Elderly Latino Man Beaten by Police Dies

• 75 Year Old Man Accosted by Blue Island Police Dies
  

An elderly man -- who was allegedly beaten by Blue Island police officers during a case of mistaken identity -- has died. The family of Antonio Manrique said the 75-year-old was jumped by officers during his walk on Wednesday. Manrique died Sunday. Manrique's family said the elderly man and his daughter were walking down the alley when an unmarked police car drove up. Plainclothes officers reportedly got out of the car, tackling Manrique as they tried to arrest him. "They came up and threw him to the ground and held him on the ground. He is asking what's the matter as best he could with his broken English," said Jim Scott, victim's son-in-law. Manrique, a diabetic, barely understood English. According to his family, he told a Spanish speaking officer who showed up at the scene later that he needed to go to the hospital.  He was going to be released from St. Francis Hospital on Sunday when he suffered from a sudden seizure and died. Manrique's family believes the seizure was the result of the attack. According to the police report, officers stopped Manrique on Oct. 6, believing he was a gang graffiti suspect. [more ] and  [more ] and [more ]

• Family Files Lawsuit Over Death. Maria Manrique says she and her father Antonio were walking close to their home Wednesday night when the two officers stopped them. Maria Manrique claims officers asked her dad to identify himself, then began to arrest and beat him. Once they realized their mistake, the police took Manrique to the hospital for treatment. The lawsuit against the police department questions how officers thought the grandfather was a suspected gang member in his 20s. The police report says Manrique wore his hat low and tried to flee when officers stopped him. But the family disputes that claim. "How they confuse a 75-year-old man with a 20-year-old? " Susanna Scott said. [more ]
  
• Images [here ]

Inmate death prompts removal of stun guns

The Lafayette Police Department will retrieve Taser stun guns from all officers except supervisors while the department teaches them about the policies governing the devices' use. The decision was announced Wednesday two days after inmate Dwayne Anthony Dunn's death. Dunn died at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital after he was booked into the Lafayette Parish jail Monday morning. Lafayette Police used a Taser gun, one of at least 20 owned by the department, on Dunn, saying he resisted arrest outside of a grocery store. ''We still don't believe that the Tasing had anything to do with the guy's death,'' said Cpl. Mark Francis, public information officer for the Lafayette Police Department. ''But we're going to take an abundance of precaution.'' However, Francis said Tasers will still be used to subdue suspects. The National Action Network, a group headed by New York activist Al Sharpton, called for a moratorium on the use of Taser guns by Lafayette police. [more ]

Tampa Police Department fires officer for using excessive force

The Tampa Police Department fired an officer last week for using excessive force. The firing stems for a high-speed chase in February. A police helicopter caught it all on video tape. The video shows police chasing two suspects in a stolen car. After the car crashes, the driver runs. He's tackled by two officers and a deputy who subdue him. That's when Officer Travis Maus runs in, and kicks the suspect two times.  Seconds later he moves to where other officers have detained the passenger, and steps on him. Durkin says a routine review of high-speed chases led the department to suspend Maus, before firing him last week. [more ]

Latino Family Attacked by Harris County Police

On Tuesday, October 5 a Hispanic family in Texas was allegedly attacked and harassed by Harris County Police Officers. As Deborah Lux and  her husband Urbano came home from the gym, police officers approached them for questioning concerning whether their son, Sean, 13 years old, had been involved in a fight with another neighborhood teenager earlier that day. After questioning them and their son, Police Officer Espinosa ordered them to go with the police over to a neighbor's house for more questioning. According to Deborah Lux, she and Urbano told the police they did not know anything about a fight between their son and another neighbor. Their son told the police that he knew of the fight but that he was not involved.  Deborah and Urbano told Officer Espinosa that they did not want to go with the police to the neighbor's house but that they were willing to cooperate with any investigation. She said, "My husband told the officer that we weren't going over there but his English is rusty. He was trying to explain to the Officer that we would give him any information he needed but that we don't want any trouble.  My husband was pointing to his own chest stating that we knew our rights and that we haven't done anything wrong here. The officer, without warning grabbed my husband hands and started tugging on his arm trying to twist it behind my husbands back. My husband didn't come near him or threaten him any way physically. The officer got upset because we refused to go over to the neighbors house." While Officer Espinosa held Urbano down in a drainage ditch other officers arrived on the scene. Lux stated, "The first Officer on the scene came running to my husband as he was restrained on the ground and with all of his body weight kneed my husband in his back, twice. Then that same officer punched him in the lower back three times. I was beside myself, I couldn't believe they were doing this to my 5'1" 155lb. husband. I continued to scream out for someone to help us. My 13 year old son is sitting there watching his Dad get beat up for no reason." Even though Lux and her son were more than 20 feet from the Officers, Officer Liard pulled his gun out and pointed it at her and her son. Laird then handcuffed them both. According to Lux, Officer Liard approached, pointed his finger at me and accused me of calling the neighbors and threatening to send my child over to whip her sons butt." She said "he slapped his hand on top of his vehicle and told me that he was going to find a reason to put me in jail. I asked the other officers on the scene if they were going to let him talk to me like that and treat me that way. The only officer that cared to hear what I had to say told me that I wasn't going to jail." The Officers said that they were arresting Urbano for resisting arrest and released Lux and her son. Lux also maintains that although Urbano was injured the police refused to provide medical attention.

