NAACP Wants Independent Probe into Frederick County Police Taser Death of Black Man

A call for a federal investigation by the family of a Frederick man who was tasered by law enforcement and later died.  This is days after a grand jury cleared the sheriff's deputy of wrongdoing.  Dennis Edwards has more on who's upset and why. A Frederick County grand jury found Cpl. Rudy Torres justified in his use of a taser twice on 20-year-old Jarel Gray, but a separate NAACP investigation produced witnesses that say there was an ongoing dispute between Gray and Torres and that he posed no threat when Torres tasered him a second time. "It hurts.  It really hurts.  You know, he was young and it's just like I lost a part of me and nobody seems to understand this," said Anna Thomas, Jarel's grandmother. Gray's family and the NAACP want the FBI and the Maryland attorney general's office to do an independent investigation.  At an NAACP news conference, Frederick County's state's attorney faced tough questions about the grand jury and the county's use of a weapon that's claimed more than 200 lives nationally.

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Video catches Indianapolis Metro Police kicking Subdued Latino Man after chase

An early morning chase today ended with a man being Tasered and kicked by police officers who said he was resisting arrest and trying to escape. A WTHR (Channel 13) helicopter took video of officers kicking Felipe Alvarado, 26, at least five times as he was on the ground. In the end, Officer Jason Scott appears to shove Alvarado’s head down with his foot. One blow appeared to strike Elverado's head while arms were pinned behind his back. Police said the officers' actions appeared to be justified. "The kicks are beyond reasonable force," said the Rev. David W. Greene of Second Baptist Church on the city's north side. "I'm questioning the mentality of police officers. Do they believe they are above the law?" Today’s chase began about 6:45 a.m., when witnesses told police a man who had broken into several vehicles was fleeing in a van near Mitthoefer Road and East 21st Street.

The driver led police on a 10-minute pursuit that ended when the van spun in a field north of 21st Street and Riley Avenue. Police said the man ran across nearby railroad tracks, where officers caught him. One fired his Taser, Mount said, sending the man to the ground. The video shows two officers struggling to subdue the man. The video apparently shows one officer kicking the suspect three times and the other kicking him twice. Scott then approaches and uses a foot to deliver a blow to the man’s head. Mount said Scott appeared to be using his foot to push the man’s head down while the man was in handcuffs.

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NYPD Disciplines White Officer Who Stopped Black Commander

A white city police officer has been disciplined after acting in a discourteous manner after he confronted a black motorist in the borough of Queens. On May 2, two officers approached and began questioning a motorist who was sitting in his car. One of the officers tried to wrest open the car door. It turned out the motorist was Douglas Zeigler, the head of the Police Department’s Community Affairs Bureau and the highest uniformed black officer on the force. The incident comes at a time when the New York police are coming under increasing scrutiny for racial profiling. During the first three months of the year, the police stopped and frisked a record 145,000 people—most were black or Latino. [MORE]

Cogressional Public forum on Police accountability may lead to changes in Funding

A congressional committee Monday heard civil rights crusaders, academics and frustrated Sean Bell supporters demand a massive overhaul to police departments in New York and nationwide to end excessive force deaths. "This is not a New York matter anymore _ it is international," said Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which held a public forum on police accountability at the Customs House in lower Manhattan, N.Y. The committee, which has influence over federal funding of police departments, will recommend changes in police training, funding and policies to reduce instances of racial profiling and excessive force.

Like other such cases of deadly force, the 50-shot killing of Bell, 23, has again called into question police conduct. Last month's acquittal of the three undercover officers charged in the Nov. 25, 2006, death led to citywide protests calling for civil rights prosecution of the officers and immediate policing reforms.

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16 Year Old Latino Boy Stomped in Alley by Denver Police Officer was Handcuffed, Unarmed

Police Report says Officer Jumped on his back at least 4 Times
A Denver Police officer was arrested Thusrday after being accused of beating a 16-year-old boy. The officer in question is Charles Porter, a member of the Denver Gang Unit. Porter, 40, was arrested and booked into jail Thursday. He is now facing second degree felony assault charges in the beating of Juan Vasquez. He has since bonded out. He has also been suspended without pay. Porter's accused of kicking, punching and beating Vasquez three weeks ago in an alley in North Denver while Vasquez was handcuffed and on the ground. The statement of probable cause signed by police Sgt. Paul Jimenez states that on April 18, a foot chase ensued after Porter saw Vasquez consuming what appeared to be alcohol in the 1500 block of West 37th Avenue. The statement adds that two Denver police officers witnessed the incident and identified Porter as the officer who jumped up and down on Vasquez's back.

Felipe Vasquez. said "they beat him bad. If I did that to a 16-year-old kid, I'd be in jail right now. They beat my little brother inside out. They kicked him, they kicked his body and made his liver bleed," said Felipe. He said the beating was so brutal, the family posted fliers all over the neighborhood asking anyone who may have witnessed the beating for more information,.

