Suit Filed Against Gainesville Police - Officer Turned Dog Loose on 10 Year Old Black Boy

From [HERE] Without a word of warning, a Gainesville policeman sicced a police dog on a 10-year-old black child who was picking up his mother's mail, and when the mom complained, the cop said the boy "shouldn't have run," the mother claims in court. Cheron Hampton-Bates and her son Bryce Bates sued Gainesville and its Police Cpl. Timothy Durst, in Federal Court.

The mother says Durst was responding to a 911 call from a mentally ill woman who was known for filing false reports, and that Durst chased her son even though he did not match the description of the alleged "suspects" provided by the caller. "On or about June 16, 2010, at 3:20 p.m., plaintiff Bates was riding his bicycle through his apartment complex in the City of Gainesville, heading through the parking lot to his mailbox to get the family's mail for his mother," the complaint states. "At the time of the incident, Bates was 10 years old, attended the fifth grade, stood less than 5 feet tall and weighed approximately 95 pounds. He is an African American.

"While Bates was riding his bicycle to the mailbox, several police cars pulled in to the apartment complex at emergency speed. The officers were responding to a 911 call from a mentally ill woman who suffered from delusions. This woman had a history of calling 911 so frequently that she was known to dispatch to be a mentally ill caller whose reports were unreliable. On this day, her reported complaint was that three Hispanic teenagers, two males and one female, were inside her apartment in the process of committing a burglary. 

"Prior to the date of the incident, Bates had been instructed by his mother to come inside if he saw police in the complex. Accordingly, when Bates saw a police car speeding toward him, he dropped his bicycle in fear and ran to the door of his apartment, yelling 'Mom!' "Corporal Durst stopped his patrol vehicle and pursued Bates on foot but gave no verbal commands. "Shortly thereafter, Corporal Durst released his police canine and commanded it to apprehend plaintiff. Pursuant to the canine's training, it had been taught to apprehend suspects by biting them and then holding, or, if need be, continuously reestablishing the bite until the canine is removed from the suspect by its police handler. "As he reached the door to his apartment, Bates was overtaken by the canine which, in accordance with its training, bit Bates repeatedly as he struggled in fear to get away.

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Black Woman dies in NY county jail awaiting deportation

From [HERE] A man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit after his wife died in a New York county jail while awaiting deportation to France. The woman’s husband -- from the North Shore -- claims his wife didn't get the medication she needed to treat a heart condition. Irene Bamenga, 29, lived in Lynn with her husband for several years. She was a cook and an aspiring social worker.

“She was complaining of chest pains and she was having difficulty breathing,” said Yodi Zikianda, victim’s husband. That was one of the last conversations Zikianda had with his wife. The French citizen died of congestive heart failure in an Albany, New York jail, according to the family’s attorney. Bamenga was being detained when she and her husband tried crossing into Canada. Her husband said she did that so she could fly to France to clear up her immigration issues. Zikianda said his wife had a plane ticket, but U.S. immigration authorities would not allow her to leave.

“Her ‘crime’ was attempting to leave. The reason she was detained is because some stamps were missing in her valid French passport,” said Alex MacDonald, attorney. Bamenga’s U.S. visa was expired by several years, though her husband is living in the U.S. legally.

Zikianda said his wife took six different medications for her condition. He also said immigration authorities assured them that she would receive her medication. But Zikianda said she did not. Medical records show Bamenga wrote to the doctors and nurses in jail that she was experiencing shortness of breath and palpitations. She also wrote, “I am not being given the full dosage of my medications.” Bamenga died two days later.

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14 Specific Allegations of NYPD Brutality During Occupy Wall Street

From [HERE] An investigation undertaken by law clinics at NYU, Fordham, Harvard, and Stanford has concluded, after eight months of study, that the NYPD abused Occupy Wall Street protesters and violated their rights on numerous occasions during the 2011 protests that radiated out from Zuccotti Park. Their report, Suppressing Protest: Human Rights Violations in the U.S. Response to Occupy Wall Street, was released today. It focuses on transgressions against international law.

Most arresting were its specific descriptions of alleged police misconduct. Scores of examples were offered. Here are a few:

• A café employee at work near Union Square heard a passing Occupy march, went outside, and decided to begin filming after seeing police using what he felt was excessive force on protesters. Video evidence shows a white-shirted police officer pushing the café employee, camera in hand. It appears that the employee then began speaking to the officer while holding both hands in the air as the officer approached him. In an interview, the employee stated that he asked the officer why he was pushing and told the officer, "I'm just taking pictures." Video then shows the officer grabbing the employee by the wrist, and flipping him hard to the ground face-first, in what was described as a "judo-flip." The employee stated that he was subsequently charged with "blocking traffic" and "obstructing justice."

• Video shows that an officer drove a scooter at a crowd of people, including journalists and legal observers. The video then shows a legal observer lying on the ground screaming, his foot under the scooter. A second video shows the observer on the ground with his foot under the scooter. A third video shows that the observer kicked the scooter off or away from his leg, at which point officers dragged the observer several feet and began to cuff him. While he was being cuffed, an officer pushed the observer's face into the pavement by pressing his baton across the back of the observer's neck.

