Lawsuit Alleges San Jose Police Attacked Unarmed Latino Man after Minor Traffic Violation

In the case of Jesus "Jessie" and Cristela Gomez, the two were driving near their home in the early morning of Oct. 25, 2008, when they were pulled over by Officer Paul Fukuma near Mabury Road and Salt Lake Drive, according to a lawsuit filed on their behalf. The lawyer alleges that the minor traffic violation stop quickly turned violent when Fukuma yanked Jessie Gomez's arms upward and demanded that he stop resisting.

"I'm not resisting," Jessie Gomez yelled, according to the suit. The officer threw Gomez to the ground, banging his face against the pavement and knelt on him, the suit says. He blacked out.Then, Fukuma and another officer picked him up and slammed him face down on the patrol car trunk.

"You're going down, (expletive)," one officer said, according to the suit. Then he tripped the suspect and made him fall face down; the plaintiff was bleeding profusely from his face, the suit alleges.

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Black Woman Claims Mobile Police Assaulted her

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Shuterra Holley, 19, said she was trying to get the attention of a Mobile police officer after a fight broke out at the Club Vivd in downtown Mobile. She claims the officer threw her to the sidewalk, chipping her front teeth and cutting open her lip.

At around 1 a.m. Friday morning, a man threw a punch inside the club and struck Holley's cousin, Synia Smith. Security escorted some people outside, including the two girls. Holley tried to get the attention of a police officer. She said she tried to tell the officer who the violent man was, but she did not get the reaction she was looking for.

"He came to me and said, 'I'm tired of you.' And he just grabbed me by my hair and threw me on the ground and slammed my face to the ground. My teeth came out of my mouth. It was busted up and everything," said Holley. She was not arrested or charged, but she was rushed sraight to the hospital.

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Trenton Police Shoot, Kill Unarmed Black Man who 'acted in a threatening manner''

From [HERE] and [HERE] TRENTON — Three Trenton police officers shot and killed an unarmed man after police say the man raised his hand as if he had a gun. The man was identified as 31-year-old Corey Brown of Trenton.

Police responded to a report of an assault in progress about 1:20 a.m. Monday and were advised the suspect might be armed. They saw Brown walking from the area. Police say Brown put his hand into waistband as if he had a weapon and ignored officers' commands to show his hands. The officers fired when Brown raised his hand as if he had a gun. After he raised his hands, all three officers fired at least once, police said. Thus far, the media has not talked to any witnesses. 

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No Liability for West Memphis Officers who Gunned Down 12 Yr. Black Boy

From [HERE] JONESBORO, Ark. — After only three hours of deliberations, a federal jury decided Friday that two West Memphis police officers cannot be held liable for the death of a 12-year-old boy, whose family filed a $250 million lawsuit after he was fatally shot by police.

Officer Sammis said he believed DeAunta Farrow was holding a gun when he and Evans, who were conducting nighttime surveillance, came upon the boy and his then-14-year-old cousin, Unseld Nance Jr., in a dimly lit parking lot in June 2007. Investigators later said DeAunta was holding a toy gun.

But DeAunta's family said the boy was not armed and filed the lawsuit against the officers, alleging they used excessive force and violated the children's civil rights. 

The family's attorney, Bennie O'Neil, said no decision has been made whether to appeal Friday's verdict. "I'm a little surprised," O'Neil said. "I thought their conduct on June 22 (2007) was unreasonable."

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Providence Officer Guilty of Assault with a Deadly Weapon in Coma Beating of Handcuffed Latino Man

From [HERE] PROVIDENCE, R.I.—A jury found a Providence police detective guilty Friday on charges that he struck a handcuffed suspect with a flashlight but acquitted him on a lesser assault charge.

Robert DeCarlo was convicted on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon but was found not guilty on a count of simple assault, said Craig Berke, a spokesman for the Rhode Island judiciary. The jury returned the verdict in Providence Superior Court hours after beginning deliberations Friday morning.

"Today's verdict sends a strong message," Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin said. "Excessive force by a police officer against a detained suspect is a breach of the public's trust and will not be tolerated."

DeCarlo remains free on bond pending sentencing. A date has not yet been set. Assault with a dangerous weapon carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors argued that DeCarlo, 46, attacked Luis Mendonca deliberately and out of anger, knocking the 22-year-old unconscious with a flashlight blow to the head.

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Racist Cops Continue to Taunt Danroy Henry's Family: Officers object to fundraiser in memory of Black College Student Killed by Police

From [HERE] A  Brockton police officer used his work email to send a message to a restaurant holding a benefit to honor the late Danroy “DJ” Henry of Easton, asking when a similar event would be held for the police officers involved in Henry’s fatal shooting in New York.

“Please let me know when the benefit is being held for the two police officers that were struck and killed by the drunk driver,” wrote Patrolman Scott D. Uhlman. “I will charter a bus and fill it up with people who would spend money at Uno’s for a good cause.”

