to care about both at the same time.
In a damning report on the Cleveland Police Department, the U.S. Department of Justice takes that city’s police force to task for its excessive, unnecessary and unreasonable use of deadly force. The cops in Cleveland, according to the DOJ, shoot at people who pose no threat, brutalize unarmed people and misuse stun guns. Meanwhile, the CPD has agreed to accept federal oversight and limits on how and when their officers are able to use force.
May 22, 2015
Philadelphia Congregations Lead in the Struggle for Social Justice
(HuffPost Black Voices) The recent events in Baltimore -- including the killing of Freddie Gray in police custody, and the protests and unrest that followed -- point to the need for community-based movement building. Baltimore, like many other cities in America, is hurting, and black people in particular are feeling the pain.
Meanwhile, a little over 100 miles to the north, Philadelphia -- the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection -- is offering a model for communities of faith to seek justice and transform the place in which they live. POWER (Philadelphians Organized to Witness Power and Rebuild) is a grassroots interfaith coalition of congregations across the city. Part of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, they are dedicated to bringing people together around social justice issues such as jobs with a living wage, fair funding and democratic, local control of the public schools and an end to police practices such as "stop and frisk."
POWER is an example of the type of coalition building that cities need.
Massive Texas biker gang shooting gets soft coverage, but we shouldn’t be surprised
(theGrio) One dead. Eighteen injured. Nearly 200 arrested.
But apparently, not much to see here.
Looking at the media coverage of the May 17 massmurder among Texas motorcycle gangs, you would get the impression that it is not a big deal.
Rival gangs started shooting at each other, and at the police, outside the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas. Police described the scene as “gruesome.”
If the Texas biker gangs were black, the media would be on this thing like white on rice. Yet even though they were armed, because they were white, they were treated as human beings, with dignity.
But apparently, not much to see here.
Looking at the media coverage of the May 17 massmurder among Texas motorcycle gangs, you would get the impression that it is not a big deal.
Rival gangs started shooting at each other, and at the police, outside the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas. Police described the scene as “gruesome.”
If the Texas biker gangs were black, the media would be on this thing like white on rice. Yet even though they were armed, because they were white, they were treated as human beings, with dignity.
The dangerous militarization of our police
(CNN) As Philadelphia comes to terms with the train derailment that has left six people dead and some 200 injured, it's also worth remembering another tragic event that took place in the city exactly 30 years ago. It was an incident that claimed the lives of almost a dozen people, including five children, and destroyed 61 homes. And it was undertaken by the city's own police force.
Wednesday marks the 30th anniversary of the infamous MOVE bombing, in which police fired 10,000 rounds of ammunition into a row house on the 6200 block of Osage Avenue in West Philadelphia. The police then dropped military-grade explosives on the house, burning an entire city block to the ground.
Fast forward to today, and that deadly, violent chapter provides valuable lessons for a society that so far has decided to ignore them.
Wednesday marks the 30th anniversary of the infamous MOVE bombing, in which police fired 10,000 rounds of ammunition into a row house on the 6200 block of Osage Avenue in West Philadelphia. The police then dropped military-grade explosives on the house, burning an entire city block to the ground.
Fast forward to today, and that deadly, violent chapter provides valuable lessons for a society that so far has decided to ignore them.
May 11, 2015
Echoes of Baltimore at a Philly Mayoral Forum
(Progressive Philly Rising) Could Philadelphia become another Baltimore? This question was asked at an important forum that was nearly as much about current events in Baltimore as who will become the next mayor of Philadelphia, and how that mayor will handle the policing and criminal justice challenges facing this city.
The event, called “Transparency Now: The Philadelphia Mayoral Forum on Police and Criminal Justice Reform,” was held at the Catalyst for Change Church in the Powelton Village section of West Philly. And the forum was sponsored by two news organizations—Tech Book Online and The Declaration.
The event, called “Transparency Now: The Philadelphia Mayoral Forum on Police and Criminal Justice Reform,” was held at the Catalyst for Change Church in the Powelton Village section of West Philly. And the forum was sponsored by two news organizations—Tech Book Online and The Declaration.
