Calls for Justice Are Loud in Sean Bell Case

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Following Friday morning's announcement of Judge Cooperman's "not guilty on all counts" acquittal verdict of 3 of the 5 NYPD officers involved in the murder of Sean Bell, hundreds gathered in Queens to express their outrage. Disgusted by the trial process (determined by 1 judge rather than a jury), and the unjust outcome, the Peoples Justice rally began at 5:30pm by the Queens DA's office, with family members speaking of having lost loved ones to police brutality, and others speaking of personal experiences being victimized by law enforcement violence, including: Nicholas Heyward, Sr. spoke of his son - Nicholas Heyward, Jr. - murdered by the NYPD; members of Jayson Tirado's family; Juanita Young, mother of Malcolm Ferguson and founder of Parents Against Police Brutality; representatives of the Bushwick 32 case; Desis Rising Up & Moving, linking the struggle against police brutality to the struggle against the criminalization of immigrants. In addition to justice for Sean Bell and other specific cases, Peoples Justice is calling for an end to racist & militarized policing of our communities; the creation of a permanent independent prosecutor for all cases of police brutality in NYC; and increased efforts for community control of our safety through creation of community Cop Watch patrols and Know Your Rights work. [MORE]

  • Pictured above: A nun calls police officers "murderers" after hearing the not guilty verdict in the case against three detectives during the Sean Bell trial, outside the Queens County Courthouse in New York April 25, 2008- Reuters. 
  • Sharpton vows to 'close this city' after officer acquittals [MORE]

Monroe County Officer acquitted in 2004 death of Black Man

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A mother whose son was gunned down by state narcotics agents four years ago in Monroe County has lost a federal lawsuit that claimed he was trapped in his vehicle and shot in ''execution fashion.'' Six undercover drug agents were sued by Debra Fraser-Howze, founder of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS in New York City; every agent but one was dropped earlier this month from the case by Magistrate Judge Henry S. Perkin, who presided over the case in Philadelphia.

Last Thursday, a jury acquitted the remaining agent, Jeffrey P. Aster, who fired the shot that killed 25-year-old Barron Wright. Wright was a former East Stroudsburg University disc jockey who lived in Bushkill, Pike County. Attempts to reach the family for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful.

The suit alleged the men who shot Wright used "excessive and unnecessary force" and violated his rights under the Fourth, Fifth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. Defendants took part in a conspiracy to "conceal the true manner in which Wright was shot to death" by falsely stating that one of the agents was in danger of being struck and killed by Wright's vehicle as Wright tried to escape. The suit also alleges a BNI agent called Wright several days before Wright's death to arrange the drug deal even though the agent "knew that Wright had not before engaged in selling cocaine." [MORE]

S.C. Troopers under investigation: No Prosecutions for White Troopers Using Excessive Force on Blacks

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Two veteran prosecutors stand by their decisions not to charge white state troopers caught on videotape using force to subdue black motorists in separate incidents in 2006 and 2007.

In both cases — one man was poked at by a trooper with a shotgun in Orangeburg County and another fleeing on foot in Greenwood County was struck by a trooper driving a patrol car — the officers were disciplined, but solicitors said the troopers’ actions didn’t meet the legal standard needed to file criminal charges. Solicitor David Pascoe said he believed the Orangeburg trooper’s claim that the shotgun incident was an accident, noting, “There wasn’t, like, an angry moment.”

Solicitor Jerry Peace wrote off the Greenwood trooper’s statement — “I tried to hit him” — as “pure bravado.” Overzealous prosecution of officers could jeopardize troopers’ lives if it made them more hesitant than necessary to use force, said Peace, who last year handled a death penalty case in Abbeville involving two officers who were shot to death. “If I got a choice between a defendant getting his head cracked and an officer getting killed, I’ll take the defendant getting his head cracked every time.”

Some black lawmakers, however, wonder if the solicitors are part of what they see as a system that coddles troopers who use excessive force. “It’s despicable at best that these solicitors are covering up for these guys,” said state Rep. Leon Howard, D-Richland, the Legislative Black Caucus chairman. “If you and I went out and hit somebody like that, you and I would be in jail.”
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Black Elected Leaders in NY Issue Statement on Sean Bell Verdict - say FBI will Review case

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"We do not accept that this is the end of this case. We have joined with the families and their attorneys in filing a compliant with the U.S. Department of Justice requesting an investigation of violations of the civil rights of Sean Bell, Joseph Guzman, and Trent Benefield. Indeed, this afternoon the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it's Civil Rights Division, the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York Field Division will conduct an independent review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the Nov. 25, 2006, shooting of Sean Bell and two of his friends.

"Although we understand and share the frustration that many New Yorkers are feeling at this moment, we caution against giving into that frustration. Instead, we urge all who are disappointed with the decision to channel their energy into monitoring this review and utilizing their right to peaceful assembly to seek a redress of their grievances over today's decision.

Pictured above: People hold signs representing the number of bullets fired into the car of Sean Bell as they protest the outcome of the not guilty verdict in the case against three detectives of the Bell trial in New York City, April 26, 2008. 

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No Justice: 3 NYPD Detectives acquitted in 50-shot killing of Unarmed Black Man

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"An ugly pattern is emerging in New York. This was a massacre, this was not a shootout. And the U.S. attorney general must give America the assurance that we all have equal protection under the law. This is a travesty of justice today, but it is a pattern that deserves attention." the Rev. Jesse Jackson, speaking from Chicago.

AP Three detectives were acquitted of all charges Friday in the 50-shot killing of an unarmed groom-to-be on his wedding day, a case that put the NYPD at the center of another dispute involving allegations of excessive firepower.