The three-day fundraiser, held in February at Uno Chicago Grill in Taunton, raised $5,000 for the DJ Dream Fund, a nonprofit group founded by the Henry family that will award money to children younger than 18 for the purchase of sports equipment and to pay athletic fees and gym memberships.

Henry, 20, a student at Pace University, was shot and killed by police on Oct. 17 in a shopping plaza in suburban New York. He was unarmed and witnesses say he complied with police orders. His family on Wednesday filed a wrongful-death civil suit against, Aaron Hess the officer who shot him to death.That officer, Aaron Hess, was named “Officer of the Year” last week by his union.[MORE] 

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Black Man Files Suit Against Birmingham Police for "Savage Beating" Captured on Video

Surrendering Unarmed, Black Man Beaten by Police in front of Police Station

From [HERE] BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Travarious Daniel, a Black man whose arrest by Birmingham police was caught on videotape has filed a federal lawsuit claiming his civil rights were violated when officers repeatedly hit and kicked him though he was trying to comply with their demands. 

The complaint states, "while his hands were in the air, and during a time when he demonstrated no hostile or aggressive attitude or behavior, and in fact was making efforts to comply with instructions from the officers, Daniel was savagely attacked and beaten by the officers," the lawsuit reads. "Daniel did not have any weapons or drugs on or with him and did not pose any threat to the police officers or any other person."

While the officers were brutally assaulting Daniel and using excessive force, Daniel was lying on his stomach and offering not threat of harm to the officers, according to the lawsuit. At least one or more officers used weighted gloves to strike Daniel in the back and side of the head with the intent to cause permanent and disabling injuries.

During that time, the suit reads, another officer pummeled Daniel with his fist numerous times to his head and upper body. Other officers were using their knees and feet to kick and strike Daniel numerous times about his body while he lay prone on his stomach on the side walk. The complaint says Daniel was rendered unconscious.

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NYPD Handcuffed Black First Grader- Police say 'he was a danger'

From [HERE] and [HERE] A family is outraged after a 7-year-old boy, a special education student, was handcuffed by the NYPD at his school. NYPD cops handcuffed Joseph Anderson because he was ‘acting in a threatening manner’ at school after becoming upset while decorating an Easter egg.Cops say they were protecting the boy and others after his emotional outburst. His mother says it was just plain wrong. 

School staff threatened to send him to the hospital if he did not calm down - and he jumped up, saying: ‘I just want my mummy,’ his mother told the New York Daily News.

The NYPD has also defended its actions, with a spokesman saying he was ‘acting in a threatening manner’ and another source claiming he was waving scissors. ‘He was a danger to himself and others in the classroom,’ a spokesman told the New York Daily News.

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Family of Black College Student Killed by Pleasantville Police files lawsuit - Demands Release of Video

From [HERE] EASTON -- The family of Danroy “D.J.” Henry Jr., the Pace University football player from Easton who was fatally shot by police in New York in the fall, has formally filed a lawsuit against the police officer who fired the fatal bullets. 

The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in White Plains, N.Y., alleges Pleasantville Police Officer Aaron Hess showed a “reckless disregard for human life, most specifically the life of Danroy Henry Jr.” The lawsuit alleges that Henry's civil rights were violated, and seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Henry’s family said they wanted to use the lawsuit to compel New York authorities to release evidence in the case, including audio and video recordings, as well as Hess’s testimony about the incident and his personnel file.

Henry, a 20-year-old junior at the university located in Pleasantville, was shot outside a bar in the early morning hours after a homecoming game celebration. Two officers fired, but it is believed that Hess fired the fatal shots.

Several witnesses, including passengers of Henry’s car, said he drove away because an officer had ordered him to leave the fire lane. Before he could slow down, Hess jumped in front of the vehicle, onto the hood, and started firing, they said.

The passenger in the car, Brandon Cox, told authorities that Henry slowed down before he was shot by police. [MORE] According to witness testimony, Henry was handcuffed and placed on the sidewalk, where he lay dying. He was left on the street for 15 minutes without any medical attention.

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Lying Providence Police Officer says he didn't know Unresisting Latino Man was Handcuffed before he Beat him into Coma

From [HERE] and [HERE] PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The trial of a Providence Detective accused of police brutality continued Tuesday. Veteran Providence Police Detective Robert DeCarlo took the stand in his own defense.

"What was your sense at the moment you realized he [Luis Mendonca] was in handcuffs?"

"I couldn't believe I did it, did this type of force on this guy that was already handcuffed. I was disgusted," said DeCarlo in court.

DeCarlo is on trial for allegedly striking and kicking Luis Mendonca in Providence back in October of 2009. DeCarlo claims he used necessary forced to subdue Mendonca, because he was resisting arrest. The incident was caught on video by a nearby surveillance camera. [SEE it HERE] 

Mendonca was knocked unconscious and suffered a severe gash in his head that was closed with eight staples. Mendonca's attorney claimed his client was in a coma for two days following the incident. 

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