• Mrs. Lux needs legal representation but cannot afford an attorney. She and her family live in Highlands, Texas. If you can provide legal representation or can direct her to legal resources please contact her at;  DLux@houston.rr.com

No charges in Fatal Shooting of Black Man by Pittsburg housing police

Homicide charges will not be filed in the shooting death two years ago of a man in a confrontation with three Pittsburgh Housing Authority police officers in the Hill District, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. announced yesterday.

Bernard Rogers, 26, died Nov. 15, 2002, outside a building in the Bedford Dwellings housing complex after the struggle, primarily with Officer Tonyea Curry.

"After thorough investigation and protracted public proceedings, substantial evidence indicates that ... Bernard Rogers sustained a fatal chest wound when he assaulted [the officers] and became involved in a struggle over an officer's weapon," Zappala said in a written statement yesterday.

"Given the extensive publication of this evidence, further comment in this regard is not necessary at this time," Zappala wrote.

Coroner Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, after several sessions of an open inquest over several months, had recommended to Zappala that homicide charges be filed against Curry and two other officers, Douglas Butler and Artie Patterson, who had entered an apartment to investigate suspected drug trafficking.

The coroner's position was that Rogers was shot as he fled the scene, though he was unarmed and not under arrest.

After further review of the testimony and evidence, Wecht's recommendation changed, largely on testimony that Rogers was shot while struggling with Curry for control of the officer's service pistol. [more] and [more]

Delusional Cinci Mayor says Federal Supervision of Police is no longer needed

   
 Less than halfway through a five-year review, Mayor Charlie Luken believes Cincinnati police have made enough progress on reforms to be released early from a deal with the U.S. Justice Department. Luken has written to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft asking that the city be released from an agreement signed in spring 2002. The city is in the 28th month of the 60-month review period. A local civil rights activist and an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union criticized Luken's action as premature, adding that his claims are delusional. Luken asked for the Justice Department review after a white officer shot and killed Timothy Thomas, who was unarmed, during a foot pursuit in April 2001. The shooting of Thomas, a Black man sparked three nights of rioting. In his letter, Luken wrote, "The police department has aggressively pursued the stated goals of the agreement, which are to minimize the risk of excessive use of force by Cincinnati police officers and to promote police integrity." The Rev. Damon Lynch III, a local civil rights activist who helped negotiate the collaborative agreement, said "the reason the agreement is for five years is it allows police to show over a course of time that they can act responsibly to African-American citizens in this community and are committed to good behavior." [more] and [more ]

• Police cause riot [more ]
  
• Cincinnati mayor declares state of emergency due to Riots  4/12/2001 [more ]
• Violence sparked by police killing of unarmed black leaves scores injured [more ]
• Pictured above: (top left) Police restrain and take a man into custody  during riots that erupted after a Cincinnati police officer shot and killed Timothy Thomas, 19, who was unarmed and wanted for misdemeanor traffic violations. [more ] and [more ]
• (Top right) On November 30, 2003 several Cincinnati Police Officers  beat Nathaniel Jones to death. Most of the beating was captured on Police videotape [SEE ]. Mysteriously, however the beginning of the tape is missing. Police maintain that Jones was fighting back against the Cops. But sticking your hand out seems to be a reasonable reaction to being hit with batons  by several people. [more]
  
• Cincinnati officer cleared in race shooting that sparked riots 9/26/2001 [more ]

Concerns expressed over Newby trial: Weak Prosecutors Didn't Want to Convict Cop

• "Not guilty. Not over, either" [more ]  - Unarmed Black Man Shot in the Back 3 times

