Entries Tagged 'Cops Gone Wild' ↓

From Democracy Now!:

*****

Terrible on all fronts.

From the Chronicle:

“An inmate at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin died after he charged at Alameda County sheriff’s deputies and was subdued with the help of Taser shock weapons, authorities said Thursday.

Martin Harrison, 50, of Oakland died at a hospital early Wednesday, two days after the jail incident, sheriff’s Sgt. J.D. Nelson said.”
*****
Some might refer to the “jail incident” as murder. This guy was in Santa Rita on DRUNK DRIVING charges.

Tasers must be banned. They are lethal force, PERIOD.

From Consortium News:

“The Baro family of Mexican immigrants was celebrating the 22nd birthday of Walter Baro on July 17 when the incident began. Two LAPD officers arrived shortly after midnight claiming they had received noise complaints from a neighbor.

According to Walter Baro’s 26-year-old sister, Elida, there was a brief exchange at the front door and the police ordered them to end the party and send their 70 guests packing.”
*****
Video of the beatings and harsh treatment the family received follows.

From the Bay View:

“Here’s what one eye-witness was filmed saying to local TV. Again she watched it out the window of her house in Fruitvale, a short distance from the rail station:

“When they turned here at the corner, there was, I want to say, about 10 policemen, all gathered together. And then I saw this man walking backwards, like this (both hands up), saying, ‘Shoot me, shoot me, shoot me’! And the police, I didn’t hear none of the police say anything. They were just gathered together, following him while he was walking backwards all the way through that street,” said Letty, who did not give her last name. “And then all of a sudden, I hear a little pop and then right after that I hear bup, bup, bup, bup, bup!””
*****
The Bay View piece shows convincingly that the police story is filled with holes. Even the eye-witnesses have very different accounts. Either way, the words of a 14 year-old in the story stand out: They didn’t have to kill him. OPD operates as judge, jury, and executioner — and so far, no one even knows what the alleged crime was.

From Alternet:

“In 1980, 2,884 SWAT deployments were recorded nationwide; the number today is estimated by experts at 50,000 annually or more.”
*****
This is a really important piece and it has a lot of important information. After the murder of Aiyana Jones, I don’t think we can afford not to be pressing the cops about these issues.

An important message from a brave woman who was tortured by police at the G20 in Toronto.

From the Chronicle:

“Oakland and BART police officers shot and killed a man Saturday morning near the Fruitvale BART Station when, authorities said, he charged the officers holding a knife in each hand after leading them on a chase for blocks.

Five officers opened fire on the man when he threatened an officer after police unsuccessfully tried to subdue him with a Taser stun gun, Oakland police Officer Jeff Thomason said.”
*****
When does it stop?

From the NYT:

“The details of the shootings on the bridge that began to emerge, and which were elaborated on in the indictment unsealed Tuesday, were ghastlier than many in the city had expected.

Responding to a call that the police were under fire, officers drove to the bridge over the Industrial Canal in eastern New Orleans in a Budget rental truck. Some were armed with assault rifles, others with a shotgun or a semiautomatic pistol.

Mr. Brissette and five members of the Bartholomew family were walking across the bridge to get food and other supplies from a supermarket, the indictment reads, when the officers opened fire. Four members of the Bartholomew family were shot. Susan Bartholomew, at the time 38, lost part of her arm; her husband, Leonard Bartholomew III, was shot in the head. Mr. Brissette, who was killed, was shot seven times.

Some officers then traveled to the other side of the bridge and found two brothers, Ronald and Lance Madison, who were on their way to check on a dentist’s office that belonged to their oldest brother, Dr. Romell Madison. According to the indictment, Mr. Faulcon then shot Ronald Madison to death with a shotgun. Afterward, it continues, Sergeant Bowen kicked and stomped on Mr. Madison as he lay dying on the ground.”
*****

From DN!:

I’ve been saying it for awhile now: torture is an American export.

From the Chronicle:

“Berkeley police shot and killed a gun-wielding suspect after he pointed his weapon at them at the end of a chase, authorities said today.

Three Berkeley police officers shot and killed the suspect near 8th and Camelia streets at about 11 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

The incident began in Albany when officers there tried to stop the suspect in a car, authorities said. The man may have been involved in a hit-and-run crash, police said.

The suspect refused to stop, leading Albany police on a chase that ended up in Berkeley, where he ran from the car near San Pablo Avenue and Jones Street, authorities said.”
*****
How many chases that result in death will the BPD need before they change their tactics?