White Plains Officer who Taunted & Yelled N****r before Murdering Unarmed Black Marine Suspended

From [HERE] and [HERE] The city police officer who yelled "nigger" during the Nov. 19 standoff that ended with the death of a retired Black corrections officer and former Marine has been suspended without pay and now faces departmental disciplinary charges. Officer Steven Hart was presented with the charges Friday, Public Safety Commissioner David Chong said, and has until July 30 to respond. Chong would not say what the specific charges are, but said if found guilty he faces penalties ranging from a reprimand to dismissal from the police force. 

The shooting occurred in November after police responded to a call from the victim, Kenneth Chamberlain, who suffered from respiratory and heart problems, as he had set off his medical alert device, indicating he needed help. The encounter was recorded by audio and video devices. Transcripts from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office of audio recordings reveal Officer Steven Hart as the officer who said to Chamberlain, “Stop, we have to talk nigger” before police broke down his door.

Earlier this month the Chamberlain family filed a $21 million federal lawsuit, claiming among other things that cops taunted the 68-year-old Chamberlain for more than an hour before breaking down his apartment door. Police, responding to an accidentally activated medical alarm device, said Chamberlain, who had been drinking, attacked them with a knife and a hatchet and threatened to kill them.

Although Chamberlain insisted that he was OK and did not need help, police demanded that he open his door so they could check on him.

Click to read more ...

NYPD Shooting of Black Woman Stirs Protest in East Flatbush

From [HERE] As the sun beat down on the Saturday afternoon of July 7, a group of about 90 marchers made their way down Church Avenue in East Flatbush toward the 67th Precinct headquarters. “No justice, no peace,” they loudly chanted. “No racist police.”

The men, women and children wore T-shirts decorated with photos of Shantel Davis, a young woman shot and killed by a 67th Precinct officer less than a month earlier, on June 14. Due to the intense heat, many marchers fanned themselves with the small picket signs they carried. “WANTED FOR RACIST MURDER,” the signs read, accompanied by the images of three men — George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman accused in Trayvon Martin’s death; New York Police Department officer Richard Haste, who is at the center of a controversial shooting of a Bronx suspect; and Narcotics Detective Phillip Atkins, who was involved in the Davis incident.

Atkins, known around the neighborhood as “Bad Boy,” was the officer who shot Davis. During his career, he has often faced allegations of having used excessive force. That history, combined with the fact that the N.Y.P.D. has not yet met with East Flatbush’s community leaders to discuss improving police-community relations, has led to a series of weekly protest marches every Saturday since June 16.

Records show that Atkins has been a defendant in six federal lawsuits. A law-enforcement official said he also is the subject of a number of misconduct complaints lodged with the Civilian Complaint Review Board. An agency spokeswoman said the records aren't public, and the disposition of the complaints couldn't be determined.

• In the case that prompted the largest known settlement, Vincent Burgess said he was waiting in a Brooklyn lobby in March 2003 when Detective Atkins hit him with a walkie-talkie and arrested him without cause. Charges of obstruction of justice, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana were later dropped. The city settled the case for $50,000 in June 2005. "I think he's a bully," said Mr. Burgess, now 29.
• The city settled another false-arrest lawsuit in March for $20,000, although the complaint doesn't spell out Detective Atkins's alleged role in that case.
• The owner of a Brooklyn business received a $15,000 settlement in 2008 after claiming Detective Atkins and others illegally searched his business and car, records show. 
• Margaret Ferguson, then 39, lost her job after Detective Atkins arrested her in July 2007 for possession of marijuana, said her attorney. The charges were later dropped, and the case was settled for an unspecified amount. The two other lawsuits are pending, records show.  [MORE] 

Click to read more ...

Equitable Trial Against Racist Arizona Sheriff Begins - Plaintiffs Only Seek Apology

From [HERE] A civil rights trial against Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the self-styled "America's Toughest Sheriff," began today in which Arpaio and his department stand accused of racial profiling Latinos in Maricopa County. The class-action suit, which started with a complaint by a retired Mexican schoolteacher who was stopped in Arizona in 2007, has grown to encompass all Latinos who were stopped without probable cause from 2007 until the present.

"It's our view that the problem starts at the top," said Stan Young, an attorney for the plaintiffs, at the start of the federal trial today. Plaintiffs are not asking for damages, but rather an apology from the department and a change in policy. If found guilty, Arpaio will not face jail time or fines. Arpaio is expected to take the stand at some point during the bench trial. 

Click to read more ...