Baltimore Police spin news of gangs uniting to protest into ‘credible threat’
(theGrio) In Baltimore, the Bloods and the Crips street gangs are putting down their weapons and are marching together against police brutality. That sounds like a good plan, but the police see it another way.
As was reported in The Daily Beast, the gangs, responding to the death of Freddie Gray by the police, have decided to declare a truce and join the protesters, focusing their attention on, hopefully, fighting a corrupt system and becoming a positive force in the neighborhood.
Society always tells the wrongdoers among us that they need to change their ways and contribute to their communities rather than tear them down and kill one another over dumb stuff. So now, they are taking a step in the right direction. That’s how deep things are right now in Baltimore.
As was reported in The Daily Beast, the gangs, responding to the death of Freddie Gray by the police, have decided to declare a truce and join the protesters, focusing their attention on, hopefully, fighting a corrupt system and becoming a positive force in the neighborhood.
Society always tells the wrongdoers among us that they need to change their ways and contribute to their communities rather than tear them down and kill one another over dumb stuff. So now, they are taking a step in the right direction. That’s how deep things are right now in Baltimore.
Calling people 'thugs' solves nothing
(CNN) In light of the current unrest in Baltimore, riot shaming seems to be the new fad.
Everybody’s doing it, and while it is easy, it helps us change the subject and ignore the harder issues facing African-Americans.
What is unfolding in that city, of course, and is receiving national attention, is the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray, 25, who died of a broken spine while in police custody.
The circumstances around the man’s killing and public outrage in the black community have led to peaceful protests.
And unfortunately, though understandably, things have boiled over, with riots and looting by some. Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) has declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard, and Baltimore schools are closed.
And people have lined up to condemn the riots, the looting, and the violence. For example, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was in front of the cameras Monday night referring to the rioters as “thugs.”
Everybody’s doing it, and while it is easy, it helps us change the subject and ignore the harder issues facing African-Americans.
What is unfolding in that city, of course, and is receiving national attention, is the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray, 25, who died of a broken spine while in police custody.
The circumstances around the man’s killing and public outrage in the black community have led to peaceful protests.
And unfortunately, though understandably, things have boiled over, with riots and looting by some. Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) has declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard, and Baltimore schools are closed.
And people have lined up to condemn the riots, the looting, and the violence. For example, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was in front of the cameras Monday night referring to the rioters as “thugs.”
April 18, 2015
Is the policing of black men a new sport for wealthy donors?
(theGrio) Is the policing of black men the new sport for white officers and wannabe cops?
This is a question worth asking, in light of this season of police killings, particularly the April 2nd fatal shooting of a black man named Eric Harris, 44, by Reserve Deputy Robert Bates. After officers brought Harris to the ground, an officer yelled “Taser” twice, after which Bates shot Harris with his gun and said, “Oh! I shot him. I’m sorry.” Apparently, Bates meant to shoot the man with his Taser rather than his gun.
This is a question worth asking, in light of this season of police killings, particularly the April 2nd fatal shooting of a black man named Eric Harris, 44, by Reserve Deputy Robert Bates. After officers brought Harris to the ground, an officer yelled “Taser” twice, after which Bates shot Harris with his gun and said, “Oh! I shot him. I’m sorry.” Apparently, Bates meant to shoot the man with his Taser rather than his gun.
April 14, 2015
Dirty ex-cop Louis Scarcella’s framing of innocent black men is costing NYC millions
(theGrio) Louis Scarcella was considered one of New York’s finest, then the word fine leaves much to be desired.
By all accounts, the former NYPD detective is a bad man who helped put innocent people behind bars for decades, used phony witnesses to get the job done, and even beating some suspects into false confessions. And he is costing the city millions of dollars. You know you’re bad when you have a reputation among prisoners for being crooked or when the district attorney begs the judge to throw out the convictions of people you arrested.
Scarcella, 62, was on the force for nearly three decades, stationed in Brooklyn. And he had an impressive record of nabbing killers, doing whatever it took to get suspects to talk. As Sean Flynn reported in GQ magazine, the heavily decorated Scarcella received Chief of Detectives’ Award for Outstanding Police Investigation for the cases he purportedly solved.
