Prosecutor outlines why he dropped charges against black U-Va. student
June 17, 2015
(The Washington Post) See article here
Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman spent more than two hours publicly laying out the evidence from a Virginia State Police investigation into the 33-second incident early March 18 during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Photographs depicting Johnson, who is black, on the ground underneath a white officer, went viral online and sparked protests on the U-Va. campus.
(The Washington Post) See article here
Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman spent more than two hours publicly laying out the evidence from a Virginia State Police investigation into the 33-second incident early March 18 during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Photographs depicting Johnson, who is black, on the ground underneath a white officer, went viral online and sparked protests on the U-Va. campus.
Texas Rangers asked to investigate McKinney pool party incident
June 15, 2015
(The Dallas Morning News) See article here
The Texas Rangers will look into the events surrounding a rowdy McKinney pool party where a police officer pushed a 15-year-old girl to the ground and drew his gun on other young people. Video of the event is here.
(The Dallas Morning News) See article here
The Texas Rangers will look into the events surrounding a rowdy McKinney pool party where a police officer pushed a 15-year-old girl to the ground and drew his gun on other young people. Video of the event is here.
Six Baltimore Policemen Charged after Fatal Incident
April 20, 2015
(CNN) See article here
More than a week after Freddie Gray was arrested in Baltimore, and a day since he died, authorities are still scrambling to find out exactly what happened and why.
"I'll tell you what I do know, and right now there's still a lot of questions I don't know. I know that when Mr. Gray was placed inside that van, he was able to talk. He was upset. And when Mr. Gray was taken out of that van, he could not talk, and he could not breathe," Baltimore Deputy Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez told reporters Monday.
He spoke the same day an autopsy was done on the body of Gray, which showed that he died from a severe injury to his spinal cord. "What we don't know, and what we need to get to, is how that injury occurred," Rodriguez said.
The Baltimore Police Department is investigating the death, and has asked for calm as the process unfolds. But many in the community, including the city's mayor, are angry.
"This is a very, very tense time for Baltimore City, and I understand the community's frustration. I understand it because I'm frustrated. I'm angry that we are here again -- that we have had to tell another mother that their child is dead," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told reporters. "I'm frustrated not only that we're here, but we don't have all of the answers."
Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said that police plan to conclude their investigation by Friday, May 1. From there, the case will go to the state's attorney's office, which will decide whether or not to file.
Gray was arrested a week ago Sunday. He "gave up without the use of force," according to Rodriguez.
An officer apparently took his Taser out, and was prepared to use it on Gray, but he never deployed it.
"None of the officers describe using any force against Mr. Gray," said the deputy police commissioner.
A total of six officers were involved in the arrest, and all six have been suspended.
According to documents obtained Monday, Gray was arrested on a weapon charge.
While the court documents allege that Baltimore Police Department Officer Garrett Miller arrested Gray after finding a switchblade in his pocket, the Gray family attorney called the allegation a "sideshow." Gray was carrying a "pocket knife of legal size," attorney William Murphy told CNN.
Police never saw the knife and chased Gray only after he took off running, the attorney said.
That seems substantiated by the court documents, which said Gray "fled unprovoked upon noticing police presence."
"The officer noticed a knife clipped to the inside of his front right pants pocket. The defendant was arrested without force or incident," the documents say. "The knife was recovered by this officer and found to be a spring assisted, one-hand-operated knife."
Maryland law makes it illegal to "wear or carry a dangerous weapon of any kind concealed on or about the person," including switchblades.
But Baltimore's mayor stressed that simply having a knife is not necessarily a crime.
"It is not necessarily probable cause to chase someone. So, we still have questions," said Rawlings-Blake.
Gray's death Sunday, following a week of hospitalization, has spurred outrage. At a Monday morning protest outside the Baltimore Police Department, demonstrators co-opted slogans from other high-profile police shootings. They chanted -- "Hands up! Don't shoot!" and "I can't breathe!" -- and carried signs saying, "Stop police terror" and "Black lives matter."
Sharon Black, one of the rally's organizers, said police misconduct is routine in Baltimore, and described Gray's death as the "straw that broke the camel's back."
"The police act in an unrestrained and abusive way," she said.
Gray was in perfect health until police chased and tackled him in Baltimore over a week ago, his lawyer said. Less than an hour later, he was on his way to a trauma clinic with a spinal injury, where he fell into a coma.
Two witnesses hit record on their cell phones during what looked to be the 25-year-old's arrest. Police told CNN affiliate WJZ that they also have surveillance video of him.
But there appears to be a gap of some minutes left to account for. Police, according to their own timeline, spotted Gray, gave chase, caught him, cuffed him and requested a paddy wagon in fewer than 4 minutes. The transport van left with Gray about 11 minutes after that, police said, and another 30 minutes passed before "units request paramedics to the Western District to transport the suspect to an area hospital."
Gray died Sunday, a full week after the encounter.
When cell phones began recording, Gray was already on the ground with three officers kneeling over him. And he let out long, painful screams.
Officers had encountered him a minute earlier, police said. They were working an area where drug deals and other crimes are common, Deputy Police Commissioner Rodriguez said.
They thought Gray may have been involved in a crime, but there was no evidence that he committed a crime, Gray family attorney Murphy said, and WJZ reported last week that police had not said what their suspicion was.
"Officers were working in an area that is known for violent crime and drug sales. Officers went to make an encounter with Mr. Gray when he fled from them," Baltimore Police Department spokesman, Capt. Eric Kowalczyk, said Sunday.
Pressed on why police initially stopped Gray, Kowalczyk said the department hadn't released that information because investigators are still conducting interviews.
When officers approached Gray, he ran. They pursued and caught him quickly, at 8:40 a.m., according to a police timeline.
The officers called for a prisoner transport van. Cell phone video taken from two separate positions showed officers lifting Gray, whose hands were cuffed, up by his shoulders and dragging him to the back of the van.
He legs dangled behind him listlessly as he wailed.
Officers put more restraints on Gray inside the van, police said, while surveillance video recorded him conscious and talking.
That was at 8:54 a.m.
At 9:24 a.m., police called an ambulance to pick Gray up at the Western District police station. Murphy wants to know what happened in those 30 minutes in between.
At some point after his arrest, Gray requested medical attention, said Rodriguez, the deputy police commissioner. Gray also asked for an inhaler, Rodriguez said.
The ambulance took Gray to the University of Maryland Medical Center's Shock Trauma Center.
"He lapsed into a coma, died, was resuscitated, stayed in a coma and on Monday underwent extensive surgery at Shock Trauma to save his life," Murphy said. "He clung to life for seven days."
Tubes, wires and supports protruded from Gray as he lay in his hospital bed in a photo Murphy passed on to the media.
Rawlings-Blake said that she wants to see a thorough inquiry and that the city will release additional details as investigations are completed.
There will be two criminal investigations, said Deputy Commissioner Rodriguez: one to determine if the arresting officers broke the law, and one that pertains to Gray.
Police have not grilled the arresting officers on what happened for legal reasons, Rodriguez said.
"We cannot interview an officer administratively and compel them, if an officer is the subject of the criminal investigation. Every person has the right against self-incrimination, so for us to compel an officer to provide a statement, that could potentially taint the criminal investigation," he said.
Investigators will submit their results to an independent review board, he said. There will also be a separate administrative investigation.
Police officials have attempted to speak with Gray's relatives to explain the investigation process, Police Commissioner Batts said.
But they have declined to meet.
"A mother has lost her son," Batts said, extending his condolences to the family.
He hopes that in interactions between police and residents, everyone goes home safely, he said. "All lives matter."
Gray had a long history of run-ins with the law. A search of his name brings up more than 20 cases in the Maryland judiciary going back to 2007. They're mostly drug-related charges, though he was charged with second-degree assault, according to court documents.
He also spent a month in prion in 2013 for drug possession, and he was due in court Friday on another possession charge, Shields said.
April 20, 2015
(ABC) See article here
Baltimore officials said today they share residents’ frustration with the lack of answers for why Freddie Gray, whose family says he was injured during his arrest last week by Baltimore police, died Sunday.