About 100 people listened last night to Angela and Jerry Bouggess' views on the trial of former police detective McKenzie Mattingly, who was acquitted in the shooting death of Angela's son, Michael Newby. "I feel like I could have been a better prosecutor for my boy," she said.They accused prosecutors of not handling the case with "vigor." They also questioned several aspects of the case, including a judicial decision to keep the family and the public out of the courtroom during jury selection. Mattingly, who is white, was a member of the Louisville Metro Police Department when he fatally shot Newby, a 19-year-old African American, during an undercover drug operation on Jan. 3. Last week a jury found Mattingly not guilty of murder and three lesser charges in Newby's shooting. The point of yesterday's forum, Christopher 2X said, was to start a movement that could lead to legislation requiring special prosecutors in cases involving police officers charged with murder. "We can't really get adequate representation" from the commonwealth's attorney's office because it usually works closely with police, he told the group. [more ]

• Over the past 7 Years at least 10 Black or Latino Men have been Killed by Louisville Police. No Officers have been Convicted [more]

Family Members Seek Answers for Curtis Good's Death

"One innocent man, 7 bullets, why?"
Six weeks after Curtis Good was shot by a city police officer and died about an hour later, his family and friends have no answers as to what happened.Leon Bradford of Detroit, the older brother of Good, told a crowd of supporters gathered in front of police headquarters last night that the grand jury proceedings scheduled to begin today have been postponed until Oct. 13. The hearings are scheduled to take several weeks.  He said a medical examiner the family used is willing to testify. Bradford addressed a group of about 50 people who had walked shouting "no justice, no peace" from the King Street apartment where his brother was shot to Perth Amboy Police Headquarters on Fayette and Rector streets. The Rev. Henry H. Rodgers of Cathedral International and the Rev. Neva Lawson of First Baptist Church in Woodbridge led the marchers, some of whom wore shirts with a picture of Curtis Good and the words "1 innocent man, 7 bullets, why." According to authorities, police officer Carmen Fazzolari, 45, fired eight shots from his .45-caliber Glock semiautomatic pistol, hitting 41-year-old Good a total of six times after police were called to the King Street apartment around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 20. Good died about an hour later at the hospital. [more ]

LAPD police revise training after Vicious Stanley Miller Beating

Still NO Officers Disciplined in his case
Facing criticism that its officers too often turn to rough tactics or violence, the Police Department on Tuesday said it will revise training for recruits to make sure they know how to step in if one of their own loses control on the job. The change comes 3½ months after car-theft suspect Stanley Miller, who was clubbed repeatedly with a steel flashlight by an officer after he appeared to surrender after a videotaped car-and-foot chase. Prosecutors are considering whether to file criminal charges against the officers involved. The training will teach aspiring officers to jump in when a colleague appears to be overreacting or out of control when dealing with a citizen or suspect. The instruction will favor role-playing methods over traditional classroom lectures and note-taking. [more ] and [more ]

Black Man who Monitored and Taped Police Seeks Dismissal of Case

The attorney for a Champaign man charged with eavesdropping filed motions Tuesday in Champaign County Circuit Court to have the charges dismissed and for a special prosecutor to be appointed. Public Defender Randy Rosenbaum represents Patrick Thompson, 35, who listed an address on Southwood Court in Champaign. Thompson is one of the founding members of a group called Visionaries Educating Youth and Adults. Thompson and his colleague, Martell Miller, 43, also of Champaign, started videotaping the actions of local police in the spring as they interacted with young black men. Their intention was to edit the tape into a documentary to be shown on local public access television. As they were taping in the summer, the two men recorded the actions of Champaign police Sgt. David Griffet while he was talking to a man at the Mac's on North Neil Street in Champaign. The recording of Griffet's voice resulted in the Class 1 felony charges. Although the charges against Miller were dropped several weeks later, Thompson remains in jail on both the eavesdropping charge and charges of home invasion and sexual abuse from an unrelated case. His wife, Maria Thompson, said he is being unfairly singled out because he is a known police critic. [more ]

Dallas Police Beat Down Black Man During Drunk Stop

Arrest prompts lawsuit:
A Garland resident arrested for driving while intoxicated two years ago is suing the city, two police officers and current and former police chiefs, alleging that he was thrown face-first to the street without provocation. Christopher J. Reed, 34, pleaded guilty to the DWI charge and was sentenced to two years' probation and fined $3,000, said his attorney, James M. Murphy. But Mr. Reed suffered a nine-stitch gash in his chin and six broken or fractured teeth, the attorney said, and it will cost more than $25,000 to fix them. The suit seeks unspecified actual, punitive and other damages. Mr. Murphy released a police videotape that shows Officer Shawn J. Harrison, 31, telling Mr. Reed to place his hands on his head and face away from the patrol car. On the tape, Mr. Reed complies with Officer Harrison's order to turn away from the patrol car but keeps his arms thrust straight up. Officer Harrison then approaches Mr. Reed from behind, hooks his left arm around Mr. Reed's neck and throws him to the street. After cuffing the prone man's hands behind his back, Officer Harrison and a backup officer -- 34-year-old Gary W. Collins -- drag him to his feet. Mr. Reed's knees buckle twice as the officers take him to the patrol car. A male voice then says: "Slammed him. That's where he's bleeding from." [more ]

