Man shot by officer recalled as brave, loving role model

John Gill, a U.S. Army veteran, was laid to rest Thursday at Fort Custer National Cemetery following a service at Langeland Family Funeral Homes in downtown Kalamazoo. Gill's funeral came exactly one week after he was shot and killed by a Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officer at Madeira Apartments in the 1600 block of East Cork Street. Little was mentioned at the service Thursday about the circumstances surrounding Gill's death. But, while recalling memories of his slain uncle, Gill's nephew Minister Dwayne Watkins said, "I want the record set straight today. Justice will prevail." Police say that about 3 p.m. Sept. 30, Sgt. Stacey Geik returned to the scene of an apartment fire that had occurred earlier in the day at Madeira. He reportedly was confronted by Gill, who announced he had a gun and then threatened the officer with the firearm. Officials have said Geik commanded Gill to drop the handgun about a dozen times, but Gill stepped toward the officer. Geik then fired his service pistol twice. Gill died at the apartment. However, Gill's family members Thursday questioned the account released by authorities. Jerry McNeely, president of the local NAACP chapter, said his organization also is conducting an inquiry into the shooting at the request of Gill's relatives. [more ]

LAPD Attack Mentally Ill Black Man

Los Angeles Police Department officials are investigating whether excessive force was used in an incident that shut down Figueroa Street for 15 to 20 minutes Monday afternoon, said Sergeant C. Perkins. One taser was used as police officers detained a man with a mental illness near the intersection of Figueroa and 28th streets, Perkins said. The man was not arrested but sent to a hospital for evaluation of a mental illness.  Witnesses said that the man was sitting in an ambulance when police officers tried to remove him. "I saw them pulling him out of the ambulance, and all of a sudden lots of police officers were on top of him," said Juan Cruz, a worker at Del Taco. Cruz described the detainee as a black man in his 50s to 60s. At least 10 squad cars and 20 police officers were at the intersection. The squad cars did not respond to a call, and they were already in the area before the incident ­- possibly to get food at one of the local restaurants, Perkins said. Cruz said that there were a lot of police officers who converged on top of the man. [more ]

Kadiatou Diallo on a mission for balance, police accountability

Since her son's death five years ago in a hail of bullets fired by four undercover police officers in the Bronx, Kadiatou Diallo has been on a mission. Inspired in part by prayer, Diallo's speaking tours on behalf of her son, Amadou, are also about protest and resolution. Amadou Diallo was shot 19 times in the vestibule of his Bronx apartment building on Feb. 4, 1999, by officers who said they mistook his wallet for a gun. All four were acquitted of murder charges. The killing brought his mother from the political turmoil of West Africa to the racial storm in New York stirred up by the controversy over racial profiling. [more ]

Elderly Latino Man Beaten by Police Dies

• 75 Year Old Man Accosted by Blue Island Police Dies
  

An elderly man -- who was allegedly beaten by Blue Island police officers during a case of mistaken identity -- has died. The family of Antonio Manrique said the 75-year-old was jumped by officers during his walk on Wednesday. Manrique died Sunday. Manrique's family said the elderly man and his daughter were walking down the alley when an unmarked police car drove up. Plainclothes officers reportedly got out of the car, tackling Manrique as they tried to arrest him. "They came up and threw him to the ground and held him on the ground. He is asking what's the matter as best he could with his broken English," said Jim Scott, victim's son-in-law. Manrique, a diabetic, barely understood English. According to his family, he told a Spanish speaking officer who showed up at the scene later that he needed to go to the hospital.  He was going to be released from St. Francis Hospital on Sunday when he suffered from a sudden seizure and died. Manrique's family believes the seizure was the result of the attack. According to the police report, officers stopped Manrique on Oct. 6, believing he was a gang graffiti suspect. [more ] and  [more ] and [more ]

• Family Files Lawsuit Over Death. Maria Manrique says she and her father Antonio were walking close to their home Wednesday night when the two officers stopped them. Maria Manrique claims officers asked her dad to identify himself, then began to arrest and beat him. Once they realized their mistake, the police took Manrique to the hospital for treatment. The lawsuit against the police department questions how officers thought the grandfather was a suspected gang member in his 20s. The police report says Manrique wore his hat low and tried to flee when officers stopped him. But the family disputes that claim. "How they confuse a 75-year-old man with a 20-year-old? " Susanna Scott said. [more ]
  