“This is a very, very tense time for Baltimore city,” Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said at a news conference this afternoon. “And I understand the community’s frustration. I understand it because I’m frustrated. I’m angry that we are here again. That we have had to tell another mother that their child is dead.
“I’m frustrated that not only that we're here but we don’t have all of the answers.”
Rawlings-Blake complimented the city’s “peaceful demonstrations” and added that officials are “moving as quickly as possible to determine exactly how his death occurred.” The six officers involved are suspended with pay, as per policy, according to Police Commissioner Anthony Batts.
Officials agreed with the family that Gray suffered a spinal injury but don't how or when.
Gray "clung to life for seven days" before he died Sunday, according to his family's attorney.
Gray was a "healthy" man when he was "chased" by police last Sunday "without any evidence he had committed a crime,” William Murphy Jr., an attorney for Gray's family, said.
Baltimore police said Gray, 25, had been trying to flee from officers.
Gray "fled unprovoked upon noticing police presence" and was apprehended after a brief foot chase, according to the charging document.
"This officer noticed a knife clipped to the inside of his front right pants pocket. The defendant was arrested without force or incident. The knife was recovered," the charging document said.
But Mayor Rawlings-Blake said today, "We know that having a knife is not necessarily a crime. It is not necessarily probable cause to chase someone. So we still have questions.”
Cellphone video appeared to capture Gray screaming as officers dragged him to a police van.
"His take-down and arrest without probable cause occurred under a police video camera, which taped everything including the police dragging and throwing Freddie into a police vehicle while he screamed in pain," Murphy said in a statement to ABC News.
The charging document also states that during transport, Gray suffered a medical emergency and was immediately transported to Shock Trauma.
“I know that when Mr. Gray was placed inside that van, he was able to talk and he was upset,” Baltimore Deputy Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said at today’s news conference. “And when Mr. Gray was taken out of that van, he could not talk and he could not breathe.”
Gray did request medical attention, Rodriguez confirmed, but police are now trying to determine at what time. "I am deeply troubled by this,” Rodriguez said.
Police say a police vehicle was requested for transport and Gray asked for an inhaler.
The driver then believed Gray was acting "irate" in the back, police said. Police stopped the vehicle and placed him in leg irons. The van driver then asked for an additional unit to check on Gray, according to police.
Deputy Police Commissioner Rodriguez said “part of what our investigation will do is identify exactly what was going on ... what was said by Gray ... what was relayed by officers ... what actions we did take or should’ve taken.”
"What we don’t have at this point is how Mr. Gray sustained those injuries,” he said today, when an autopsy was being conducted.
Family lawyer Murphy said, "While in police custody, his spine was 80 percent severed at his neck. He lapsed into a coma, died, was resuscitated, stayed in a coma and last Monday, underwent extensive surgery at Shock Trauma to save his life."
The police department will conclude its investigation by next Friday, May 1, they said, and then the investigation will go to the Baltimore State’s Attorney to decide whether charges will be filed.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is considering opening an investigation into Gray’s death, sources told ABC News.
(CNN) See article here
More than a week after Freddie Gray was arrested in Baltimore, and a day since he died, authorities are still scrambling to find out exactly what happened and why.
"I'll tell you what I do know, and right now there's still a lot of questions I don't know. I know that when Mr. Gray was placed inside that van, he was able to talk. He was upset. And when Mr. Gray was taken out of that van, he could not talk, and he could not breathe," Baltimore Deputy Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez told reporters Monday.
He spoke the same day an autopsy was done on the body of Gray, which showed that he died from a severe injury to his spinal cord. "What we don't know, and what we need to get to, is how that injury occurred," Rodriguez said.
The Baltimore Police Department is investigating the death, and has asked for calm as the process unfolds. But many in the community, including the city's mayor, are angry.
"This is a very, very tense time for Baltimore City, and I understand the community's frustration. I understand it because I'm frustrated. I'm angry that we are here again -- that we have had to tell another mother that their child is dead," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told reporters. "I'm frustrated not only that we're here, but we don't have all of the answers."
Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said that police plan to conclude their investigation by Friday, May 1. From there, the case will go to the state's attorney's office, which will decide whether or not to file.
Gray was arrested a week ago Sunday. He "gave up without the use of force," according to Rodriguez.
An officer apparently took his Taser out, and was prepared to use it on Gray, but he never deployed it.
"None of the officers describe using any force against Mr. Gray," said the deputy police commissioner.
A total of six officers were involved in the arrest, and all six have been suspended.
According to documents obtained Monday, Gray was arrested on a weapon charge.
While the court documents allege that Baltimore Police Department Officer Garrett Miller arrested Gray after finding a switchblade in his pocket, the Gray family attorney called the allegation a "sideshow." Gray was carrying a "pocket knife of legal size," attorney William Murphy told CNN.
Police never saw the knife and chased Gray only after he took off running, the attorney said.
That seems substantiated by the court documents, which said Gray "fled unprovoked upon noticing police presence."
"The officer noticed a knife clipped to the inside of his front right pants pocket. The defendant was arrested without force or incident," the documents say. "The knife was recovered by this officer and found to be a spring assisted, one-hand-operated knife."
Maryland law makes it illegal to "wear or carry a dangerous weapon of any kind concealed on or about the person," including switchblades.
But Baltimore's mayor stressed that simply having a knife is not necessarily a crime.
"It is not necessarily probable cause to chase someone. So, we still have questions," said Rawlings-Blake.
Gray's death Sunday, following a week of hospitalization, has spurred outrage. At a Monday morning protest outside the Baltimore Police Department, demonstrators co-opted slogans from other high-profile police shootings. They chanted -- "Hands up! Don't shoot!" and "I can't breathe!" -- and carried signs saying, "Stop police terror" and "Black lives matter."
Sharon Black, one of the rally's organizers, said police misconduct is routine in Baltimore, and described Gray's death as the "straw that broke the camel's back."
"The police act in an unrestrained and abusive way," she said.
Gray was in perfect health until police chased and tackled him in Baltimore over a week ago, his lawyer said. Less than an hour later, he was on his way to a trauma clinic with a spinal injury, where he fell into a coma.
Two witnesses hit record on their cell phones during what looked to be the 25-year-old's arrest. Police told CNN affiliate WJZ that they also have surveillance video of him.
But there appears to be a gap of some minutes left to account for. Police, according to their own timeline, spotted Gray, gave chase, caught him, cuffed him and requested a paddy wagon in fewer than 4 minutes. The transport van left with Gray about 11 minutes after that, police said, and another 30 minutes passed before "units request paramedics to the Western District to transport the suspect to an area hospital."
Gray died Sunday, a full week after the encounter.
When cell phones began recording, Gray was already on the ground with three officers kneeling over him. And he let out long, painful screams.
Officers had encountered him a minute earlier, police said. They were working an area where drug deals and other crimes are common, Deputy Police Commissioner Rodriguez said.
They thought Gray may have been involved in a crime, but there was no evidence that he committed a crime, Gray family attorney Murphy said, and WJZ reported last week that police had not said what their suspicion was.
"Officers were working in an area that is known for violent crime and drug sales. Officers went to make an encounter with Mr. Gray when he fled from them," Baltimore Police Department spokesman, Capt. Eric Kowalczyk, said Sunday.
Pressed on why police initially stopped Gray, Kowalczyk said the department hadn't released that information because investigators are still conducting interviews.
When officers approached Gray, he ran. They pursued and caught him quickly, at 8:40 a.m., according to a police timeline.
The officers called for a prisoner transport van. Cell phone video taken from two separate positions showed officers lifting Gray, whose hands were cuffed, up by his shoulders and dragging him to the back of the van.
He legs dangled behind him listlessly as he wailed.
Officers put more restraints on Gray inside the van, police said, while surveillance video recorded him conscious and talking.
That was at 8:54 a.m.
At 9:24 a.m., police called an ambulance to pick Gray up at the Western District police station. Murphy wants to know what happened in those 30 minutes in between.
At some point after his arrest, Gray requested medical attention, said Rodriguez, the deputy police commissioner. Gray also asked for an inhaler, Rodriguez said.
