Broward Deputy who Shot Mexican Immigrant is Fired

Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne agreed Thursday to pay for 60 more days of care for a Mexican immigrant accidentally shot in the head by a deputy who thought he was a burglary suspect. The deputy involved in the shooting, Louis Perry, said the Broward Sheriff's Office fired him Thursday in an unrelated matter. BSO spokesman Jim Leljedal, reached late Thursday, could not confirm Perry's termination. ''To me, the firing appears to be related to the shooting,'' said Barbara Duffy, Perry's union attorney. ``The internal investigation was flawed from the beginning and I can't imagine it being upheld when we go to arbitration.'' The shooting occurred about 6:40 p.m. Nov. 3 after deputies responded to a call of a burglary at the Whispering Isles complex on West Sample Road in Pompano Beach. Deputies Perry, 38, and Richard Mosca, 37, saw two men, Germán Goméz, and his cousin, Javier Domínguez, 21, who had arrived in Pompano Beach three days before the shooting. Perry and Mosca, with guns drawn, tried to talk to the pair, who were walking in the parking lot. Goméz and Domínguez, undocumented workers from Chiapas, Mexico, did not speak English. The deputies spoke no Spanish. When Perry attempted to restrain Goméz, his gun accidentally discharged, he told investigators. The bullet tore into Goméz's head. [more]

City councilors say District Attorney is Holding Out on Information in case of Black Man Gunned Down by Boston Police

A group of city councilors have accused Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley and United States Attorney Michael Sullivan of ``colluding'' to deny investigative records to the family of a man gunned down by police in Roxbury last year. The District Attorney's Office ruled 40-year-old Bert Bowen's June 27, 2004, fatal shooting justified, finding that he pointed a loaded .40-caliber handgun at an officer. Bowen was found with the gun in his hand, officials said. In a letter seeking help from Attorney General Tom Reilly, city councilors Chuck Turner, Charles Yancey and Felix Arroyo and activist Sadiki Kambon accused Conley and Sullivan of conspiring to conceal reports from Bowen's family. "We feel the Attorney General has a responsiblity after almost 10 months after the death . . . to get the file so that the Bowen family can proceed with their own investigation,'' Turner said. "They have suspicions that it was a wrongful death but without the file they don't have the information to make their own determination,'' Turner said. Conley's spokesman David Procopio said Bowen family attorney Earl Howard has received ``a significant amount of investigative material'' and called claims of secrecy "recklessly disingenuous.'' "If there are additional documents he is looking for, we will provide them but he has received the bulk of the material,'' Procopio said. [more]

Police say Drug overdose led to death of Black Man in Custody

A man who died while in police custody last Monday night suffered an apparent drug overdose, police said. Officials said a large bag of narcotics was found in the suspect's throat and a smaller bag was found in his stomach. The family of Shannon Brown, 33, believes he was a victim of excessive force by police. "I need to know how my son left this earth. And I need to know the officers that took him out of this earth," said Clara Brown, Brown's mother. Police arrested Brown around 9 p.m. on the city's North Side while answering a call of three people trespassing at a North Side building, 927 W. Wilson Avenue. Brown reportedly opened the door of the building to plainclothes police officers. Witnesses said the officers went after Brown instead of the trespassers. "They didn't understand that he wasn't the one," said one witness, who did not want to be identified. Officials said the officers wanted to talk to Brown in the building lobby-- but that when he reached into his pants pockets, they sprayed him with pepper spray. They then arrested Brown for aggravated battery and resisting arrest. "He was handcuffed like this, and his hand and his head was brought to the floor like this. He was like that with his leg right here. He kept telling them he couldn't breathe," said Zalee Petties, witness. Brown was taken to Town Hill District Police Station where he began convulsing. Brown was taken to nearby Thorek Hospital where he was pronounced dead just before midnight. Brown's family is worried about a police cover-up in the case. [more]

• But Police say Brown Swallowed a "balloon filled with drugs". An autopsy this morning found in the man's stomach "a balloon with suspect drugs and other packets that were beginning to dissolve," said police spokesman Pat Camden. Officers received a call of trespassing about 9 p.m. Monday on the 900 block of West Wilson Avenue on the city's North Side. They found Shannon Brown loitering and drinking in the foyer of an Uptown apartment building, police said. Brown allegedly ran. Police gave pursuit and used pepper spray to subdue him. As they were taking Brown into custody, officers reported, they saw him remove something from his waist pocket and place it in his mouth. [more]
  