Officer Wants Case Dropped: Pleasantville (NY) Police Shot Black College Student, then Handcuffed & Left him in Street

From [HERE] A federal judge overseeing civil cases filed after a Pleasantville police officer shot and killed Danroy Henry Jr. expressed skepticism earlier today of a lawyer’s arguments to dismiss some claims against Officer Aaron Hess. The hearing turned testy at points, as U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas took Brian Sokoloff, a lawyer for Hess, to task. Sokoloff argued that some claims against Hess made by a plaintiffs’ attorney, Bonita Zelman, were overly broad and lacked evidence.  But Karas warned the lawyer that he may be wasting his time, since Hess is named in several other parts of the suit. “I would give that some thought before you ruin your summer,” the judge said. 

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. [MORE]

Click to read more ...

Nearly All White Jury Sees Pittsburgh Police Lawyers Ridicule Beating Version of Unarmed Black Teen‎

The Ghost of Rodney King? The Miles trial got underway on tues. The eight person jury selected has only one black person; five men and three women. Apparently there are no Latino jurors.  From [HERE] A young black man told jurors Thursday he was beaten by three white plainclothes police officers, then choked and told to "shut up" when he began praying during what he contends was a wrongful arrest on a snowy night more than two years ago.

The officers occasionally shook their heads while listening to testimony from 20-year-old Jordan Miles during their federal civil rights trial stemming from his Jan. 12, 2010, arrest. A district judge dismissed all criminal charges, including prowling and assault, against Miles two months later after expressing doubt about the officers' version of events. But on Thursday, the officers' attorneys were ridiculing Miles' version, in particular his claim that he didn't realize the plainclothes officers were police until uniformed officers showed up minutes later.

Defense attorney James Wymard sarcastically referred to his client and two other officers as the "three white mystery men" when cross-examining Miles and, at one point said, "You knew all along, Mr. Miles, that they were police officers." (whether he knew he was running from actual police officers or not - police had no right to beat him until he had brain damage. When they caught up with him they beat him into submission by delivering violent blows that left his face swollen and distorted. Police also used a stun gun and pulled out a chunk of his hair. The officers put him in handcuffs, and repeatedly shoved his face into the snow, causing a piece of wood to impale his gums, He is 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds and was unarmed. No weapons were found. He suffers from permanent brain damage. [MORE]) 

Click to read more ...

Wrongful Death Suit Settled with Feds: Latino Man Denied Medical Care at For-Profit Immigration Prison

From [HERE] The widow of a Mexican native who died while in the custody of federal immigration authorities in Georgia has reached a settlement with the government in the $1 million wrongful death lawsuit she filed in March. But attorneys representing the federal government, Sara Hernandez-Gonzalez and her late husband, Roberto Medina-Martinez, are declining to disclose the terms of their settlement. They intend to finalize their agreement by September and then file papers to dismiss the case, court records show. 

In March 2009, Roberto Martinez-Medina was detained and arrested for not having a driver’s license or proof of legal status. Immediately after his arrest, Medina was sent to CCA’s (Corrections Corporation of America) Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.  Less than a month later Roberto Martinez-Medina was dead.

The U.S. Government contracts with CCA to operate the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center. The ICE facility detains illegal aliens who are apprehended and placed into removal proceedings. During his detainment at Stewart Detention Center–the largest private prison in the country–Medina complained of a pre-existing heart ailment, but was denied medical care over several shifts. There is no medical service available at the detention center, and the nearest hospital is at least an hour away. The main reason for this lack of basic care: CCA had cut medical care costs and other basic needs to increase their quarterly and yearly profit.

Click to read more ...

Video Catches L.A. County Sheriff's Brutal Stomping & Beating of Limp Latino Man

From [HERE] and [HERE] While investigating another story, Telemundo's video team says it caught a brutal L.A. County Sheriff's arrest on tape -- adding to the leaning stack of "excessive force" allegations on some neglected desk at the sheriff's Internal Affairs Bureau. Video footage from an arrest the morning of Friday July 13 shows a young Latino man being slammed mercilessly into the sidewalk and a deputy stomping on his head.

Although he does not appear to be resisting the three Transit Services deputies who take him down one deputy in a green vest begins repeatedly elbowing/punching his face into the concrete. And, near the end of the arrest, the suspect is dealt a final crippling blow by the bottom of the deputy's boot. He instantly goes limp.

A news release from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, issued before the beating video surfaced, identifies the arrestee as 30-year-old Alexis Husmario Torres. He's currently being kept in the section of the L.A. County jail reserved for people with possible mental illness.  After deputies tried to take Torres into custody at 1st and Hill downtown, they say he became uncooperative and fought with deputies. As a result, the deputies and the suspect received minor injuries and were treated at area hospitals." Torres was booked for sexual battery and battery on a peace officer, as well as possessing a fake ID. 