The ambulance took Gray to the University of Maryland Medical Center's Shock Trauma Center.
"He lapsed into a coma, died, was resuscitated, stayed in a coma and on Monday underwent extensive surgery at Shock Trauma to save his life," Murphy said. "He clung to life for seven days."
Tubes, wires and supports protruded from Gray as he lay in his hospital bed in a photo Murphy passed on to the media.
Rawlings-Blake said that she wants to see a thorough inquiry and that the city will release additional details as investigations are completed.
There will be two criminal investigations, said Deputy Commissioner Rodriguez: one to determine if the arresting officers broke the law, and one that pertains to Gray.
Police have not grilled the arresting officers on what happened for legal reasons, Rodriguez said.
"We cannot interview an officer administratively and compel them, if an officer is the subject of the criminal investigation. Every person has the right against self-incrimination, so for us to compel an officer to provide a statement, that could potentially taint the criminal investigation," he said.
Investigators will submit their results to an independent review board, he said. There will also be a separate administrative investigation.
Police officials have attempted to speak with Gray's relatives to explain the investigation process, Police Commissioner Batts said.
But they have declined to meet.
"A mother has lost her son," Batts said, extending his condolences to the family.
He hopes that in interactions between police and residents, everyone goes home safely, he said. "All lives matter."
Gray had a long history of run-ins with the law. A search of his name brings up more than 20 cases in the Maryland judiciary going back to 2007. They're mostly drug-related charges, though he was charged with second-degree assault, according to court documents.
He also spent a month in prion in 2013 for drug possession, and he was due in court Friday on another possession charge, Shields said.
April 20, 2015
(ABC) See article here
Baltimore officials said today they share residents’ frustration with the lack of answers for why Freddie Gray, whose family says he was injured during his arrest last week by Baltimore police, died Sunday.
“This is a very, very tense time for Baltimore city,” Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said at a news conference this afternoon. “And I understand the community’s frustration. I understand it because I’m frustrated. I’m angry that we are here again. That we have had to tell another mother that their child is dead.
“I’m frustrated that not only that we're here but we don’t have all of the answers.”
Rawlings-Blake complimented the city’s “peaceful demonstrations” and added that officials are “moving as quickly as possible to determine exactly how his death occurred.” The six officers involved are suspended with pay, as per policy, according to Police Commissioner Anthony Batts.
Officials agreed with the family that Gray suffered a spinal injury but don't how or when.
Gray "clung to life for seven days" before he died Sunday, according to his family's attorney.
Gray was a "healthy" man when he was "chased" by police last Sunday "without any evidence he had committed a crime,” William Murphy Jr., an attorney for Gray's family, said.
Baltimore police said Gray, 25, had been trying to flee from officers.
Gray "fled unprovoked upon noticing police presence" and was apprehended after a brief foot chase, according to the charging document.
"This officer noticed a knife clipped to the inside of his front right pants pocket. The defendant was arrested without force or incident. The knife was recovered," the charging document said.
But Mayor Rawlings-Blake said today, "We know that having a knife is not necessarily a crime. It is not necessarily probable cause to chase someone. So we still have questions.”
Cellphone video appeared to capture Gray screaming as officers dragged him to a police van.
"His take-down and arrest without probable cause occurred under a police video camera, which taped everything including the police dragging and throwing Freddie into a police vehicle while he screamed in pain," Murphy said in a statement to ABC News.
The charging document also states that during transport, Gray suffered a medical emergency and was immediately transported to Shock Trauma.
“I know that when Mr. Gray was placed inside that van, he was able to talk and he was upset,” Baltimore Deputy Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said at today’s news conference. “And when Mr. Gray was taken out of that van, he could not talk and he could not breathe.”
Gray did request medical attention, Rodriguez confirmed, but police are now trying to determine at what time. "I am deeply troubled by this,” Rodriguez said.
Police say a police vehicle was requested for transport and Gray asked for an inhaler.
The driver then believed Gray was acting "irate" in the back, police said. Police stopped the vehicle and placed him in leg irons. The van driver then asked for an additional unit to check on Gray, according to police.
Deputy Police Commissioner Rodriguez said “part of what our investigation will do is identify exactly what was going on ... what was said by Gray ... what was relayed by officers ... what actions we did take or should’ve taken.”
"What we don’t have at this point is how Mr. Gray sustained those injuries,” he said today, when an autopsy was being conducted.
Family lawyer Murphy said, "While in police custody, his spine was 80 percent severed at his neck. He lapsed into a coma, died, was resuscitated, stayed in a coma and last Monday, underwent extensive surgery at Shock Trauma to save his life."
The police department will conclude its investigation by next Friday, May 1, they said, and then the investigation will go to the Baltimore State’s Attorney to decide whether charges will be filed.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is considering opening an investigation into Gray’s death, sources told ABC News.
South Carolina police officer charged with murder after shooting man during traffic stop
April 7, 2015
CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO
A white police officer in North Charleston, S.C., was charged with murder Tuesday after shooting and killing a black man following a routine traffic stop over the weekend.
The decision to charge the officer, Michael Thomas Slager, came after graphic video footage emerged depicting Slager firing a volley of bullets into the back of Walter Scott, who was running away.
Officers rarely face criminal charges after shooting people, a fact that has played into nationwide protests over the past year over how the police use deadly force. Yet this case took a swift, unusual turn after a video shot by a bystander provided authorities with a decisive narrative that differed from Slager’s account.
“It wasn’t just based on the officers’ word anymore,” said Chris Stewart, an attorney for Scott’s family. “People were believing this story.”
Authorities on Tuesday also pointed to the video as a turning point in this case and apologized to the family for the shooting.
“When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” North Charleston Mayor R. Keith Summey said at a news conference. “If you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield…you have to live with that decision.”
Summey and the city’s chief of police announced at a news conference that Slager, 33, would be charged and arrested. Slager, who has been fired, was arrested by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the agency investigating the shooting, and booked into the Charleston County jail shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday. He faces a possible death sentence or life in prison.
“It’s been a tragic day for many,” Eddie Driggers, the police chief, said at the news conference. “A tragic day for many.”
The shooting began with a routine traffic stop after 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. After Slager stopped a vehicle, he began chasing Walter Scott and fired his Taser, according to the incident report and city officials.
Footage of the shooting, obtained by the New York Times and the Post and Courier newspaper, showed Scott fleeing from Slager across a tree-lined patch of grass. Slager fires a series of shots at Scott, who appears to be unarmed, striking Scott in the back.
Slager told the dispatcher, “Shots fired and the subject is down, he took my Taser,” according to the portion of the report filled out by another officer who relayed what he heard.
Police later said that Scott was hit with the Taser at least once, because part of it was still attached to him when other officers arrived on the scene. However, the video footage shows that Scott was running away from Slager, and officials said that he was too far away to use a Taser if he did have it. Moreover, the footage shows Slager picking up an item and placing it near Scott, though it is unclear if this is the Taser or something else.
“I can tell you that as a result of that video and the bad decision made by our officer, he will be charged with murder,” North Charleston Mayor R. Keith Summey said at the news conference.
North Charleston, the third-largest city in the state, has a different demographic breakdown than the rest of South Carolina. Two-thirds of South Carolina residents are white, while North Charleston has more black residents (47 percent) than white residents (41 percent), according to the U.S. Census.But the city’s police force does not reflect that breakdown, as four out of five North Charleston officers last year were white, according to the Post and Courier.
Authorities stressed that the episode in South Carolina was not indicative of the city’s entire police force of 342 remaining officers, instead calling this a singular “bad decision” made by one officer.
“I think all of these police officers, men and women, are like my children,” Driggers said. “So you tell me how a father would react…I’ll let you answer that.”
Scott’s family praised the decision to charge Slager with the shooting, was “grateful” someone came forward with the video footage, an attorney said.
“They were sad,” Stewart, the family attorney, said in a telephone interview Tuesday evening from Scott’s mother’s home. “There is nothing that can bring their son and brother back, but they are relieved that charges were filed.”