• A member of the Research Team observed an officer push and then throw a male protester into the air for no apparent reason as he walked, with many other protesters, near parked police scooters. The protester fell hard to the ground and was not arrested.

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Oakland Police Contradicting Themselves in Police Shooting Death of Black Teen

Initially Officer Claimed Blueford Shot at Police. Now Police say Gun was never Fired - Officer Shot Himself

[PDF of the federal lawsuit here.] A witness observed what appeared to be a small black gun about twenty feet from Blueford further up the driveway, but claims the teenager made no effort to recover the weapon. The lawsuit claims that as Alan attempted to get up off the concrete, Officer Masso fired four shots, striking the teenager three times, once in the left shoulder, and on both sides of his upper chest.

The fourth shot has been the greatest source of controversy. In his report, Alameda County Coroner's investigator Solomon Unubun wrote that OPD Officer Justin Buna contacted him at 1:29 a.m. on May 6 and "told me the decedent, an unidentified African-American male, had been shot by an OPD Officer, after the decedent brandished a firearm during a foot pursuit and shot at the officer." Initial media reports also noted an exchange of gunfire, stating that Officer Masso had been wounded by the suspect's weapon. However, on May 8, OPD issued a press release stating that Masso had shot himself in the foot with the fourth round and that the pistol recovered at the scene had not been fired.

According to Unubun's report, Officer Buna also informed Unubun that Blueford's body had been moved to Highland Hospital after his death had been pronounced at 12:20 a.m. because "the scene was unsafe," a decision made by OPD Lieutenant James Meeks.

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Suit: Harvey (IL) Police Pepper Sprayed, Assaulted Paralyzed Black Man in wheel chair

From [HERE] Marc Miller claims he was filming police search a car with his cell phone in August 2010 when police demanded the phone—but when he declined to turn it over he was pepper sprayed, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Miller, who was paralyzed in a 1991 shooting, claims he noticed police searching the car in a “very aggressive manner” while he was in his wheelchair in 1800 block of West 157th Street in Harvey.

The police grabbed Miller by his hair and threw him from his wheelchair, the suit claims, and police pepper-sprayed him. The police then knelt on Miller’s back and forced his face into the ground, according to the suit.

The two-count suit claims Harvey police used excessive force on Miller, and seeks unspecified punitive damages. A spokesperson for the city of Harvey could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

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24 arrested at police protests in Anaheim: Feds to Review 2 Separate Police Shootings of Unarmed Latino Men

From [HERE] Anaheim's mayor says federal officials have agreed to review two deadly police shootings after a fourth day of violent protests. Mayor Tom Tait says he'll meet with members of the U.S. attorney's office and the FBI on Friday.

Authorities say as many as 1,000 demonstrators surged through downtown in the Southern California city Tuesday night, smashing windows on 20 businesses and setting trash fires. Police and patrol cars were pelted with rocks and bottles. Hundreds of police used batons, pepper balls and beanbag rounds.

The violence is a reaction to the deaths of two unarmed Latino Men who were both killed by police; Manuel Diaz (in photo left) was shot by police on Saturday and Jose Acevedo (in photo right) was gunned by cops on Monday. The police have implied that the shootings were somehow justified by both men's alleged gang affiliation. Never mind the circumstances. As usual, when it comes to brown people shot by police, to the media, whatever the police say happened, they agree. Such is the devaluation of Black and Latino lives to white people - another precondition of genocide. And please - don't blame the guns.

Witnesses says Diaz Shot in the Back

Diaz was shot around 4 p.m. in front of an apartment complex on the 600 block of North Anna Drive following a foot chase, Anaheim Sgt. Bob Dunn said. He died three hours later at a hospital. Crystal Ventura, a 17-year-old who witnessed the shooting, told the Register the man had his back to the officer. She said he was shot in the buttocks area. The man then went down on his knees, and she said he was struck by another bullet in the head. Another officer handcuffed the man who by then was on the ground and not moving, Ventura said.

“They searched his pockets, and there was a hole in his head, and I saw blood on his face,” she said.

Crystal Ventura, a 17-year-old who witnessed the shooting, told the Register the man had his back to the officer. She said the man was shot in the buttocks area. The man then went down on his knees, and she said he was struck by another bullet in the head. Another officer handcuffed the man who by then was on the ground and not moving, Ventura said. “They searched his pockets, and there was a hole in his head, and I saw blood on his face,” she said.