  

Alabama Black Caucus Wants Ex Trooper Prosecuted in the 1965 Killing of Jimmy Lee Jackson

Members of the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus voted Tuesday to ask federal, state and local officials to prosecute a former state trooper, James Bonard Fowler of Geneva, for the death of Jimmy Lee Jackson 40 years ago. Jackson, a 26-year-old black man, was shot in Marion on Feb. 18, 1965, after law officers forcefully stopped a crowd from marching at night from a church to the Perry County Jail, where a civil rights worker was held. Fowler, 71, said in a phone interview that Jackson grabbed his pistol and the weapon fired as they were fighting over it. ''Jimmy Lee Jackson was not murdered,'' Fowler said. ''It was just an accident. It happened during a melee, during a riot, during a civil disturbance.'' But state Rep. Demetrius Newton, D-Birmingham, an attorney who said he was in Marion just hours after the shooting, said many witnesses at the time said Jackson was trying to defend his grandfather and mother from attacks by law officers and that he was shot ''without provocation.'' Fowler said he never was asked to testify before a grand jury about the shooting. Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, said that's why public officials should investigate Fowler and the shooting now. Originally published in the Birmingham News (Alabama) March 30, 2005 Copyright 2005 The Birmingham News

• Pictured above: Jackson died eight days after he was shot. Newton said he remembers civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at Jackson's funeral. Sanders said anger over Jackson's shooting sparked the ''Bloody Sunday'' march of March 7, 1965, when State Troopers beat civil rights marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma

Judge dismisses Suit of Black Man Killed by Dover Police

Family of man who died in custody had filed $50 million suit in 2001
A federal wrongful death lawsuit by the family of a Dover man who died in police custody has been thrown out by a judge in U.S. District Court. The lawsuit was filed in May 2001 by the family of Reginald Hannah. Hannah's death was later attributed to a lethal amount of cocaine in his blood and cardiac arrest, but the police use of pepper spray and "nonlethal blunt force" were called contributing factors. The incident sparked racial tensions in Dover and prompted reforms in the way citizen complaints about police are handled. A Delaware Attorney General's Office investigation cleared the officers involved of any wrongdoing, though the Dover police officers refused to speak with state investigators. At one time, the law firm of the late attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. was involved in the $50 million lawsuit, but the firm withdrew in late 2001. The family has been proceeding with the lawsuit without attorneys and could not be reached for comment Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Sue L. Robinson wrote that the Hannah family failed to show there was a substantial violation of Reginald Hannah's rights by the police - either racial discrimination or excessive force. [more]

Brutality lawsuits put off, for now - Blue Island looks to settle a dozen cases under way

Twelve police-brutality lawsuits against Blue Island have been shelved in federal court while settlement talks are held. Court proceedings will resume if no agreements are reached by mid-May. "None of the cases have been settled," city attorney Cary Horvath said. "The courts encourage parties to try and come to a settlement outside the courts." Chicago lawyer Blake Horwitz, who filed the 12 complaints between October and December, said continuing the multiple cases in different courtrooms could become expensive and time-consuming for both sides. "The plaintiffs and the city recognize that the cases may be able to be resolved outside of the court process," Horwitz said. "To ensure that people's rights are recognized and money is saved, the parties have stipulated to have the cases put in a holding pattern." Horwitz has until May to return to court with his cases. Each case not reinstated by the deadline is deemed closed. Horwitz filed the lawsuits after the death of Antonio Manrique, a 74-year-old Hispanic man who was tackled by Blue Island detectives on Oct. 6 in an incident police have called a case of mistaken identity. Manrique died four days later. The detectives involved have been restricted to desk duty while the Illinois State Police investigates the incident. Manrique's family has sued the city in Cook County Circuit Court. Mayor Donald Peloquin said the out-of-court negotiations were positive steps because the city would have to raise taxes in the event of any large judgments. [more]

• Pictured above: Antonio Manrique, 74 Year Old Latino Man Beaten to death by Blue Island Police. Died after this Oct. 6, 2004 incident [more]
  