Click to read more ...

Nearly All White Jury Empaneled in Miles Case: Trial begins in Pittsburgh Police Beating Case of Unarmed Black Teen

From [HERE] and [HERE] Jury selection in the federal civil rights trial of three white undercover police officers accused of beating and wrongfully arresting an 18-year-old black student at the city's performing arts high school appeared to be moving swiftly Monday. Most of the jury questioning was conducted in U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster's chambers. The judge had previously ordered that, indicating potential jurors would be more forthcoming when asked about their knowledge of the case and any racial or other biases they might hold if they were not asked such things in open court.

Jordan Miles, now 20, claims the officers accosted, chased and beat him for no reason other than he was a young black man walking in a high-crime area. The jury consists of six jurors and two alternate jurors. Lawyers for both sides selected them from 65 people whom the court called for jury duty from 13 counties in Western Pennsylvania. Out of the total jury pool only three were black, all men. The eight person jury selected has only one black person; five are men and three are women. Apparently there are no Latino jurors. 

Jordan claims undercover officers approached him without articulable suspicion. Officers chased him when he ran and when they caught up with him they beat him into submission by delivering violent blows that left his face swollen and distorted. Police also used a stun gun and pulled out a chunk of his hair. The officers put him in handcuffs, and repeatedly shoved his face into the snow, causing a piece of wood to impale his gums, Miles has said. He is 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds and was unarmed. No weapons were found. He suffers from permanent brain damage. [MORE] 

Click to read more ...

A Precondition to Genocide is a Disregard for Black Life: Report on the Extrajudicial Killing of 120 Black People

From [MXM] A human rights crisis confronts Black people in the United States. Since January 1, 2012, police and a much smaller number of security guards and self-appointed vigilantes have murdered at least 110 Black women and men. These killings are definitely not accidental or random acts of violence or the work of rogue cops. As we noted in our April 6th, 2012 “Trayvon Martin is All of US!” Report (see http://mxgm.org/trayvon-martin-is-all-of-us/), the use of deadly force against Black people is standard practice in the United States, and woven into to the very fabric of the society.

The corporate media have given very little attention to these extrajudicial killings. We call them “extrajudicial” because they happen without trial or any due process, against all international law and human rights conventions. Those few mainstream media outlets that mention the epidemic of killings have been are unwilling to acknowledge that the killings are systemic – meaning they are embedded in institutional racism and national oppression. On the contrary, nearly all of the mainstream media join in a chorus that sings the praises of the police and read from the same script that denounces the alleged “thuggery” of the deceased. Sadly, too many people believe the police version of events and the media’s “blame-the-victim” narratives that justify and support these extrajudicial killings.

However, we have studied each of the reports of these deaths — including false, implausible and inconsistent claims by police and witness reports that contradict police reports. From this study [HERE] and many peoples’ experience, we must reject the corporate media’s rationalization for the horrible fact that in the first six months of this year, one Black person every 40 hours was executed. This wanton disregard for Black life resulted in the killing of 13 year-old children, fathers taking care of their kids, women driving the wrong cars, as well as people with mental health and drug problems.

This report documents how people of African descent remain “without sanctuary” throughout the United States. Nowhere is a Black woman or man safe from racial profiling, invasive policing, constant surveillance, and overriding suspicion. All Black people – regardless of education, class, occupation, behavior or dress – are subject to the whims of the police whose institutionalized racist policies and procedures require them to arbitrarily stop, frisk, arrest, brutalize and even execute Black people.

Click to read more ...

Puerto Rico officer accused of firing at woman, 85

From [HERE] Authorities in Puerto Rico are investigating a policeman accused of firing at an 85-year-old handicapped woman who failed to stop after she backed into a car while leaving the grocery store. The officer, who was on his bicycle, shot at the woman's car nine times and hit it five times, Victor Carbonell, director of a special investigations unit that probes police shootings, said Tuesday.

One bullet went through the windshield on the driver's side and another through the driver's side window, he said. But no bullets struck the woman. "It's a miracle she's alive," Carbonell said, adding that it is unclear whether Catalina Reyes Rivera knew she had hit someone when she put the car in reverse. He said the woman inside the car that Reyes hit flagged down the officers who gave chase and forced Reyes out of the car at gunpoint and ordered her to kneel.

Reyes's daughter, Rosa Elsie Rosado, told reporters that her mother has two prosthetic knees. "It was horrific. I never imagined that something like this could happen, much less to my mother," she said. "He didn't notice that she was an elderly person ... He kept shooting like she was an animal."

Click to read more ...