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Videotaped Philadelphia Police Beating of Black Men a Case of Mistaken Identity, Cover-Up Alleged

Attorneys for three men beaten by Philadelphia police claim the officers concocted a story that the trio were shooting suspects to cover up a case of mistaken identity , an allegation police vehemently deny. The lawyers said their clients , Brian Hall, 23, Dwayne "Lionel" Dyches, 24, and Pete Hopkins, 19 , were not involved in a shooting. Police chased their car and beat them because they mistook Dyches, a passenger, for a man allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of an officer last weekend, the attorneys said. Dyches' attorney, Eldridge Suggs, showed photos of Dyches and suspect Eric Floyd at a news conference Friday and called the resemblance "uncanny." Floyd was eventually captured and charged in the murder of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski. "All they've done is make up some facts to account for the beating," Suggs said. "And the reason why they beat this man is because he looked so much like the cop-killer."

Police and city leaders have denied a cover-up.

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Frederick County (MD) Deputy Won't Face Criminal Charges for Killing Black Man with Taser

(AP) The attorney for a Frederick County sheriff's deputy who delivered a fatal electronic shock to a 20-year-old man says his client is gratified that he won't face criminal charges. A grand jury ruled Friday that Corporal Rudy Torres was justified in using his Taser to subdue 20-year-old Jarrel Gray after Gray did not obey commands to show his hands last November. Gray was shocked twice and died three hours later. Torres' lawyer, Patrick McAndrew, says his client's actions "were legally justified and in accordance with agency procedures." Ted Williams, a lawyer hired by Gray's family, says he wasn't surprised the grand jury did not pursue charges.

He says no Frederick County deputy has ever been indicted for, in his words, "murdering a black man." Williams says the family may take the case to the Justice Department.

Judge reinstates Notorious B.I.G. lawsuit

A judge has reinstated a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the family of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G., reversing an earlier decision to dismiss the case. U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper threw out the lawsuit March 21 after determining the family missed a state deadline for bringing a claim against the city and two former police officers. The lawsuit was originally filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, then moved to federal court. The family appealed, and the judge reversed her decision after finding federal claims in the case can proceed, according to court papers obtained Thursday. Cooper gave the family 20 days to file a new lawsuit and drop the state claims. B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was gunned down March 9, 1997, while leaving a party at a Los Angeles museum. The 24-year-old performer's killing remains unsolved.

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Philadelphia Police Officers Suspended After Brutal Taped Beating of Unarmed Black Men - What will Black Mayor Do About it?

See Video [HERE]
 Seven more police officers were taken off street duty Thursday as investigators look into the videotaped police beating of three shooting suspects during a traffic stop. Thirteen of the estimated 15 officers on hand during the Monday incident have been taken off the streets as investigators pore over the television news footage, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told a news conference Thursday. The officers were videotaped beating three unarmed African American men. A local television news helicopter captured the scene of around a dozen officers pulling the victims from their car and kicking and punching them as they lay on the ground. The beating occurred after the shooting death of a police officer who had been pursuing three robbery suspects, two of whom were later caught. The three victims have all been charged with assault, conspiracy and endangering another person. The officers who beat them have not been charged.

The commissioner pledged to send the department's preliminary investigation to prosecutors by next week. If prosecutors decline to file charges, he will deal with the officers involved internally, he said. The Internal Affairs unit is still working to enhance the tape and identify all of the officers in the footage, a department spokesman said. [MORE] and [MORE]

Black Mayor & Black Police Chief say Race was not a Factor
"There's no excuse for that type of behavior, and we certainly want to take action," Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said. Mayor Michael Nutter said he was "tremendously disappointed" by the officers' behavior and vowed to deal with the matter. "The conduct was unacceptable," he said. "It did not live up to the professional standards we have set for the police department."  He added that the incident has "virtually nothing to do with race; it has to do with crime." "This is about proper police conduct, regardless of the race or ethnicity of the individuals involved," Nutter said. "We are not satisfied with the activity; it does not matter what the race of any particular defendant is." [MORE]

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Facing Pressure Black Governor vows to Examine Undercover NYPD Procedures

Gov. David Paterson pledged to examine undercover police conduct on Thursday, a day after more than 200 people were arrested protesting the acquittal of three detectives involved in the shooting death of an unarmed man. Paterson said he understood the activists' frustrations as he stood with the slain man's fiancee and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who were among the demonstrators arrested while disrupting evening rush hour traffic. But the governor stopped short of endorsing their actions. "No civil servant can condone civil disobedience," Paterson said, but he added: "They felt that they had no other choice but to take the action that they took, and I respect the decision that they made to take that action."

The governor's involvement was a measure of the emotion and unrelenting attention surrounding the shooting of Sean Bell, who was gunned down hours before he was to be married in November 2006. The gunfire stirred complaints about police tactics, and the acquittals on April 25 in state court prompted some activists to question the prospects of justice for minorities. Bell was black as were two of his friends wounded in the shooting; the officers are black, Hispanic and white.

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