Family Members Seek Answers for Curtis Good's Death

"One innocent man, 7 bullets, why?"
Six weeks after Curtis Good was shot by a city police officer and died about an hour later, his family and friends have no answers as to what happened.Leon Bradford of Detroit, the older brother of Good, told a crowd of supporters gathered in front of police headquarters last night that the grand jury proceedings scheduled to begin today have been postponed until Oct. 13. The hearings are scheduled to take several weeks.  He said a medical examiner the family used is willing to testify. Bradford addressed a group of about 50 people who had walked shouting "no justice, no peace" from the King Street apartment where his brother was shot to Perth Amboy Police Headquarters on Fayette and Rector streets. The Rev. Henry H. Rodgers of Cathedral International and the Rev. Neva Lawson of First Baptist Church in Woodbridge led the marchers, some of whom wore shirts with a picture of Curtis Good and the words "1 innocent man, 7 bullets, why." According to authorities, police officer Carmen Fazzolari, 45, fired eight shots from his .45-caliber Glock semiautomatic pistol, hitting 41-year-old Good a total of six times after police were called to the King Street apartment around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 20. Good died about an hour later at the hospital. [more ]

LAPD police revise training after Vicious Stanley Miller Beating

Still NO Officers Disciplined in his case
Facing criticism that its officers too often turn to rough tactics or violence, the Police Department on Tuesday said it will revise training for recruits to make sure they know how to step in if one of their own loses control on the job. The change comes 3½ months after car-theft suspect Stanley Miller, who was clubbed repeatedly with a steel flashlight by an officer after he appeared to surrender after a videotaped car-and-foot chase. Prosecutors are considering whether to file criminal charges against the officers involved. The training will teach aspiring officers to jump in when a colleague appears to be overreacting or out of control when dealing with a citizen or suspect. The instruction will favor role-playing methods over traditional classroom lectures and note-taking. [more ] and [more ]

Black Man who Monitored and Taped Police Seeks Dismissal of Case

The attorney for a Champaign man charged with eavesdropping filed motions Tuesday in Champaign County Circuit Court to have the charges dismissed and for a special prosecutor to be appointed. Public Defender Randy Rosenbaum represents Patrick Thompson, 35, who listed an address on Southwood Court in Champaign. Thompson is one of the founding members of a group called Visionaries Educating Youth and Adults. Thompson and his colleague, Martell Miller, 43, also of Champaign, started videotaping the actions of local police in the spring as they interacted with young black men. Their intention was to edit the tape into a documentary to be shown on local public access television. As they were taping in the summer, the two men recorded the actions of Champaign police Sgt. David Griffet while he was talking to a man at the Mac's on North Neil Street in Champaign. The recording of Griffet's voice resulted in the Class 1 felony charges. Although the charges against Miller were dropped several weeks later, Thompson remains in jail on both the eavesdropping charge and charges of home invasion and sexual abuse from an unrelated case. His wife, Maria Thompson, said he is being unfairly singled out because he is a known police critic. [more ]

Dallas Police Beat Down Black Man During Drunk Stop

Arrest prompts lawsuit:
A Garland resident arrested for driving while intoxicated two years ago is suing the city, two police officers and current and former police chiefs, alleging that he was thrown face-first to the street without provocation. Christopher J. Reed, 34, pleaded guilty to the DWI charge and was sentenced to two years' probation and fined $3,000, said his attorney, James M. Murphy. But Mr. Reed suffered a nine-stitch gash in his chin and six broken or fractured teeth, the attorney said, and it will cost more than $25,000 to fix them. The suit seeks unspecified actual, punitive and other damages. Mr. Murphy released a police videotape that shows Officer Shawn J. Harrison, 31, telling Mr. Reed to place his hands on his head and face away from the patrol car. On the tape, Mr. Reed complies with Officer Harrison's order to turn away from the patrol car but keeps his arms thrust straight up. Officer Harrison then approaches Mr. Reed from behind, hooks his left arm around Mr. Reed's neck and throws him to the street. After cuffing the prone man's hands behind his back, Officer Harrison and a backup officer -- 34-year-old Gary W. Collins -- drag him to his feet. Mr. Reed's knees buckle twice as the officers take him to the patrol car. A male voice then says: "Slammed him. That's where he's bleeding from." [more ]

Oakland To Pay $15K Excessive Force Settlement to Black Man Beaten/ Shot by Cop

The Oakland City Council has voted to pay $15,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a Black man  who was shot by police and kicked in the groin after leading police on a high speed chase, slamming his car into a police car and allegedly pointing a gun at police. Troy Barnes, who was convicted of bank robbery for the Aug. 21, 1998, incident, is now serving a 75-year sentence at the Salinas Valley State Prison for multiple bank robberies.Shortly after the incident, Oakland police said officers fired multiple rounds at Barnes after he pointed a handgun at them. But Haddad said police officers shouted conflicting commands to Barnes to "freeze" and also to throw his gun out of the car. Haddad said police fired 51 shots at Barnes as he attempted to throw a gun out of his car. Haddad said Barnes didn't fire any shots and fell out of the car severely wounded. As Barnes lay on the ground bleeding profusely, Oakland Officer Edwin Somarriba kicked him in the groin, Haddad said. A videographer captured the incident on tape and it was shown on local television news programs. Barnes still hasn't recovered from all of his gunshot wounds. [more ]