• Images [here ]

Inmate death prompts removal of stun guns

The Lafayette Police Department will retrieve Taser stun guns from all officers except supervisors while the department teaches them about the policies governing the devices' use. The decision was announced Wednesday two days after inmate Dwayne Anthony Dunn's death. Dunn died at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital after he was booked into the Lafayette Parish jail Monday morning. Lafayette Police used a Taser gun, one of at least 20 owned by the department, on Dunn, saying he resisted arrest outside of a grocery store. ''We still don't believe that the Tasing had anything to do with the guy's death,'' said Cpl. Mark Francis, public information officer for the Lafayette Police Department. ''But we're going to take an abundance of precaution.'' However, Francis said Tasers will still be used to subdue suspects. The National Action Network, a group headed by New York activist Al Sharpton, called for a moratorium on the use of Taser guns by Lafayette police. [more ]

Tampa Police Department fires officer for using excessive force

The Tampa Police Department fired an officer last week for using excessive force. The firing stems for a high-speed chase in February. A police helicopter caught it all on video tape. The video shows police chasing two suspects in a stolen car. After the car crashes, the driver runs. He's tackled by two officers and a deputy who subdue him. That's when Officer Travis Maus runs in, and kicks the suspect two times.  Seconds later he moves to where other officers have detained the passenger, and steps on him. Durkin says a routine review of high-speed chases led the department to suspend Maus, before firing him last week. [more ]

Latino Family Attacked by Harris County Police

On Tuesday, October 5 a Hispanic family in Texas was allegedly attacked and harassed by Harris County Police Officers. As Deborah Lux and  her husband Urbano came home from the gym, police officers approached them for questioning concerning whether their son, Sean, 13 years old, had been involved in a fight with another neighborhood teenager earlier that day. After questioning them and their son, Police Officer Espinosa ordered them to go with the police over to a neighbor's house for more questioning. According to Deborah Lux, she and Urbano told the police they did not know anything about a fight between their son and another neighbor. Their son told the police that he knew of the fight but that he was not involved.  Deborah and Urbano told Officer Espinosa that they did not want to go with the police to the neighbor's house but that they were willing to cooperate with any investigation. She said, "My husband told the officer that we weren't going over there but his English is rusty. He was trying to explain to the Officer that we would give him any information he needed but that we don't want any trouble.  My husband was pointing to his own chest stating that we knew our rights and that we haven't done anything wrong here. The officer, without warning grabbed my husband hands and started tugging on his arm trying to twist it behind my husbands back. My husband didn't come near him or threaten him any way physically. The officer got upset because we refused to go over to the neighbors house." While Officer Espinosa held Urbano down in a drainage ditch other officers arrived on the scene. Lux stated, "The first Officer on the scene came running to my husband as he was restrained on the ground and with all of his body weight kneed my husband in his back, twice. Then that same officer punched him in the lower back three times. I was beside myself, I couldn't believe they were doing this to my 5'1" 155lb. husband. I continued to scream out for someone to help us. My 13 year old son is sitting there watching his Dad get beat up for no reason." Even though Lux and her son were more than 20 feet from the Officers, Officer Liard pulled his gun out and pointed it at her and her son. Laird then handcuffed them both. According to Lux, Officer Liard approached, pointed his finger at me and accused me of calling the neighbors and threatening to send my child over to whip her sons butt." She said "he slapped his hand on top of his vehicle and told me that he was going to find a reason to put me in jail. I asked the other officers on the scene if they were going to let him talk to me like that and treat me that way. The only officer that cared to hear what I had to say told me that I wasn't going to jail." The Officers said that they were arresting Urbano for resisting arrest and released Lux and her son. Lux also maintains that although Urbano was injured the police refused to provide medical attention.

• Mrs. Lux needs legal representation but cannot afford an attorney. She and her family live in Highlands, Texas. If you can provide legal representation or can direct her to legal resources please contact her at;  DLux@houston.rr.com

No charges in Fatal Shooting of Black Man by Pittsburg housing police

Homicide charges will not be filed in the shooting death two years ago of a man in a confrontation with three Pittsburgh Housing Authority police officers in the Hill District, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. announced yesterday.