Slager was initially represented by David Aylor, a local attorney, who in a statement provided to local media soon after the shooting said: “I believe once the community hears all the facts of this shooting, they’ll have a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding this investigation.”
But on Tuesday, shortly before Slager’s arrest was announced, Aylor told The Post that he is no longer representing the officer.
“I don’t have any involvement in that case moving forward,” he said. “No involvement.”
This was the 11th time an officer has shot someone in South Carolina so far this year, according to Thom Berry, a spokesman for the state Law Enforcement Division. Berry said that the investigation into this shooting is “still very much in progress,” so he declined to comment on details of how the agency obtained the video footage.
Although officers fatally shoot and kill hundreds of people each year, only a handful of cases result in the officer facing criminal charges. Video recordings of the fatal encounters are becoming pivotal factors in whether prosecutors and grand jurors bring charges, experts said.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO
A white police officer in North Charleston, S.C., was charged with murder Tuesday after shooting and killing a black man following a routine traffic stop over the weekend.
The decision to charge the officer, Michael Thomas Slager, came after graphic video footage emerged depicting Slager firing a volley of bullets into the back of Walter Scott, who was running away.
Officers rarely face criminal charges after shooting people, a fact that has played into nationwide protests over the past year over how the police use deadly force. Yet this case took a swift, unusual turn after a video shot by a bystander provided authorities with a decisive narrative that differed from Slager’s account.
“It wasn’t just based on the officers’ word anymore,” said Chris Stewart, an attorney for Scott’s family. “People were believing this story.”
Authorities on Tuesday also pointed to the video as a turning point in this case and apologized to the family for the shooting.
“When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” North Charleston Mayor R. Keith Summey said at a news conference. “If you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield…you have to live with that decision.”
Summey and the city’s chief of police announced at a news conference that Slager, 33, would be charged and arrested. Slager, who has been fired, was arrested by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the agency investigating the shooting, and booked into the Charleston County jail shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday. He faces a possible death sentence or life in prison.
“It’s been a tragic day for many,” Eddie Driggers, the police chief, said at the news conference. “A tragic day for many.”
The shooting began with a routine traffic stop after 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. After Slager stopped a vehicle, he began chasing Walter Scott and fired his Taser, according to the incident report and city officials.
Footage of the shooting, obtained by the New York Times and the Post and Courier newspaper, showed Scott fleeing from Slager across a tree-lined patch of grass. Slager fires a series of shots at Scott, who appears to be unarmed, striking Scott in the back.
Slager told the dispatcher, “Shots fired and the subject is down, he took my Taser,” according to the portion of the report filled out by another officer who relayed what he heard.
Police later said that Scott was hit with the Taser at least once, because part of it was still attached to him when other officers arrived on the scene. However, the video footage shows that Scott was running away from Slager, and officials said that he was too far away to use a Taser if he did have it. Moreover, the footage shows Slager picking up an item and placing it near Scott, though it is unclear if this is the Taser or something else.
“I can tell you that as a result of that video and the bad decision made by our officer, he will be charged with murder,” North Charleston Mayor R. Keith Summey said at the news conference.
North Charleston, the third-largest city in the state, has a different demographic breakdown than the rest of South Carolina. Two-thirds of South Carolina residents are white, while North Charleston has more black residents (47 percent) than white residents (41 percent), according to the U.S. Census.But the city’s police force does not reflect that breakdown, as four out of five North Charleston officers last year were white, according to the Post and Courier.
Authorities stressed that the episode in South Carolina was not indicative of the city’s entire police force of 342 remaining officers, instead calling this a singular “bad decision” made by one officer.
“I think all of these police officers, men and women, are like my children,” Driggers said. “So you tell me how a father would react…I’ll let you answer that.”
Scott’s family praised the decision to charge Slager with the shooting, was “grateful” someone came forward with the video footage, an attorney said.
“They were sad,” Stewart, the family attorney, said in a telephone interview Tuesday evening from Scott’s mother’s home. “There is nothing that can bring their son and brother back, but they are relieved that charges were filed.”
Slager was initially represented by David Aylor, a local attorney, who in a statement provided to local media soon after the shooting said: “I believe once the community hears all the facts of this shooting, they’ll have a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding this investigation.”
But on Tuesday, shortly before Slager’s arrest was announced, Aylor told The Post that he is no longer representing the officer.
“I don’t have any involvement in that case moving forward,” he said. “No involvement.”
This was the 11th time an officer has shot someone in South Carolina so far this year, according to Thom Berry, a spokesman for the state Law Enforcement Division. Berry said that the investigation into this shooting is “still very much in progress,” so he declined to comment on details of how the agency obtained the video footage.
Although officers fatally shoot and kill hundreds of people each year, only a handful of cases result in the officer facing criminal charges. Video recordings of the fatal encounters are becoming pivotal factors in whether prosecutors and grand jurors bring charges, experts said.
Black Man Beaten By Police In Michigan Says Cop Planted Drugs
March 27 2015
The black man who was pulled over, beaten, punched and shot with a Taser by police officers in Inkster, Michigan, spoke out about the experience on Thursday.
Appearing alongside his attorney Gregory Rohl on "All In With Chris Hayes," Floyd Dent, a 57-year-old retired autoworker with no criminal record, said cops planted cocaine in his car during the stop in January.
Police dashcam footage Tuesday that shows cops dragging Dent out of his vehicle to the ground. One officer places him in a chokehold and punches him in the head 16 times, while another officer tries to handcuff Dent. After more officers arrive, Dent is shot with a Taser three times, in the stomach and thigh. Police reports also indicate he was kicked.
Police said they stopped Dent for a traffic violation, and used force because they felt they were in danger after Dent told officers, "I'll kill you." The alleged threat wasn't captured on the dashcam recording.
Dent told Hayes that during the beating, he heard someone say, "Tase that MF-er." He also said he told the officers, "I can't breathe" as he was on his last breath.
Police said Dent was driving with a suspended license and had cocaine under the passenger seat. But Dent said the drugs were planted. Drug tests on him came back negative.
After watching the video, a judge dismissed charges of assault and resisting arrest. But Dent still faces drug charges. He refused a plea deal for probation because "an innocent man does not plead guilty," Rohl said.
The officer who placed Dent in a chokehold, Officer William Melendez. is a former Detroit officer who was charged in 2003 by the U.S. attorney's office with planting evidence and falsifying reports, according to WDIV. A jury acquitted him of all charges.
His attorney stated:
"It's pretty obvious. If you look at the entirely of the tape ... You can see [Melendez] go through the passenger's compartment where allegedly the cocaine was found, and come out with his hands clear and clean of anything ... Then he goes back to the car when the state troopers leave the scene, there's another officer who steps in the middle of the camera, and you can see [Melendez] reach into his pocket, and sure enough start pulling some plastic bag out."
Inkster police and Michigan State Police are investigating. Meanwhile, Melendez has been assigned to a desk job.
Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/27/floyd-dent-police-beating-cocaine_n_6952646.html
The black man who was pulled over, beaten, punched and shot with a Taser by police officers in Inkster, Michigan, spoke out about the experience on Thursday.
Appearing alongside his attorney Gregory Rohl on "All In With Chris Hayes," Floyd Dent, a 57-year-old retired autoworker with no criminal record, said cops planted cocaine in his car during the stop in January.
Police dashcam footage Tuesday that shows cops dragging Dent out of his vehicle to the ground. One officer places him in a chokehold and punches him in the head 16 times, while another officer tries to handcuff Dent. After more officers arrive, Dent is shot with a Taser three times, in the stomach and thigh. Police reports also indicate he was kicked.
Police said they stopped Dent for a traffic violation, and used force because they felt they were in danger after Dent told officers, "I'll kill you." The alleged threat wasn't captured on the dashcam recording.
Dent told Hayes that during the beating, he heard someone say, "Tase that MF-er." He also said he told the officers, "I can't breathe" as he was on his last breath.
Police said Dent was driving with a suspended license and had cocaine under the passenger seat. But Dent said the drugs were planted. Drug tests on him came back negative.
