Police smash window, stun passenger

 This does seem to be excessive force for a seatbelt violation. When is the last time you were asked for ID when you were a passenger in a car where the driver was stopped for a minor traffic violation?

This is the terrifying moment police drew their guns, smashed a car window and tasered a passenger during a routine traffic stop.
Lisa Mahone, 47, was driving with her boyfriend Jamal Jones and two children, Joseph, 14, and Janiya, seven, in Hammond, Indiana, when she was pulled over for not wearing a seat belt.
Officers collected her license and insurance card, before asking to see Jones's ID, which he said he did not have because he had recently received a ticket.
(See article)

NAACP wants cops in Taser incident pulled from street

Hammond police officers Patrick Vicari and Charles Turner were named in a federal lawsuit filed in U.S. District court Monday, alleging they used excessive force when they broke a car window during a traffic stop for a seat belt violation Sept. 24

The 14-year-old boy who filmed Hammond, Indiana police breaking his mother’s car window to stun her passenger with a Taser is speaking out about the “scary” police brutality he witnessed.

What do you think about this Indiana traffic -stop case from 2009?

Court: refusal to identify law applies to passengers | The Indiana Lawyer

Although state law allows police to request identification from passengers inside a car that they’ve stopped, two Indianapolis officers shouldn’t have arrested a man for refusing to identify himself when there was no reasonable suspicion he’d done anything wrong.


The Indiana Court of Appeals addressed that issue in a six-page opinion today in Adam Starr v. State of Indiana, No. 49A04-0912-CR-677, which overturned a ruling by Marion Superior Judge David Certo.


In September 2009, officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department arrested Adam Starr for refusing to identify himself, a Class C misdemeanor as defined by Indiana Code 34-28-5-3.5. Two officers pulled over a vehicle driven by Starr’s girlfriend, who’d made an illegal turn. After determining her identity, the officers questioned Starr about his identity. He denied having any ID, claimed he could not remember his Social Security umber, and said his name was “Mr. Horrell.”

Abuse of police power is out of hand.

This is a sad state of affairs. Too many young Americans have been and are being subjected to this treatment.  It's time to speak out (everyone) about abuse of police power. When all of this extraneous contact is being made, it can easily lead to serious or even fatal events occurring over what was initially nothing.


Seatbelt violation??? To many stops and the occurrence of undesirable events increases proportionally. Dashcams, personal recording devices and cell phone videos are now bringing into the light of day just how often this type of thing happens. No longer are police able to fabricate stories and be believed on their own testimony because witnesses are recording their actions. Stories like handcuffed young black men are producing guns and shooting themselves in the back are beginning to have less credibility. Without the video evidence, I don't doubt that the cop below would have sworn he thought that he saw a weapon.

Seatbelt Violation. Whatever came of this?
 These are just 2 examples of what plays out daily for young people of color. This type of thing happens far more often than these people actually committing crimes.

Integration Report I (1960)

Documentary showing the civil rights movement in 1959 and 1960: sit-ins, marches, boycotts and Includes such events as the first mass marches in Montgomery, Alabama , reactions against police brutality in Brooklyn , N.Y., and protests against the prejudiced treatment of Negroes in court. Directed by Madeline Anderson.

Officers "Suspended" in Jordan Miles Police Brutality Case

Officers get paid vacation in Jordan Miles Police Brutality Case
Wow, when will it end?

Three officers under investigation by the city for allegedly beating a Homewood teen during his arrest last month have been placed on paid administrative leave, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said

A judge has again postponed a hearing for the CAPA High School student who says police officers beat him up during his arrest.

The three accused officers did not show up to testify at the hearing for 18-year-old Jordan Miles, of Homewood.

He was accompanied by members of the Black Political Empowerment Project.

Prosecutors in the case say they need a delay so the FBI can continue its civil rights investigation.

Authorities say the officers allegedly got into a confrontation with Miles back in January after they thought he was carrying a weapon in his pocket. It turned out to be a soda bottle.

"He didn't have any weapons on him," said Reggie Roberts, of the Black Political Empowerment Project. "There were three police officers to take down a 150-pound, thin, young man. Why was that necessary?"

BART reaches $1.5 million settlement for daughter of Oscar Grant

01.27.2010

BART reaches $1.5 million settlement for daughter of Oscar Grant

Late this afternoon, BART reached an agreement with the mother of Oscar Grant’s young daughter Tatiana. The settlement is for $1.5 million and stems from the $50 million lawsuit filed against the agency following the officer-involved shooting that took place on the Fruitvale BART Station platform early New Year’s Day. BART officials issued the following statements:

“It’s been a little over a year since we experienced the tragic death of Oscar Grant,” BART Board President James Fang said. “No matter what anyone’s opinion of the case may be, the sad fact remains this incident has left Tatiana without a father. The $1.5 million settlement will provide financial support for her. A federal judge oversaw the settlement proceedings and the structure of the settlement will still need to be approved by the court. While these proceedings have been taking place, we on the BART Board have been taking the actions needed to improve the BART Police Department to ensure our officers are better-trained and better-equipped to keep our customers safe.”