Oakland To Pay $15K Excessive Force Settlement to Black Man Beaten/ Shot by Cop

The Oakland City Council has voted to pay $15,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a Black man  who was shot by police and kicked in the groin after leading police on a high speed chase, slamming his car into a police car and allegedly pointing a gun at police. Troy Barnes, who was convicted of bank robbery for the Aug. 21, 1998, incident, is now serving a 75-year sentence at the Salinas Valley State Prison for multiple bank robberies.Shortly after the incident, Oakland police said officers fired multiple rounds at Barnes after he pointed a handgun at them. But Haddad said police officers shouted conflicting commands to Barnes to "freeze" and also to throw his gun out of the car. Haddad said police fired 51 shots at Barnes as he attempted to throw a gun out of his car. Haddad said Barnes didn't fire any shots and fell out of the car severely wounded. As Barnes lay on the ground bleeding profusely, Oakland Officer Edwin Somarriba kicked him in the groin, Haddad said. A videographer captured the incident on tape and it was shown on local television news programs. Barnes still hasn't recovered from all of his gunshot wounds. [more ]

Group calls for Probe in Killing of Indian Man Investigating Police Brutality

Petitions began circulating Tuesday night calling for a grand jury to investigate Cherokee County law enforcement, among other things. Nearly 20 people turned out for the first meeting of a group calling itself Cherokee County Citizens for Better Government. It was held in the 4-H building at the county fairgrounds. Among the issues the group wants a grand jury to investigate is the Aug. 26, 2003, death of Wyandotte, Okla., private investigator Jim Potts outside Galena. A gunshot entry wound was behind and below his right ear at the base of his skull. Investigators with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department quickly determined that the death was a suicide. Potts had been investigating allegations of police brutality by the Galena Police Department and then-police Chief Cameron Arthur for Joplin, Mo., attorney Roger Johnson. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has started its own investigation into Potts' death. "That's No. 1 on our agenda," said organizer Judy Evans at the end of the meeting. [more ]

Dallas Police Officer On Leave After Killing Man

A veteran Dallas police officer was put on routine leave Wednesday after police say he shot and killed a man overnight at a Comfort Suites hotel on Northwest Highway. The officer involved in the shooting was a 21-year veteran of the force. Investigators say the gunman and the officer both fired their weapon at about 12:30 a.m. Officers were told Eddie Welch, 28, was depressed and holding a handgun. The officers said they tried to talk Welch into surrendering so they could take him to Parkland Hospital for treatment. Police said Welch pointed the gun at police and opened fire, but were unsure who fired first. Welch's stepfather said a witness told him that Welch had put down his weapon and raised his hands before officers fired. Welch is from Stephenville. He was staying at the hotel while undergoing treatment for a bad back. [more ]

Protesters Decry Louisville Officer's Aquittal in Killing of Unarmed Black Man

Protesters Decry Louisville Police Officer's Aquittal in Killing of Unarmed Black Man
Verdict in Newby case spurs downtown march
Nearly 200 people gathered at Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville yesterday to protest alleged police brutality and the recent acquittal of former Louisville Metro Police Detective McKenzie Mattingly on four charges related to the shooting death of a 19-year-old black man in January. The Justice Resource Center has sponsored weekly marches outside police headquarters since last year. They began after a grand jury did not indict two white police detectives involved in the Dec. 5, 2002, shooting death of James Taylor, a handcuffed black man who police said was waving a box-cutter knife. The Rev. Louis Coleman, who leads the resource center, said yesterday that despite last week's verdict in the Michael Newby case, the protests will continue. Newby was shot Jan. 3 while running away after a struggle with Mattingly, an undercover officer. Mattingly, who is white, fired four times, hitting Newby three times in the back and killing him.  A Jefferson County jury acquitted Mattingly last week of murder, first- and second-degree manslaughter, and reckless homicide. Joe Madison, host of the "Black Eagle," a syndicated talk-radio program  told the group that the issue of police brutality is everywhere. "This is not just Louisville," Madison said. "This is America's fight." [more] and [more ]

• Pictured above:  Jerry Bouggess, Michael Newby's stepfather.