After watching the video, a judge dismissed charges of assault and resisting arrest. But Dent still faces drug charges. He refused a plea deal for probation because "an innocent man does not plead guilty," Rohl said.
The officer who placed Dent in a chokehold, Officer William Melendez. is a former Detroit officer who was charged in 2003 by the U.S. attorney's office with planting evidence and falsifying reports, according to WDIV. A jury acquitted him of all charges.
His attorney stated:
"It's pretty obvious. If you look at the entirely of the tape ... You can see [Melendez] go through the passenger's compartment where allegedly the cocaine was found, and come out with his hands clear and clean of anything ... Then he goes back to the car when the state troopers leave the scene, there's another officer who steps in the middle of the camera, and you can see [Melendez] reach into his pocket, and sure enough start pulling some plastic bag out."
Inkster police and Michigan State Police are investigating. Meanwhile, Melendez has been assigned to a desk job.
Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/27/floyd-dent-police-beating-cocaine_n_6952646.html
Florida Cops Fired Over Racist Texts, KKK Video
March 23, 2015
Four Florida cops lost their jobs Friday after racist texts and an "inexcusable" video surfaced, their chief said.
A five-month internal investigation led to three of them being fired, and one of them resigning, according to NBC Miami. The officers reportedly sent a trailer-style video amongst themselves containing a Ku Klux Klan hood, attacks against minorities, derogatory images of President Obama and racist comments about Hispanics and homosexuals.
"I had a wet dream that you two found those n-----s in the VW and gave them the death penalty right there on the spot," one of the texts reads. Many of their extremely hostile and racially charged conversations can be read at the Sun Sentinel.
According to another text, one of the officers said, "We are coming and drinking all your beer and killing n-----s."
"There was no criminal behavior detected during this investigation, however, the four officers’ conduct was inexcusable and there is zero tolerance for this kind of behavior in the Fort Lauderdale Police Department," said Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley.
Fox 8 reports:
In the text message exchanges, the former officers used racially derogatory terms to refer to people they encountered while on duty, included racially insensitive material from the film, “Django Unchained,” and talked about getting drunk and “killing n*****,” according to investigative documents.
The men allegedly criticized co-workers, including African-Americans, making crude comments about their grammar, appearance and work ethic. One message referred to an entire shift as “lazy f****,” the documents state.
Jason Holding, James Wells and Christopher Sousa were terminated Friday. A fourth cop who created the video, Alex Alvarez, resigned.
The officers worked in predominantly black neighborhoods. The investigation started in October 2014, when Alvarez's former fiancee filed a complaint, according to the New York Daily News.
Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/22/cops-fired-racist-video_n_6918652.html
Four Florida cops lost their jobs Friday after racist texts and an "inexcusable" video surfaced, their chief said.
A five-month internal investigation led to three of them being fired, and one of them resigning, according to NBC Miami. The officers reportedly sent a trailer-style video amongst themselves containing a Ku Klux Klan hood, attacks against minorities, derogatory images of President Obama and racist comments about Hispanics and homosexuals.
"I had a wet dream that you two found those n-----s in the VW and gave them the death penalty right there on the spot," one of the texts reads. Many of their extremely hostile and racially charged conversations can be read at the Sun Sentinel.
According to another text, one of the officers said, "We are coming and drinking all your beer and killing n-----s."
"There was no criminal behavior detected during this investigation, however, the four officers’ conduct was inexcusable and there is zero tolerance for this kind of behavior in the Fort Lauderdale Police Department," said Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley.
Fox 8 reports:
In the text message exchanges, the former officers used racially derogatory terms to refer to people they encountered while on duty, included racially insensitive material from the film, “Django Unchained,” and talked about getting drunk and “killing n*****,” according to investigative documents.
The men allegedly criticized co-workers, including African-Americans, making crude comments about their grammar, appearance and work ethic. One message referred to an entire shift as “lazy f****,” the documents state.
Jason Holding, James Wells and Christopher Sousa were terminated Friday. A fourth cop who created the video, Alex Alvarez, resigned.
The officers worked in predominantly black neighborhoods. The investigation started in October 2014, when Alvarez's former fiancee filed a complaint, according to the New York Daily News.
Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/22/cops-fired-racist-video_n_6918652.html
Ferguson police report: Most shocking parts
March 5, 2015
Here are 6 of the most striking examples cited in the 102-page Justice Department report:
1. Unlawful arrest has long-term consequences
Summer of 2012. A 32-year-old African-American was cooling off in his car after a basketball game in a public park.
What comes next is a series of civil rights violations described in the Justice Department report that resulted in the man losing his job as a federal contractor. A Ferguson police officer demands the man's Social Security number and identification before accusing him of being a pedophile and ordering the man out of his car. When the officer asked to search the man's car, the 32-year-old refused, invoking his constitutional right. The response? The officer arrested the man at gunpoint, slapped him with eight charges, including for not wearing a seat belt, despite the fact that he was sitting in a parked car. The officer also cited him for "making a false declaration" because he gave his name as 'Mike' instead of 'Michael.' "The man told us that, because of these charges, he lost his job as a contractor with the federal government that he had held for years," the report says.
2. People? More like, "sources of revenue"
The Justice Department also revealed that driving the uneven hand of the law in Ferguson was "the city's emphasis on revenue generation." City officials repeatedly pushed the Ferguson police department to increase city revenue through ticketing, resulting in disproportionate targeting of African-Americans. "Many officers appear to see some residents, especially those who live in Ferguson's predominantly African-American neighborhoods, less as constituents to be protected than as potential offenders and sources of revenue," the probe concluded. African-Americans were disproportionately targeted by those practices, ticketed and cited for minor violations at a higher rate than white residents. And African-Americans were almost exclusively on the receiving end of some violations: They accounted for 95% of "manner of walking in roadway" charges and 94% of "failure to comply" charges, for example.
3. Racist emails
Ferguson's police officers and city court officials' practices didn't just happen to disproportionately target African-Americans. "Rather, our investigation has revealed that these disparities occur, at least in part, because of unlawful bias against and stereotypes about African-Americans," the investigators concluded.
Part of that bias came across in emails shared around by police and court officials:
4. Didn't pay that parking ticket? Here's your arrest warrant
The Justice Department probe revealed racial discrimination by the police department, but also by the municipal court. The city court issued more than 9,000 arrest warrants stemming from minor violations like parking and traffic tickets. The city wasn't just focused on revenue through tickets, but the fines associated with late payment of fines and additional arrest fees, according to the report. The investigators spoke with one woman who is still dealing with the repercussions of a 2007 parking violation. More than seven years later, she's now been arrested twice because of the parking violation and has already paid $550 in fees stemming from the parking violation. She still owes $541 ... on a ticket that originally amounted to a $151 fine. "The woman, who experienced financial difficulties and periods of homelessness over several years, was charged with seven Failure to Appear offenses for missing court dates or fine payments on her parking tickets between 2007 and 2010," the report says.
5. Use of force
The Ferguson Police Department recorded 151 instances in which officers used force, documents that provide a litany of evidence of excessive use of force. "Our finding that FPD force is routinely unreasonable and sometimes clearly punitive is drawn largely from FPD's documentation; that is, from officers' own words," the Justice Department explained. The federal investigation based on those reports revealed that officers are "quick to escalate encounters with subjects they perceive to be disobeying their orders or arrest." "They have come to rely on ECWs--an electroshock weapon that disrupts a person's muscle control, specifically Tasers, where less force -- or not force at all -- would do," the report explains. The officers' use of force in some cases had "no basis in law" while others were simply "punitive and retaliatory." "In addition, FPD records suggest a tendency to use unnecessary force against vulnerable groups such as people with mental health conditions or cognitive disabilities, and juvenile students," the investigators found.
"FPD officers seem to regard ECWs as an all-purpose tool bearing no risk." - DOJ report
The Justice Department described officers' use of ECWs as "swift, at times automatic" and shows several examples, such as:
"Canine officers use dogs out of proportion to the threat posed by the people they encounter, leaving serious puncture wounds to nonviolent offenders, some of them children." - DOJ report
Every single time Ferguson police officers released a dog to bite an individual involved an African-American, according to the department's records.