By all accounts, the former NYPD detective is a bad man who helped put innocent people behind bars for decades, used phony witnesses to get the job done, and even beating some suspects into false confessions. And he is costing the city millions of dollars. You know you’re bad when you have a reputation among prisoners for being crooked or when the district attorney begs the judge to throw out the convictions of people you arrested.
Scarcella, 62, was on the force for nearly three decades, stationed in Brooklyn. And he had an impressive record of nabbing killers, doing whatever it took to get suspects to talk. As Sean Flynn reported in GQ magazine, the heavily decorated Scarcella received Chief of Detectives’ Award for Outstanding Police Investigation for the cases he purportedly solved.
NYPD cop killings must not be allowed to derail the movement
For Black America, Law Enforcement Is An Occupying Force
(The Progressive) The failure to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., is not an aberration.
Every 28 hours, a black person is killed by the police in the United States. Law enforcement is increasingly becoming an occupying force. For many black, brown and poor taxpayers, the cops are there not to serve and protect, but to suppress and contain––and, far too often, to kill.
Every 28 hours, a black person is killed by the police in the United States. Law enforcement is increasingly becoming an occupying force. For many black, brown and poor taxpayers, the cops are there not to serve and protect, but to suppress and contain––and, far too often, to kill.
April 11, 2015
Should we all start wearing body cameras to protect ourselves?
(theGrio) A body camera for everyone? Let’s unpack that thought for a moment.
If there is one thing that we know about Walter Scott — other than the fact he was murdered in cold blood by a criminal who was an officer with the North Charleston police department — it is that a video camera made a difference. The videotaping of the fatal shooting by Feiden Santana, 23, may very well prevented Walter Scott from becoming another Michael Brown, with no trial for the killer and no justice for the family. Although the Scott family cannot bring their loved one back, they are fortunate that someone was around to document the tragic event and tell the true story of what happened.
As a result of the Scott killing, the North Charleston police has ordered 250 body cameras for its police force, reigniting the debate over the technology. Body cameras have been shown to reduce police violence.
If there is one thing that we know about Walter Scott — other than the fact he was murdered in cold blood by a criminal who was an officer with the North Charleston police department — it is that a video camera made a difference. The videotaping of the fatal shooting by Feiden Santana, 23, may very well prevented Walter Scott from becoming another Michael Brown, with no trial for the killer and no justice for the family. Although the Scott family cannot bring their loved one back, they are fortunate that someone was around to document the tragic event and tell the true story of what happened.
As a result of the Scott killing, the North Charleston police has ordered 250 body cameras for its police force, reigniting the debate over the technology. Body cameras have been shown to reduce police violence.
What Walter Scott's death reminds us
(CNN) On Tuesday, a white police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina, was charged with murder for shooting an unarmed black man in the back. Officer Michael Slager was arrested after raw video surfaced showing him firing numerous shots at Walter Scott as Scott ran away from a traffic stop.
The video footage contradicts Slager's statement that he felt threatened after Scott allegedly took his stun gun during a scuffle. The Post and Courier reported that the FBI has opened an investigation into the shooting death along with the State Law Enforcement Division, while the South Carolina attorney general is investigating possible civil rights violations.
December 2, 2014
Ferguson’s lesson to our black sons: Your lives don’t matter
A St. Louis County, Missouri grand jury has decided not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the murder of Michael Brown. Honestly, I cannot say I am the least bit surprised by the decision, because I did not expect things to unfold in any other way. I wanted to be pleasantly surprised, but past experience convinced me otherwise. And it is unfortunate to have to think that way.
August 2, 2013
This week: No Ray Kelly for Homeland Security, and California prison strike
A criminal justice double header this week:
In theGrio, my thoughts on why Obama should NOT tap NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly for the head of Homeland Security (hint: racial profiling). Click HERE for more.
And in McClatchy-Tribune News Service, a look at the mass hunger strike taking place in California's prison system. Click HERE for more.
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