“This settlement is critical in our efforts to move forward,” BART Board Member Carole Ward Allen said. Ward Allen chairs the BART Police Department Review Committee, which is guiding the implementation of the changes within the police department. “We’re working hard to make the Police Department the best it can be for our officers, our customers and our community.”

BART POLICE REFORMS UNDERWAY

Since the shooting, BART has made a number of significant changes including:

* Working with the State Legislature to pass a bill (AB1586) on citizen oversight of the BART Police Department implemented – Monday, January 25, the State Assembly passed AB1586 (67-0), it now heads to the State Senate.

* More than tripling the number of training hours provided all officers, including increased training in crowd control, defensive tactics and Taser use.

* Involving the public in BART’s search for a new police chief.

* Increasing police visibility in stations and on trains.

* Requiring officers to report all use-of-force incidents, not just those deemed “significant,” with each incident thoroughly reviewed by a newly-established panel that determines the next appropriate steps of action.

Any questions should be directed to BART’s outside counsel, Dale Allen, at 415-981-6630.

This is from the BART web site.

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Hannibal Shakur speaks to Southern California activists regarding the up coming Mehserle trial and POLICE BRUTALITY.

Bernard Monroe a 73-year-old black man killed by police in Homer, LA

I read about this incident while scanning the news groups and
I thought why is it still open season on Black Men by police?
The powers that be don't seem to be overly concerned over the wave of police killings of unarmed or defenseless Black folks. They (the police) don't appear to generally suffer any severe consequences for their actions. It seems to me that the attitude is that it's all in the line of duty. While these shootings and killings ans tasings are getting some publicity, what about the beatings and wrongful detainments and verbal abuse that never gets reported. IMO this is where it all begins. For each time one of these abuses are carried out with impunity, the police will be emboldened to simply escalate to the next more violent step, to the point that they feel it's their right to gun down any Black person they feel like. Sadly this is where we find ourselves today.

If the authorities won't take action because it's the right thing to do, then we will have to come up with a way to bring about REAL CHANGES ourselves. For this we're going to have to start with internal changes. Apparently everyone is talking YES WE CAN but not many are getting in on the action. I don't doubt that there are folks out there who are actively taking on the role of bring justice to the Black Man, it's time we find them and help out with the program, the life of someone you love may depend on it.

"If I see three or four young black men walking down the street, I have to stop them and check their names," said Mills, who is white. "I want them to be afraid every time they see the police that they might get arrested."

Source: Russell Mills, Police Chief, Homer, LA.

link: African American Political Pundit: 73-year-old black man shot by police in Homer, La.

AAPP has covered the story of the shooting of Bernard Monroe in more detail see the above link.

Roland Martin interviews witnesses, press and officials-

Oscar Grant -Robbie Tolan -Adolph (Chris) Grimes

Oscar Grant -Robbie Tolan -Adolph (Chris) Grimes

 

Young Black American Men Gunned down by Police 

In The first Week of  2009.

Is there anything we can do about it.

Yes We Can.

We can work together.

We can put our money to better use from now on.

We can create jobs in our own communities.

We can educate our  youth of their true history.

We can build and or rebuild our community infrastructure.

We can support those who are already working

in our communities for our benefit.

We can continue to take an active part in local

and state politics.

We can teach our youth to respect and defend the community

rather than kill each other.

We can do anything we decide to do and we don't have

to wait for anyone to do it for us.

Sista Soulja has been addressing the problem for quite some time now.

She makes it very clear in the following piece.

If you listen carefully I believe you will hear her say,

YES WE CAN!

sista soulja speaks

Unarmed, young, innocent and Black -Robbie Tolan, shot by police in his own driveway New Years Eve.

 It doesn't look like the year is off to a good start for us,

Oscar Grant was not the only casualty of a police bullet.

Are these cops trying to deliver a message?

It really is high time we got off our asses and

started demanding full accountability

by any means necessary.

According to family members, Robbie Tolan and 

his cousin were returning to Tolan's home in the 

mostly white Houston suburb of Bellaire in the early

 hours of December 31, when they were approached 

by officers who suspected the SUV they had just gotten 

out of was stolen.

Tolan's parents, who own the SUV, came out of the 

house to explain the situation. An altercation ensued 

and Tolan's mother was thrown against the garage 

door by an officer. According to Tolan's uncle, 

"Her son was on his back at the time, and he raised up and asked, 

'What are you doing to my mom?' and the officer shot him 

-- while he was on the ground."

see the complete article

see related post

Police in Philadelphia Brutally Beat 3 Black Men.

What's this now?

Does anyone know just what these three poor guys did? I don't.

I do however see what these cops are doing and I don't like it at all.

I sure hope the people of Philly get out in the street and voice their

opposition to this kind of treatment

Click here for more details.

Here are a couple of definitions of lynching. What do you think? Am I pushing it?

Lynching --   is when a mob consisting of a large group of people (tens, hundreds) take the law into their own hands in order to kill or injure someone accused of wrongdoing.

Lynching --  is a form of violence, usually murder, conceived of by its perpetrators as extra legal punishment for offenders or as a terrorist method of enforcing social domination. ..