6. Shocking stats
- Less than 8% of Ferguson police officers are African-American.
- African-Americans accounted for 90% of officers' use of force.
- African-Americans weren't just more likely to be stopped, but more likely to be cited and arrested regardless of the reason for the stop. And they were more likely to receive multiple citations during a single incident.
- African-American drivers were twice as likely as white drivers to be searched during traffic stops, but 26% less likely to be found in possession of contraband.
Full Report May Be Read Here: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/politics/document-justice-department-ferguson-police/index.html
Reference:Diamond, J. (2015, March 5). Document: Justice reports finds systematic discrimination by police in Ferguson - CNN.com. Retrieved March 5, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/politics/document-justice-department-ferguson-police/index.html
Here are 6 of the most striking examples cited in the 102-page Justice Department report:
1. Unlawful arrest has long-term consequences
Summer of 2012. A 32-year-old African-American was cooling off in his car after a basketball game in a public park.
What comes next is a series of civil rights violations described in the Justice Department report that resulted in the man losing his job as a federal contractor. A Ferguson police officer demands the man's Social Security number and identification before accusing him of being a pedophile and ordering the man out of his car. When the officer asked to search the man's car, the 32-year-old refused, invoking his constitutional right. The response? The officer arrested the man at gunpoint, slapped him with eight charges, including for not wearing a seat belt, despite the fact that he was sitting in a parked car. The officer also cited him for "making a false declaration" because he gave his name as 'Mike' instead of 'Michael.' "The man told us that, because of these charges, he lost his job as a contractor with the federal government that he had held for years," the report says.
2. People? More like, "sources of revenue"
The Justice Department also revealed that driving the uneven hand of the law in Ferguson was "the city's emphasis on revenue generation." City officials repeatedly pushed the Ferguson police department to increase city revenue through ticketing, resulting in disproportionate targeting of African-Americans. "Many officers appear to see some residents, especially those who live in Ferguson's predominantly African-American neighborhoods, less as constituents to be protected than as potential offenders and sources of revenue," the probe concluded. African-Americans were disproportionately targeted by those practices, ticketed and cited for minor violations at a higher rate than white residents. And African-Americans were almost exclusively on the receiving end of some violations: They accounted for 95% of "manner of walking in roadway" charges and 94% of "failure to comply" charges, for example.
3. Racist emails
Ferguson's police officers and city court officials' practices didn't just happen to disproportionately target African-Americans. "Rather, our investigation has revealed that these disparities occur, at least in part, because of unlawful bias against and stereotypes about African-Americans," the investigators concluded.
Part of that bias came across in emails shared around by police and court officials:
- A November 2008 email read in part that President Barack Obama wouldn't likely be president for long because "what black man holds a steady job for four years." And then in April 2011, another email depicted Obama as a chimpanzee.
- Another email joked that African-American women should use abortion to control crime.
- May 2011 email: "An African-American woman in New Orleans was admitted into the hospital for a pregnancy termination. Two weeks later she received a check for $3,000. She phoned the hospital to ask who it was from. The hospital said: 'Crimestoppers.'"
- A March 2010 email mockingly read: "I be so glad that dis be my last child support payment!" Month after month, year after year, all dose payments!"
- October 2011: An email included a photo of a group of topless, dancing black women, seemingly in Africa, with the caption: "Michelle Obama's High School Reunion."
- A December 2011 email included jokes playing on offensive Muslim stereotypes
4. Didn't pay that parking ticket? Here's your arrest warrant
The Justice Department probe revealed racial discrimination by the police department, but also by the municipal court. The city court issued more than 9,000 arrest warrants stemming from minor violations like parking and traffic tickets. The city wasn't just focused on revenue through tickets, but the fines associated with late payment of fines and additional arrest fees, according to the report. The investigators spoke with one woman who is still dealing with the repercussions of a 2007 parking violation. More than seven years later, she's now been arrested twice because of the parking violation and has already paid $550 in fees stemming from the parking violation. She still owes $541 ... on a ticket that originally amounted to a $151 fine. "The woman, who experienced financial difficulties and periods of homelessness over several years, was charged with seven Failure to Appear offenses for missing court dates or fine payments on her parking tickets between 2007 and 2010," the report says.
5. Use of force
The Ferguson Police Department recorded 151 instances in which officers used force, documents that provide a litany of evidence of excessive use of force. "Our finding that FPD force is routinely unreasonable and sometimes clearly punitive is drawn largely from FPD's documentation; that is, from officers' own words," the Justice Department explained. The federal investigation based on those reports revealed that officers are "quick to escalate encounters with subjects they perceive to be disobeying their orders or arrest." "They have come to rely on ECWs--an electroshock weapon that disrupts a person's muscle control, specifically Tasers, where less force -- or not force at all -- would do," the report explains. The officers' use of force in some cases had "no basis in law" while others were simply "punitive and retaliatory." "In addition, FPD records suggest a tendency to use unnecessary force against vulnerable groups such as people with mental health conditions or cognitive disabilities, and juvenile students," the investigators found.
"FPD officers seem to regard ECWs as an all-purpose tool bearing no risk." - DOJ report
The Justice Department described officers' use of ECWs as "swift, at times automatic" and shows several examples, such as:
- A Ferguson correctional officer fired an ECW at an African-American woman because she yelled an insult at the officer and wouldn't go to her cell. She had been arrested for driving while intoxicated. The officer said he used the Taser because she was "not doing as she was told."
- And in September 2012, an officer stunned a handcuffed woman in the back of his squad car because she was using her legs to block him from closing the door.
"Canine officers use dogs out of proportion to the threat posed by the people they encounter, leaving serious puncture wounds to nonviolent offenders, some of them children." - DOJ report
Every single time Ferguson police officers released a dog to bite an individual involved an African-American, according to the department's records.
- In one incident, a police officer released a dog on a 14-year-old African-American boy who was found hiding in the closet of an abandoned house, "curled up in a ball," according to the police report. After the boy wouldn't show his hands and after being warned, the police officer released the dog, which bit the boy's arm. The boy told federal investigators he never hid in a closet, was never warned the dog would be released and was just waiting for his friends at the house. He said he was bitten in the ankle, thigh and arm.
- In other incidents, the officers failed to warn suspects that they would release a dog.
- In another instance, an officer deployed a dog on a fleeing suspect even though he had just patted down the suspect and knew he was not armed. Officers are only supposed to release a canine officer if they fear for their life or believe the suspect may be armed.
6. Shocking stats
- Less than 8% of Ferguson police officers are African-American.
- African-Americans accounted for 90% of officers' use of force.
- African-Americans weren't just more likely to be stopped, but more likely to be cited and arrested regardless of the reason for the stop. And they were more likely to receive multiple citations during a single incident.
- African-American drivers were twice as likely as white drivers to be searched during traffic stops, but 26% less likely to be found in possession of contraband.
Full Report May Be Read Here: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/politics/document-justice-department-ferguson-police/index.html
Reference:Diamond, J. (2015, March 5). Document: Justice reports finds systematic discrimination by police in Ferguson - CNN.com. Retrieved March 5, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/politics/document-justice-department-ferguson-police/index.html
Justice Department review finds pattern of racial bias among Ferguson police
March 3, 2015
In hundreds of interviews and in a sweeping review of more than 35,000 pages of Ferguson police records and other documents, Justice officials found that while African Americans make up 67 percent of the population in Ferguson, they accounted for 93 percent of all arrests between 2012 and 2014.
As part of its findings, the Justice Department also concluded that African Americans accounted for 85 percent of all people stopped by Ferguson police officers and 90 percent of all citations issued.
The Justice Department plans this week to release evidence of racial bias found in e-mails written by Ferguson police and municipal court officials. A November 2008 e-mail, for instance, stated that President Obama could not be president for very long because “what black man holds a steady job for four years.”