Orange County Deputy Cleared In Taser-Torture Trial of 14 Year Old Black Boy

A jury cleared an Orange County deputy Tuesday accused of civil-rights violations. The deputy admits he zapped a teen with a Taser gun, but he told a judge and jury he had to do it.  The Jackson family left the federal courthouse in Orlando disappointed Tuesday after a jury ruled that a deputy did not torture Wanda Jackson's son with a Taser gun. "Our case was proven that the officer did what he did and they ruled in favor of the officer, which I don't think was fair. Justice was not served today," she said.   Jurors didn't believe that Orange County Deputy Ryan Olsson kicked then-14-year-old Charles Jackson in the mouth, knocking out his tooth or burning him with a Taser gun in August 2003. The deputy was relieved. "I'm glad this was put behind us, yes. I'll go on with my everyday business like I've been doing," he said. That means he'll head back to patrol duty in Pine Hills, the same area where the officer chased Jackson and stunned him with a Taser gun after the teen allegedly brandished a weapon.[more]

U.S. judge Rules that Cincinnati Violated Police Reform Agreement

U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott issued the order Monday after concluding that city officials violated the city's police-reform agreement several times last year. Her ruling means that any future violations could be punished with fines or jail time. The decision comes almost three years after city and police officials signed the Collaborative Agreement, a landmark deal that promised to reform police policies through a cooperative effort with community leaders and civil rights activists. The two sides feuded several times last year before ending up in court after the city denied court-appointed monitors access to staff meetings and ride-alongs with police. One of the monitors, who are intended to track the progress of reforms, was escorted from police headquarters under orders of Chief Tom Streicher. In her ruling Monday, Dlott said the threat of stiff penalties is the best way to ensure that the city will follow the rules set down in the agreement. "Now there is a stick as well as a carrot," said Scott Greenwood, lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union. "This finding is not based on a minor technical violation. This is about a fundamental breakdown - or shutdown - on the city's part." [more]

Attorney's illness prompts new trial date for Minneapolis officer who Beat Down 14 Year Old Black Boy

David Shulman was telling a federal jury about his 14-year-old client who allegedly had been beaten by a police officer when Shulman collapsed. Sgt. Jeffrey Jindra, the Minneapolis officer accused of the beating, jumped from his chair and raced to Shulman's side. He checked Shulman's pulse, loosened his collar and talked to him, Jindra's attorney said Wednesday, describing the scene Tuesday inside the courtroom. "What's your name?" Jindra asked. "What's your date of birth? Are you a diabetic?" Jindra's attorney, Timothy Skarda, said he had talked with Shulman's law partner, who said Shulman had a virus over the weekend but is expected to recover. On Wednesday U.S. District Judge John Tunheim dismissed the jury and set a new trial date . In an order filed late Wednesday, Tunheim cited Shulman's unexpected illness and the impossibility of resuming trial until May 17. Skarda said the discussion never involved what effect Jindra's actions might have on the jury's view of the officer accused of police brutality and racial profiling. Damani Bediako claimed in the suit brought by his mother in June 2003 that Jindra beat him after Bediako was stopped outside a Minneapolis convenience store. According to the lawsuit, when the boy attempted to produce his wallet as ordered, Jindra put him in a chokehold, punched him and slammed him to the ground. Jindra was cleared by the U.S. Justice Department of alleged civil rights violations in that case. [more] Last year the accused officer, Jeffrey Jinda was also accused of sodomozing Stephen Porter with the handle of a bathroom plunger. [more] and [more]

LAPD Violates Key Decree In Racial Profling Says ACLU

The city of Los Angeles may drop a key aspect of a racial profiling study of its police officers, which doesn't sit well with the American Civil Liberties Union. The proposed change would violate one of the key terms of the consent decree the city reached with the federal government after the Rampart corruption scandal. The proposal would cut out a key question from the study - whether Los Angeles police officers generally pull over minority drivers more than white drivers. A-C-L-U attorney Ricardo Garcia says the phenomenon known as driving while black or brown is a key issue that should be examined. But a national research firm analysis of racial data collected by Los Angeles Police Department officers determined there was no way to reliably gauge the racial breakdown of motorists. Researchers say the issue is complicated by the fact that many officers don't know the race of the people they pull over until they step up to the car window. [more]