Group calls for Probe in Killing of Indian Man Investigating Police Brutality

Petitions began circulating Tuesday night calling for a grand jury to investigate Cherokee County law enforcement, among other things. Nearly 20 people turned out for the first meeting of a group calling itself Cherokee County Citizens for Better Government. It was held in the 4-H building at the county fairgrounds. Among the issues the group wants a grand jury to investigate is the Aug. 26, 2003, death of Wyandotte, Okla., private investigator Jim Potts outside Galena. A gunshot entry wound was behind and below his right ear at the base of his skull. Investigators with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department quickly determined that the death was a suicide. Potts had been investigating allegations of police brutality by the Galena Police Department and then-police Chief Cameron Arthur for Joplin, Mo., attorney Roger Johnson. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has started its own investigation into Potts' death. "That's No. 1 on our agenda," said organizer Judy Evans at the end of the meeting. [more ]

Dallas Police Officer On Leave After Killing Man

A veteran Dallas police officer was put on routine leave Wednesday after police say he shot and killed a man overnight at a Comfort Suites hotel on Northwest Highway. The officer involved in the shooting was a 21-year veteran of the force. Investigators say the gunman and the officer both fired their weapon at about 12:30 a.m. Officers were told Eddie Welch, 28, was depressed and holding a handgun. The officers said they tried to talk Welch into surrendering so they could take him to Parkland Hospital for treatment. Police said Welch pointed the gun at police and opened fire, but were unsure who fired first. Welch's stepfather said a witness told him that Welch had put down his weapon and raised his hands before officers fired. Welch is from Stephenville. He was staying at the hotel while undergoing treatment for a bad back. [more ]

Delusional Cincy police ask for early release from review

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's request, made Tuesday, only concerns the deal with the Justice Department, known as the memorandum of agreement or MOA, which reviewed dozens of police procedures and suggested changes. It doesn't involve the separate settlement of a racial profiling lawsuit against police, known as the collaborative agreement, which focuses on improving police-community relations and changing how officers interact with residents. 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 wanted for various misdemeanors, sparked three nights of rioting.

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Protesters Decry Louisville Officer's Aquittal in Killing of Unarmed Black Man

Protesters Decry Louisville Police Officer's Aquittal in Killing of Unarmed Black Man
Verdict in Newby case spurs downtown march
Nearly 200 people gathered at Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville yesterday to protest alleged police brutality and the recent acquittal of former Louisville Metro Police Detective McKenzie Mattingly on four charges related to the shooting death of a 19-year-old black man in January. The Justice Resource Center has sponsored weekly marches outside police headquarters since last year. They began after a grand jury did not indict two white police detectives involved in the Dec. 5, 2002, shooting death of James Taylor, a handcuffed black man who police said was waving a box-cutter knife. The Rev. Louis Coleman, who leads the resource center, said yesterday that despite last week's verdict in the Michael Newby case, the protests will continue. Newby was shot Jan. 3 while running away after a struggle with Mattingly, an undercover officer. Mattingly, who is white, fired four times, hitting Newby three times in the back and killing him.  A Jefferson County jury acquitted Mattingly last week of murder, first- and second-degree manslaughter, and reckless homicide. Joe Madison, host of the "Black Eagle," a syndicated talk-radio program  told the group that the issue of police brutality is everywhere. "This is not just Louisville," Madison said. "This is America's fight." [more] and [more ]

• Pictured above:  Jerry Bouggess, Michael Newby's stepfather.

Activists Call for Congressional Help in Battle with Louisville Police

Civil rights activists, outraged by a white police detective's acquittal in a black teenager's death, have asked congressional black leaders to look into race relations.  The activists also threatened demonstrations that would fill jail cells with protesters if the police officer, McKenzie Mattingly, successfully appeals his firing by the city's police chief. The city remained calm after Mattingly was cleared Wednesday night of murder, manslaughter and reckless homicide charges by a Jefferson County Circuit Court jury consisting of 10 whites and two blacks. Mattingly, 31, shot 19-year-old Michael Newby three times in the back on Jan. 3 when an undercover drug bust went awry. Activists said they were not surprised by the verdict, but said it demonstrated that the justice system is not colorblind in the city. They accused prosecutors of a halfhearted effort in the case.  The Justice Resource Center, a civil rights group headed by Coleman, prepared a letter for the Congressional Black Caucus requesting hearings delving into race relations in Louisville. [more]

• Mayor, Chief Say Mattingly Won't Be Reinstated; Merit Board Has Final Word [more ]
• Mattingly's Wanton Endangerment Charge Could Be Thrown Out Today. The Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney will announce Monday whether he plans to pursue a wanton endangerment charge against former Metro police detective McKenzie Mattingly. A jury cleared Mattingly Wednesday on the most serious charges against him, including murder, in the shooting death of Michael Newby, 19, after an undercover drug deal turned violent. [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]