The review concludes that racial bias and a focus on generating revenue over public safety has a profound effect on Ferguson police and court practices and routinely violates the Constitution and federal law. The Justice review also found a pattern or practice of Ferguson police using unreasonable force against citizens. In 88 percent of the cases in which the department used force, it was used against African Americans. In all of the 14 canine bite incidents for which racial information was available, the person bitten was African American.
In 2013, African Americans accounted for 92 percent of cases in which an arrest warrant was issued. From October 2012 to October 2014, 96 percent of people arrested during traffic stops solely because of an outstanding warrant were African American, the review found.
Justice investigators also reviewed types of arrests and the treatment of detainees inside Ferguson’s city jail by Ferguson police officers.They found that from April to September 2014, 95 percent of people held in the Ferguson jail longer than two days were African American. The Ferguson police department also “overwhelmingly” charges African Americans with certain “petty offenses,” the investigation concluded.
The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation last fall into the actions of Darren Wilson, the white Ferguson police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in August. Officials told The Washington Post last fall that they had all but concluded they did not have a strong enough case to bring charges.
Reference: Horwitz, S. (2015, March 3). Justice Dept. review finds pattern of racial bias among Ferguson police. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-dept-review-finds-pattern-of-racial-bias-among-ferguson-police/2015/03/03/27535390-c1c7-11e4-9271-610273846239_story.html
In hundreds of interviews and in a sweeping review of more than 35,000 pages of Ferguson police records and other documents, Justice officials found that while African Americans make up 67 percent of the population in Ferguson, they accounted for 93 percent of all arrests between 2012 and 2014.
As part of its findings, the Justice Department also concluded that African Americans accounted for 85 percent of all people stopped by Ferguson police officers and 90 percent of all citations issued.
The Justice Department plans this week to release evidence of racial bias found in e-mails written by Ferguson police and municipal court officials. A November 2008 e-mail, for instance, stated that President Obama could not be president for very long because “what black man holds a steady job for four years.”
The review concludes that racial bias and a focus on generating revenue over public safety has a profound effect on Ferguson police and court practices and routinely violates the Constitution and federal law. The Justice review also found a pattern or practice of Ferguson police using unreasonable force against citizens. In 88 percent of the cases in which the department used force, it was used against African Americans. In all of the 14 canine bite incidents for which racial information was available, the person bitten was African American.
In 2013, African Americans accounted for 92 percent of cases in which an arrest warrant was issued. From October 2012 to October 2014, 96 percent of people arrested during traffic stops solely because of an outstanding warrant were African American, the review found.
Justice investigators also reviewed types of arrests and the treatment of detainees inside Ferguson’s city jail by Ferguson police officers.They found that from April to September 2014, 95 percent of people held in the Ferguson jail longer than two days were African American. The Ferguson police department also “overwhelmingly” charges African Americans with certain “petty offenses,” the investigation concluded.
The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation last fall into the actions of Darren Wilson, the white Ferguson police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in August. Officials told The Washington Post last fall that they had all but concluded they did not have a strong enough case to bring charges.
Reference: Horwitz, S. (2015, March 3). Justice Dept. review finds pattern of racial bias among Ferguson police. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-dept-review-finds-pattern-of-racial-bias-among-ferguson-police/2015/03/03/27535390-c1c7-11e4-9271-610273846239_story.html
Tamir Rice family attorney says ‘unbelievable’ that city of Cleveland court filing blames Tamir for his own death
March 2, 2015
In the court filing, which was a formal response from the city to a federal lawsuit by the Rice family, city attorneys declare that Tamir and his family “were directly and proximately caused by their own acts. . .,” and added that Tamir caused his own death “by the failure. . . to exercise due care to avoid injury.”
That contention — that Tamir, who is shown on video playing with a toy gun in a park near his home when officers arrive and he is shot in the stomach, caused his own death — angered activists against police brutality and for civil rights, as well as the Rice legal team.
“What they said is incredulous at best. It’s unbelievable,” said Walter Madison, one of the Rice family’s attorneys, during an interview with The Washington Post on Monday in which he said the city’s response was further evidence of police arrogance. “There are a number of things that we in society don’t allow 12-year-olds to do. We don’t allow them to vote, we don’t allow them to drink. In court we don’t try them as adults. They don’t have the capacity to understand the consequences of their actions.”
On Monday afternoon, Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson apologized to the Rice family and Cleveland residents “for our poor use of words and our insensitivity” in the filing. “In an attempt to protect all of our defenses, we used words and we phrased things in such a way that was very insensitive,” he said at a news conference. “Very insensitive to tragedy in general, the family and the victim in particular.”
He said the city would be filing an amended court document using more sensitive language.
Tamir was shot on Nov. 22 as he played in a park on Cleveland’s westside. A resident exiting a nearby community center had phoned police, noting that there was a boy playing with what looked like a gun — but noted to the dispatcher that it was likely a toy.
While initial police accounts suggested that Tamir had been with a group of other children, had been seen tucking the toy gun into his waistband, and was told several times to drop the toy, video released of the shooting paints a much different account. Tamir is seen talking on a cellphone and throwing snowballs alone in the park. Within seconds of the police emerging — likely before officers could have given him several instructions — he is shot and bleeding on the ground.
In the weeks after the shooting, it would come to light that Timothy Loehmann, the officer who shot Tamir, had been a questionable hire by the Cleveland Police and that another area police department had deemed him emotionally unstable.
Reference: Lowery, W. (2015, March 2). Tamir Rice family attorney says ‘unbelievable’ that City of Cleveland court filing blames Tamir for his own death. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/03/02/tamir-rice-family-attorney-says-unbelievable-that-city-of-cleveland-court-filing-blames-tamir-for-his-own-death/
In the court filing, which was a formal response from the city to a federal lawsuit by the Rice family, city attorneys declare that Tamir and his family “were directly and proximately caused by their own acts. . .,” and added that Tamir caused his own death “by the failure. . . to exercise due care to avoid injury.”
That contention — that Tamir, who is shown on video playing with a toy gun in a park near his home when officers arrive and he is shot in the stomach, caused his own death — angered activists against police brutality and for civil rights, as well as the Rice legal team.
“What they said is incredulous at best. It’s unbelievable,” said Walter Madison, one of the Rice family’s attorneys, during an interview with The Washington Post on Monday in which he said the city’s response was further evidence of police arrogance. “There are a number of things that we in society don’t allow 12-year-olds to do. We don’t allow them to vote, we don’t allow them to drink. In court we don’t try them as adults. They don’t have the capacity to understand the consequences of their actions.”
On Monday afternoon, Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson apologized to the Rice family and Cleveland residents “for our poor use of words and our insensitivity” in the filing. “In an attempt to protect all of our defenses, we used words and we phrased things in such a way that was very insensitive,” he said at a news conference. “Very insensitive to tragedy in general, the family and the victim in particular.”
He said the city would be filing an amended court document using more sensitive language.
Tamir was shot on Nov. 22 as he played in a park on Cleveland’s westside. A resident exiting a nearby community center had phoned police, noting that there was a boy playing with what looked like a gun — but noted to the dispatcher that it was likely a toy.
While initial police accounts suggested that Tamir had been with a group of other children, had been seen tucking the toy gun into his waistband, and was told several times to drop the toy, video released of the shooting paints a much different account. Tamir is seen talking on a cellphone and throwing snowballs alone in the park. Within seconds of the police emerging — likely before officers could have given him several instructions — he is shot and bleeding on the ground.
In the weeks after the shooting, it would come to light that Timothy Loehmann, the officer who shot Tamir, had been a questionable hire by the Cleveland Police and that another area police department had deemed him emotionally unstable.
Reference: Lowery, W. (2015, March 2). Tamir Rice family attorney says ‘unbelievable’ that City of Cleveland court filing blames Tamir for his own death. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/03/02/tamir-rice-family-attorney-says-unbelievable-that-city-of-cleveland-court-filing-blames-tamir-for-his-own-death/
Recent Huffington Post Headlines
My Son Is Black. With Autism. And I’m Scared Of What The Police Will Do To Him
Two months ago, my wife and I sat in the Marcus Autism Center’s exam room and heard the doctors tell us our son, Langston, had Autism Spectrum Disorder. I can’t articulate how I felt then because now, even weeks removed, I can barely articulate how I’m feeling now as I type these words. Mostly, on the drive home, I vacillated between worst-case scenario panic and optimism that everything will be okay. However, at some point on the way home I started thinking about what would happen if my son came in contact with a police officer, and I began to break down. Yes, less than an hour after hearing my son has autism, I took into consideration what it means when he interacts with a cop. This is the reality of a Black parent in America.