ACLU: Denver Fails to keep pledge use-of-force reports

The American Civil Liberties Union accused Denver officials Thursday of failing to live up to a 2003 pledge to issue reports in all confrontations in which police officers kill or seriously injure someone. To date, Manager of Safety Al LaCabe has issued one letter, in the July 2003 shooting death of Paul Childs, a knife-wielding developmentally disabled teenager. Mark Silverstein, the ACLU's local legal director, cited nine use-of-force cases since the Childs shooting that have resulted in deaths or serious injuries. LaCabe said Thursday that he was looking into the issue. "I can't tell you that I am personally aware of the circumstances of all nine, nor can I identify all nine," LaCabe said. "But I will look into all of those, and if reports should be prepared, then they will be prepared." The report requirement was part of a sweeping series of police reforms announced by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper in December 2003. The requirement was cited by LaCabe and Police Chief Gerry Whitman in a letter to the Department of Justice last year that touted steps taken by the city to reform the department. Silverstein said it is important for the city to live up to the commitment it made as part of an effort to increase transparency and build trust in the police department. LaCabe said Thursday he intends to fulfill that pledge. [more]

Latino City Councilman Alleges Police Brutality by Riverside Deputy

Wearing a neck brace and a bandage on his left hand, Coachella City Councilman Gilbert Ramirez Jr. stood outside City Hall Friday afternoon for a brief press conference in which his attorney accused a Riverside County sheriff's deputy of using "wildly excessive force" during the official's Wednesday's arrest. "The deputy attacked him for no reason," said San Diego attorney Terry Singleton. Ramirez, 42, was arrested after he allegedly became involved in a physical fight with a female deputy over the towing of a truck, according to sheriff's officials. Cpl. Dennis Gutierrez, Riverside County Sheriff's Department public information officer, said during the fight Ramirez grabbed the deputy's baton and was pepper sprayed by a male community services officer. But Singleton said his client only grabbed the baton to keep the deputy from hitting him. He said his client did not lose his temper or use profanity with the deputy. Surrounded by family members, including his parents and daughter, Ramirez said he had trouble getting out of bed Friday and found it "kind of hard to talk." Singleton said Ramirez had suffered three fractures to his hand when the deputy twisted it while he was already on the ground. Wednesday's incident, Singleton said, is part of a pattern of misconduct by the Sheriff's Department against Hispanics in the east valley that ranges from unlawful use of deadly force to unreasonable towing. He said he will be asking the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a civil rights investigation. [more]

St. Charles Parish Deputy Cleared Of Assault Claim Against Black Woman

A St. Charles Parish sheriff's deputy has been cleared of allegations of assault and wrongful arrest involving a Des Allemands woman in January 2002. Louise Robinson Young and her daughter, Earlyndra Robinson, filed the lawsuit in federal court against Deputy Mark Smith. They sought unspecified damages. A four-day trial ended last week when the six-person jury ruled in Smith's favor. The case stemmed from an incident in front of Hahnville High School. According to the lawsuit, Young was waiting to pick up her daughter on the left side of the road in front of the school. Smith asked her to move, and an altercation ensued, during which Smith handcuffed Young and dragged her backward, causing her to fall. Smith booked Young with resisting arrest, intimidating a police officer and obstructing a public passageway. Young claimed that Smith violated her rights during the altercation. She said she will contact the NAACP before deciding whether to appeal, saying race played a factor in the jury's decision. Smith is white, Young is black, and Young said there were no black jurors. [more]

Jury grapples to decide fate in second Riders trial

As the jury in the "Riders" police misconduct case begins deciding the fate of three former city police officers this week, they will wrestle with two distinct stories, each with its share of holes. Defense attorneys in closing arguments last week maintained the three, who are accused of beating residents and falsifying reports, are victims of a political witch hunt. But prosecutors claim the trio were rogue cops running wild through the streets of West Oakland undetected because they knew how to lie well. Like the first trial, which ended with the officers being acquitted of some charges and the jury deadlocked on others, the second act in the Riders case has followed predictable patterns. Since the retrial began in October, Deputy district attorneys Terry Wiley and Ben Beltramo focused on the West Oakland residents who said they were beaten and the incidents in which those beatings allegedly occurred. They showed the bloodied and swollen faces of eight residents who crossed the path of the accused officers in the summer of 2002. They showed police reports the officers allegedly doctored. [more]

• Pictured above: The corner 14th and Peralta is considered the center of West Oakland and ground zero for the four Oakland police officers known as "The Riders," who are under investigation for misconduct. [more]