Witnesses says Acevedo Shot after being Handcuffed

The Police shooting of Acevedo took place on Sunday when anti-gang crime officers spotted a stolen SUV and started chasing it. Three suspects were said to have jumped out of the SUV, with police continuing their pursuit on foot. The men reportedly opened fire at an officer, and the policeman retaliated by shooting dead one of the shooters.   However, eyewitnesses say police shot Acevedo who was already handcuffed, OC Weekly reports. According to OC Weekly, and citing eyewitness accounts, police shot dead a handcuffed man on the 400 block of West Guinida Lane. [MORE]  

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Family Claims Dallas Police Shot Unarmed Black Man in the Back During Chase

In photo Dallas Police minority outreach riot control. From [HERE] and [HERE] Police in riot gear held back an angry crowd in South Dallas for hours Tuesday after an officer fatally shot a suspect. Hundreds converged outside Dixon’s Grocery a block or two from where the dead man lay face down in a grassy lot. Rumors spread among the crowd that the man, identified by police as James Harper, had been unarmed and shot in the back by police while fleeing.  Dallas Police Chief David Brown addressed the media Tuesday night after an officer involved shooting in Southeast Dallas left one man dead.

Brown said the police department received a 911 phone call around 5 p.m. stating that a man had been dragged into a house with his hands tied behind his back. Police later believed that phone call was bogus and that the call was possibly one drug family that was attempting to lure police to a drug house of another drug family in the neighborhood. Brown told reporters that three officers arrived on scene on the 5300 block of Bourquin Street to find four men inside the home attempting to “scurry” out of doors and windows.  Brown said officers saw a handgun on a table in the house.

According to Brown, Ofc. Brian Rowden, an eight year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, pursued James Harper, 31, on foot.  Police said the pursuit included fist fights and jumping over three fences.  Brown said after the third fence, Rowden was barely hanging onto Harper and was fatigued when Harper said, “You are going to have to kill me." Brown said Rowden feared for his life, pulled his weapon and shot Harper, who then collapsed.  While witnesses on scene believed Harper had been shot in the back, Brown said it appeared he had been shot in the stomach and hand. Officers did not find a gun on him. The Dallas County Medical Examiner will determine the final cause of death.

Police were able to capture one other suspect.  Police were also able to find crack cocaine in the house and in the yard on the side of the home, according to Brown.

Brown told the media that investigators have not yet determined if officers were fired upon, but he believed Harper did not have a gun at the time of the shooting.

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Family of Unarmed Latino Man Shot to Death by Anaheim Police sues city for $50 Million

From [HERE] The mother of a man shot and killed by Anaheim police filed a civil-rights and wrongful-death lawsuit Tuesday against the Police Department and city alleging that her unarmed son was fired upon from behind and then,  when he fell to his knees, shot execution-style in the back of the head.

The FBI also announced Tuesday it would review Saturday's shooting after Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait called for both a state and federal investigation, in addition to the probe by the Orange County district attorney. Manuel Diaz's mother and family filed the lawsuit in federal court, seeking $50 million.

They asked residents in Anaheim's heavily Latino core to refrain from violence. "This is wrong and needs to stop on both sides," his mother, Genevieve Huizar, said in a statement. Anger from the shooting boiled over Saturday as the wounded man lay handcuffed on an apartment complex lawn as bystanders shouted at police to get Diaz medical aid.

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Neighbor Tells Nearly All White Jury that Pittsburgh Police Lied in Beating case of Unarmed Black Student

From [HERE] A Pittsburgh woman testified that three white plainclothes police officers did not ask whether she knew a young black man or whether he had permission to be on her property the night the man claims he was wrongly arrested and beaten by the officers. Monica Wooding's testimony came Tuesday in the federal civil rights trial of a lawsuit against the officers by 20-year-old Jordan Miles.

"I wasn't asked that," Wooding testified, explaining she knew Miles and his family well.

One of the officers had previously testified at a hearing on Miles' criminal charges that police held a flashlight up to Miles' face that night before Wooding denied knowing him or giving him permission to be on her property.

But Wooding said she's sure that never happened because a police wagon — which she learned days later held Miles — was driving away by the time she opened her upstairs bedroom window to ask police about the commotion in her front yard.

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Holder to Announce New Orleans Police Reforms

From [HERE] Attorney General Eric Holder will announce a series of court-supervised reforms of the New Orleans Police Department on Tuesday that are some of the broadest and strictest ever imposed on a law-enforcement agency. The agreement between the Justice Department and the city — in the form of a federal consent decree — is designed to clean up a police force that has been plagued by decades of corruption and mismanagement and came under renewed scrutiny after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

The agreement will require the police department to overhaul policies and procedures for training, interrogations, searches and arrests, use of photo lineups, recruitment and supervision, according to a government official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been made public.

Among its provisions:

— All officers will be required to receive at least 24 hours of training on stops, searches and arrests; 40 hours of use-of-force training; and four hours of training on bias-free policing within a year of the agreement taking effect.

— All interrogations involving suspected homicides or sexual assaults will have to be recorded in their entirety on video. The department also will be required to install video cameras and location devices in all patrol cars and other vehicles within two years.

— The department will be required to completely restructure the system for paying officers for off-duty security details, develop a new report format for collecting data on all stops and searches and create a recruitment program to increase diversity among its officers.

— The city and Justice Department will pick a court-supervised monitor to regularly assess and report on the police department's implementation of the requirements.

— The city and police department can ask a judge to dissolve the agreement after four years, but only if they can show they have fully complied with its requirements for two years.

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