Autism is a disorder characterized by social interaction difficulties, verbal and nonverbal communication issues and a penchant for repetitive movements. Since we caught my son’s diagnosis early — he’s only two years old — we aren’t quite sure exactly where he falls on the autism spectrum and won’t know until he’s a few years older. So we don’t know what his autism will look like or what sort of difficulties (if any) he’ll be faced with.
I’m not particularly scared or worried about him in terms of his autism anymore. He’s already got a great foundation and we’ve sought out as much therapy as possible. He’s still amazing and he’s still the great boy he’s always been. We have the same expectations of him as we had before and feel as though he can still lead a perfectly happy life. But my biggest fear is what happens if a cop sees my son and feels threatened because my son doesn’t fit within a cop’s normative ideas of proper behavior.
Every time therapists or specialists see Langston, they show amazement at the fact he’s been diagnosed with autism because he’s so social. He’s shown tremendous advancements and is doing amazing things every day. It’s even possible that by the time our son is in high school, it’d be virtually impossible to tell that he has autism at first glance. While this is encouraging and has given us comfort, it worries me that a cop won’t know he’s dealing with a person who may have issues communicating. Instead, he’ll see a resistant Hulk-ish demon who’s just disobeying orders, thus deserving to get choked in the street.
Just this week, one of our therapists sent a behavioral plan for Langston, saying that if he didn’t follow spoken instructions then we should physically guide him to do what we want from him. But his therapists are White. And as incredible and helpful as they’ve been, they don’t live with the reality that we do. Our son needs to know how to follow verbal instructions because if he doesn’t, a cop will find that as justification for ending my boy’s life. While we have to modify our language and communication to better convey our needs to our son and build his social skills, him knowing how follow explicit police instructions is non-negotiable. It’s life and death. I need him to know these things.
I keep thinking about what would happen if a cop is wearing gloves and puts his hands on my son. And my son pulls away because the texture of the gloves bother him. Or if my son just doesn’t like being touched by strangers. Or doesn’t react well when people point or raise their voices at him. Right now, the best way to get Langston to follow instructions is to get at eye level with him and explain very calmly what we need from him. What if that’ll always be the best way to communicate with him and a cop sees my son’s inability to process orders as an act of disobedience. What if my son pulling back from a cop is seen as an act of aggression? What if a simple repetitive motion is mistaken for an attempt at physical confrontation? If a cop is yelling at my son and he doesn’t respond because he doesn’t understand, what’s stopping the cop from murdering my boy in cold blood?
The Mike Brown murder affected my family as I imagine it affected millions of people. We saw our son in that teenage boy walking down the street, gunned down in cold blood. The Eric Garner video, though, hit closer to home. Because when I look at that Eric Garner video I see autism. I see someone trying his hardest to communicate to a group of people who just don’t hear him. Garner is screaming at the top of his lungs in plain English but his language doesn’t mean anything. He’s an outsider, society literally pouncing on him because they don’t understand. Silencing him because he’s not fitting into the behavior they want for him. He’s alone. He’s scared. And he doesn’t understand what’s happening to him. I see Mr. Garner. I see my son. I see Black people silenced by any means necessary. I see lives gone in the blink of an eye. And I see how any perceived resistance could mean the end for my first and only son.
I’ve cried too damn much in the last couple of months. I’ve worried and lost sleep, mentally punching at empty spaces and feeling physically exhausted as America chokes the air from our lungs. My son wasn’t just diagnosed with autism. He was diagnosed with a target on his head and the fear of a cop aiming at that target is crippling. There was a time I wanted police to protect my family, but I don’t want them anywhere near us. I don’t want the police to serve or protect us. I just want them to leave my boy the hell alone. Maybe that will be the best thing they can do to help save his life.
Reference https://medium.com/human-parts/my-son-is-black-with-autism-and-im-scared-of-what-the-police-will-do-to-him-1af15a203d57
Autism is a disorder characterized by social interaction difficulties, verbal and nonverbal communication issues and a penchant for repetitive movements. Since we caught my son’s diagnosis early — he’s only two years old — we aren’t quite sure exactly where he falls on the autism spectrum and won’t know until he’s a few years older. So we don’t know what his autism will look like or what sort of difficulties (if any) he’ll be faced with.
I’m not particularly scared or worried about him in terms of his autism anymore. He’s already got a great foundation and we’ve sought out as much therapy as possible. He’s still amazing and he’s still the great boy he’s always been. We have the same expectations of him as we had before and feel as though he can still lead a perfectly happy life. But my biggest fear is what happens if a cop sees my son and feels threatened because my son doesn’t fit within a cop’s normative ideas of proper behavior.
Every time therapists or specialists see Langston, they show amazement at the fact he’s been diagnosed with autism because he’s so social. He’s shown tremendous advancements and is doing amazing things every day. It’s even possible that by the time our son is in high school, it’d be virtually impossible to tell that he has autism at first glance. While this is encouraging and has given us comfort, it worries me that a cop won’t know he’s dealing with a person who may have issues communicating. Instead, he’ll see a resistant Hulk-ish demon who’s just disobeying orders, thus deserving to get choked in the street.
Just this week, one of our therapists sent a behavioral plan for Langston, saying that if he didn’t follow spoken instructions then we should physically guide him to do what we want from him. But his therapists are White. And as incredible and helpful as they’ve been, they don’t live with the reality that we do. Our son needs to know how to follow verbal instructions because if he doesn’t, a cop will find that as justification for ending my boy’s life. While we have to modify our language and communication to better convey our needs to our son and build his social skills, him knowing how follow explicit police instructions is non-negotiable. It’s life and death. I need him to know these things.
I keep thinking about what would happen if a cop is wearing gloves and puts his hands on my son. And my son pulls away because the texture of the gloves bother him. Or if my son just doesn’t like being touched by strangers. Or doesn’t react well when people point or raise their voices at him. Right now, the best way to get Langston to follow instructions is to get at eye level with him and explain very calmly what we need from him. What if that’ll always be the best way to communicate with him and a cop sees my son’s inability to process orders as an act of disobedience. What if my son pulling back from a cop is seen as an act of aggression? What if a simple repetitive motion is mistaken for an attempt at physical confrontation? If a cop is yelling at my son and he doesn’t respond because he doesn’t understand, what’s stopping the cop from murdering my boy in cold blood?
The Mike Brown murder affected my family as I imagine it affected millions of people. We saw our son in that teenage boy walking down the street, gunned down in cold blood. The Eric Garner video, though, hit closer to home. Because when I look at that Eric Garner video I see autism. I see someone trying his hardest to communicate to a group of people who just don’t hear him. Garner is screaming at the top of his lungs in plain English but his language doesn’t mean anything. He’s an outsider, society literally pouncing on him because they don’t understand. Silencing him because he’s not fitting into the behavior they want for him. He’s alone. He’s scared. And he doesn’t understand what’s happening to him. I see Mr. Garner. I see my son. I see Black people silenced by any means necessary. I see lives gone in the blink of an eye. And I see how any perceived resistance could mean the end for my first and only son.
I’ve cried too damn much in the last couple of months. I’ve worried and lost sleep, mentally punching at empty spaces and feeling physically exhausted as America chokes the air from our lungs. My son wasn’t just diagnosed with autism. He was diagnosed with a target on his head and the fear of a cop aiming at that target is crippling. There was a time I wanted police to protect my family, but I don’t want them anywhere near us. I don’t want the police to serve or protect us. I just want them to leave my boy the hell alone. Maybe that will be the best thing they can do to help save his life.
Reference https://medium.com/human-parts/my-son-is-black-with-autism-and-im-scared-of-what-the-police-will-do-to-him-1af15a203d57