'Non-whites are not treated as well as whites - both as victims of crime and as criminal defendants. Prosecutorial discretion is a major cause of racial inequality in the criminal justice system.' - Angela Davis
From [HERE] and [MORE] The Bucks County district attorney on Thursday cleared Tullytown police of any wrongdoing when they used a Taser last month on a handcuffed Black teen who had run from them and then fell - allegedly on his face.
The 14-year-old suffered numerous facial injuries. A photo of his bruised and scabbed face, which went viral, prompted the investigation. The boy's family said it remained unsatisfied with the district attorney's conclusion and repeated claims of excessive force after the boy was arrested on shoplifting charges. The family's attorney is conducting an independent investigation. The FBI is reviewing the matter as well. Fortunato N. Perri Jr., the family's Center City-based attorney, said medical professionals had told the family that the boy's injuries were inconsistent with Tullytown's account.
During an hour-plus news conference, District Attorney David Heckler, who is white, said his conclusion was based on the accounts of five witnesses, the boy's statements after his arrest, video from two police cars, and other evidence. "This all happened in front of literally hundreds of people," Heckler said. Prosecutors are still pursuing juvenile shoplifting and other charges against the teenager.
The Bristol Township teen, Joey Williams, and a Black man he was with had been chased down by the police after allegedly shoplifting from a Walmart store on Route 13, one of the busiest roads in Bucks County. Both were handcuffed and standing outside an SUV they had been in when the boy took off, according to police-car video footage Heckler showed reporters. He declined to release copies of the video because the boy is a minor.
Mysteriously, the police car cameras did not capture the actual use of the Taser. They only showed the boy before and after the incident, including him sitting in the back of a police car with a Taser barb in his cheek.
White Prosecutor says police shot him in back and face for his safety. Heckler said police were justified in using the Taser to prevent the boy from running handcuffed into heavy traffic and to protect the officers' safety on a busy road. Williams was running away from the police. He added that the boy's facial injuries were consistent with someone who suffered a Taser barb to the cheek and then "face planted" after the fall. He said one of the Taser barbs struck the boy in the check because he turned his face while running. [unforeseeable conduct? - shooting a handcuffed person who is running in the back and not expecting him to fall on his face.]
The officers yelled warnings at the teen before firing a stun gun to subdue him, Heckler said. With his hands cuffed behind his back, the boy was unable to brace himself when he fell face-first. Heckler added that the boy told authorities after his arrest that no one had hit him during the incident.
The boy's family disputes Heckler's account. Greg Brinkley, an advocate for the family, told reporters the teen suffered a concussion and was remembering more from his arrest, including being "aggressively attacked." Brinkley said the use of the Taser was excessive and unnecessary because the boy was running away from traffic, not into it.
"This certainly by no means closes our investigation," Perri said.
Carrie Adamowski, an FBI spokeswoman, confirmed that the agency was reviewing the incident. Tullytown police had requested that both the FBI and the District Attorney's Office investigate the matter.
To the extent that you might be dealing with a racist police officer, attempt to comply with orders. In face to face confrontations with police, white supremacy is your reality. All of your so-called rights may be dealt with later in court - should they allow it. Nevertheless, avoid incriminating yourself or participating in your own oppression. "You already know that, why act like you don't?"