Activists Call for Congressional Help in Battle with Louisville Police

Civil rights activists, outraged by a white police detective's acquittal in a black teenager's death, have asked congressional black leaders to look into race relations.  The activists also threatened demonstrations that would fill jail cells with protesters if the police officer, McKenzie Mattingly, successfully appeals his firing by the city's police chief. The city remained calm after Mattingly was cleared Wednesday night of murder, manslaughter and reckless homicide charges by a Jefferson County Circuit Court jury consisting of 10 whites and two blacks. Mattingly, 31, shot 19-year-old Michael Newby three times in the back on Jan. 3 when an undercover drug bust went awry. Activists said they were not surprised by the verdict, but said it demonstrated that the justice system is not colorblind in the city. They accused prosecutors of a halfhearted effort in the case.  The Justice Resource Center, a civil rights group headed by Coleman, prepared a letter for the Congressional Black Caucus requesting hearings delving into race relations in Louisville. [more]

• Mayor, Chief Say Mattingly Won't Be Reinstated; Merit Board Has Final Word [more ]
• Mattingly's Wanton Endangerment Charge Could Be Thrown Out Today. The Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney will announce Monday whether he plans to pursue a wanton endangerment charge against former Metro police detective McKenzie Mattingly. A jury cleared Mattingly Wednesday on the most serious charges against him, including murder, in the shooting death of Michael Newby, 19, after an undercover drug deal turned violent. [more ]
• Over the past 7 Years at least 10 Black or Latino Men have been Killed by Louisville Police. No Officers have been Convicted [more]

Judge Allows Wrongful Death Suit to Proceed in Police Shooting of Larry Jenkins

A federal judge has ruled that a wrongful-death suit against a Milwaukee police officer should go forward. U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller ruled this week that a jury should be allowed to decide whether officer Jon Bartlett used excessive force when he shot and killed Larry Jenkins. Bartlett shot Jenkins, who was not armed, seven times on Sept. 19, 2002. Jenkins, who was a passenger in a car stopped for traffic violations, ran away from police and got into another car. Police said he then tried to run over the officer. Jenkins' family argues that the car was barely moving and that Jenkins, 31, was not in control of it. Assistant City Attorney Susan E. Lappen had asked Stadtmueller to throw out the suit. Stadtmueller agreed with some of Lappen's arguments and dismissed a claim that former police Chief Arthur Jones failed to properly supervise and train Bartlett. However, Stadtmueller said genuine issues of fact remain for a jury to decide. [more ] and more

Jurors rule police officers used justified force in fatal shooting of Sonnier

 A Fayette County coroner's jury ruled that police were justified in using deadly force against a man who allegedly ran down one officer and tried to run down two others. Kermith Sonnier Jr., 37, of Brownsville, died May 5 from one of four shots fired by either Redstone Township police Captain H. Dennis Field or Brownsville officer Autumn Fike, authorities said. The bullet was too deformed for ballistics to conclusively link it to a specific gun, according to testimony at Thursday's coroner's inquest. But Field has told investigators he fired three .45-caliber shots - two as Sonnier's truck passed by, and one into its tire after it stopped so the truck couldn't travel in reverse. Fike fired one from her .40 caliber weapon. The bullet that killed Sonnier was a .45 caliber slug, testimony showed. Neither officer testified at the inquest. Sonnier was chased by Fike when he sped away from an officer who tried to talk to him while he was parked in an area known for drug activity. Sonnier drove into some woods at one point and turned his truck around and ran down Fike, authorities said. Field then fired his gun. The victim's father, Kermith Sonnier Sr., said he still believes his son was murdered and questioned bruises and other injuries found on his son. A coroner determined those injuries weren't from a police beating, but likely occurred as much as 24 hours before Sonnier died.[more ] and [more ]

• Victim's family critical of inquest proceedings [more ]

Pittsburgh DA Dragging his feet in Police Slaying of Black Man

Relatives of Hill District resident Bernard Rogers, who was shot by a Pittsburgh Housing Authority police officer in 2002, yesterday reiterated their frustration with District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. because he has not decided whether to press charges in the case. Until Zappala decides whether to prosecute officer Tonyea Curry, the Rogers family said federal investigators won't consider doing so. And until the potential criminal case is resolved, the family can't pursue a civil complaint, members of the Rogers family said yesterday.The FBI began a federal civil rights investigation into Rogers' death on Dec. 19, 2003. Rogers, 26, was confronted by Curry and two other housing authority officers on Nov. 15, 2002 inside the Bedford Dwellings housing complex. Rogers and Curry scuffled before at least three shots were fired, according to Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril H. Wecht. Wecht found that Rogers was shot in the chest by one bullet. Police said the shooting occurred during a struggle in the living room. Witnesses have said Rogers was shot by another officer as he ran down the complex's stairwell.