Bernard Rogers, 26, died Nov. 15, 2002, outside a building in the Bedford Dwellings housing complex after the struggle, primarily with Officer Tonyea Curry.

"After thorough investigation and protracted public proceedings, substantial evidence indicates that ... Bernard Rogers sustained a fatal chest wound when he assaulted [the officers] and became involved in a struggle over an officer's weapon," Zappala said in a written statement yesterday.

"Given the extensive publication of this evidence, further comment in this regard is not necessary at this time," Zappala wrote.

Coroner Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, after several sessions of an open inquest over several months, had recommended to Zappala that homicide charges be filed against Curry and two other officers, Douglas Butler and Artie Patterson, who had entered an apartment to investigate suspected drug trafficking.

The coroner's position was that Rogers was shot as he fled the scene, though he was unarmed and not under arrest.

After further review of the testimony and evidence, Wecht's recommendation changed, largely on testimony that Rogers was shot while struggling with Curry for control of the officer's service pistol. [more] and [more]

Delusional Cinci Mayor says Federal Supervision of Police is no longer needed

   
 Less than halfway through a five-year review, Mayor Charlie Luken believes Cincinnati police have made enough progress on reforms to be released early from a deal with the U.S. Justice Department. Luken has written to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft asking that the city be released from an agreement signed in spring 2002. The city is in the 28th month of the 60-month review period. A local civil rights activist and an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union criticized Luken's action as premature, adding that his claims are delusional. Luken asked for the Justice Department review after a white officer shot and killed Timothy Thomas, who was unarmed, during a foot pursuit in April 2001. The shooting of Thomas, a Black man sparked three nights of rioting. In his letter, Luken wrote, "The police department has aggressively pursued the stated goals of the agreement, which are to minimize the risk of excessive use of force by Cincinnati police officers and to promote police integrity." The Rev. Damon Lynch III, a local civil rights activist who helped negotiate the collaborative agreement, said "the reason the agreement is for five years is it allows police to show over a course of time that they can act responsibly to African-American citizens in this community and are committed to good behavior." [more] and [more ]

• Police cause riot [more ]
  
• Cincinnati mayor declares state of emergency due to Riots  4/12/2001 [more ]
• Violence sparked by police killing of unarmed black leaves scores injured [more ]
• Pictured above: (top left) Police restrain and take a man into custody  during riots that erupted after a Cincinnati police officer shot and killed Timothy Thomas, 19, who was unarmed and wanted for misdemeanor traffic violations. [more ] and [more ]
• (Top right) On November 30, 2003 several Cincinnati Police Officers  beat Nathaniel Jones to death. Most of the beating was captured on Police videotape [SEE ]. Mysteriously, however the beginning of the tape is missing. Police maintain that Jones was fighting back against the Cops. But sticking your hand out seems to be a reasonable reaction to being hit with batons  by several people. [more]
  
• Cincinnati officer cleared in race shooting that sparked riots 9/26/2001 [more ]

Concerns expressed over Newby trial: Weak Prosecutors Didn't Want to Convict Cop

• "Not guilty. Not over, either" [more ]  - Unarmed Black Man Shot in the Back 3 times

About 100 people listened last night to Angela and Jerry Bouggess' views on the trial of former police detective McKenzie Mattingly, who was acquitted in the shooting death of Angela's son, Michael Newby. "I feel like I could have been a better prosecutor for my boy," she said.They accused prosecutors of not handling the case with "vigor." They also questioned several aspects of the case, including a judicial decision to keep the family and the public out of the courtroom during jury selection. Mattingly, who is white, was a member of the Louisville Metro Police Department when he fatally shot Newby, a 19-year-old African American, during an undercover drug operation on Jan. 3. Last week a jury found Mattingly not guilty of murder and three lesser charges in Newby's shooting. The point of yesterday's forum, Christopher 2X said, was to start a movement that could lead to legislation requiring special prosecutors in cases involving police officers charged with murder. "We can't really get adequate representation" from the commonwealth's attorney's office because it usually works closely with police, he told the group. [more ]

• Over the past 7 Years at least 10 Black or Latino Men have been Killed by Louisville Police. No Officers have been Convicted [more]