Justice Arthur Cooperman delivered the verdict in a Queens courtroom packed with spectators, including victim Sean Bell's fiancee and parents, as at least 200 people gathered outside the building.

Shouts of "No! No! No!" and swearing erupted outside the courthouse immediately after the judge read his verdict, followed by cries of "Not guilty!," from within a huge crowd of people gathered outside the Queens courthouse. Some women were heard weeping loudly. Later, shouts of "Murderer! Murderer!" were heard. Bell, a 23-year-old black man, was killed in a hail of gunfire outside a seedy strip club in Queens on Nov. 25, 2006 — his wedding day — as he was leaving his bachelor party with two friends.

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Sean Bell Was Innocent

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Sean Bell was innocent. Almost everyone seemed to understand that, going into the excruciating seven-week Queens trial of three cops who gunned Bell down the night before his wedding, November 25, 2006. But going in, there also was a lot of talk about how, once the trial started, the police’s defense lawyers might try to rough up Bell a bit, posthumously. It wasn't hard to guess that they would try to bring in his sketchy police record, or at least mention how anyone hanging out at 4 a.m. at the Club Kalua strip joint in Jamaica could be presumed to be up to no good. “They’re not going to say he’s a choir boy,” one veteran prosecutor of police cases told me before the trial started. “I think what they will do is try to disparage Club Kalua, a notorious drug spot. What good upstanding citizen would be there to begin with? It explains that cops are there to try to do the right thing.” Sure enough, the police’s defense lawyers played the Club Kalua card from the start. “Who is attracted to such a place?" defense attorney Anthony Ricco asked imperiously. That (along with the fact that Ricco and two of the three cop defendants were also black) was a convenient way of getting around having to play the race card: The police were in danger, you see — how could they have been profiling?
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Justice Department to Probe Bell Case

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In the aftermath, the Justice Department has said it will conduct a probe to see if any civil rights violations occurred and Rev. Al Shaprton has promised hit-and-run demonstrations, such as sit ins and civil disobedience arrests, at unnamed locations across the city starting tomorrow.

In the run up to Cooperman giving his verdict, the courtroom was ringed with 17 court officers, who remained standing in front of the pews, while another 11 jammed the aisle separating supporters of Bell, filling the pews on the right side, and the backers of the cops, seated to the left. Before the judge entered the audience was asked to refrain from making any outbursts and remain sitting after the verdict until Cooperman had exited the court.

Entering shortly after 9 a.m., the 74-year-old judge began laying out his reasoning when the toddler daughter of Trent Benefield, who was shot while in the car with Bell that night, began yelling out what sounded like, “Mama.” Cooperman abruptly stopped and glared at the child’s mother who was holding her.

“I’m not going to continue unless the child is removed,” Cooperman said, causing the child’s mother to slink out of the courtroom with the daughter.

Shortly after, the judge finished up his reasoning and announced he was acquitting the officers on all charges. Ignoring the pre-verdict instructions, Nicole Paultre Bell, Bell's fiancee and widow, stood up immediately and walked out of the courtroom. Rows of Bell supporters followed her. “Unadulterated bullshit,” one man said on his way out. In a second row pew, Bell's father, dressed all in white, buried his face while shaking his head as Bell’s mother broke into tears while being consoled by a family member next to him.

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The family of a Black Man Killed by Jackson Police is Suing for $12 Million.

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The family of a man killed by police is suing the city of Jackson for $12 million. Roy Bradley was shot and killed in September 2007 by a Jackson Police Department officer. Police said that shortly after a traffic stop, there was an altercation that ultimately led to the officer shooting Bradley.

The shooting occurred after the officer, named in the suit as L.V. Gater, took Bradley out of handcuffs to sign a form, police officials said at the time. That's when Bradley allegedly struck Gater and grappled with him for his service weapon, police said.

Former Police Chief Shirlene Anderson backed up the officer, saying there was no wrongdoing by him. But the lawsuit states Gater shot Bradley four times in the chest and abdomen and contends the officer violated Bradley's right of equal protection under the law and his due process rights.

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Review Board says Delano Sheriff Shooting of 16 Year Old Latino Boy Justified

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A Sheriff's Shooting Review Board weighed in on the officer involved shooting death of a Delano teenager. Justified is the word from the Shooting Review Board Thursday night. Manuel Ayon, 16, was shot and killed just feet away from his Delano home. Sheriffs officials said Ayon was driving a stolen car and led deputies on an hour long police chase.

It ended when officials said Ayon crashed and then backed into a Sheriffs deputy. The deputy fired at Ayon and missed. Gunshots rang out a second time after Ayon took off and stopped again. Officials said a deputy saw Ayon reach for something on the floor of the car and that's when the second deputy fired, killing the teenager. No weapon was ever found in the car.

The Shooting Review Board said both deputy Doug Jauch and Deputy Ubaldo Weiss were acting within department guidelines. Ayon's family said he was running from deputies because he had served time before and was scared. Throughout the investigation they claimed he did not have a gun. The deputies involved in the shooting were both cleared to go back to work. [MORE]

Family of Latino man Killed by LAPD stun gun can sue for wrongful death

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Relatives of a Boyle Heights man who died after being shot by Los Angeles police with a stun gun can take their wrongful death lawsuit against the city to trial, a judge ruled in court papers obtained Thursday.

The lawsuit stems from the Sept. 4, 2006, death of 32-year-old Jesus Mejia. Mejia's wife, two children and mother sued the city and Police Chief William Bratton Oct. 9 alleging Mejia was shocked at least twice with a stun gun, despite being in handcuffs and restrained against a wall.

According to police, officers assigned to the Hollenbeck Station went to Mejia's home in the 3300 block of Whittier Boulevard about 1 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2006, on reports of a disturbance. Arriving officers found Mejia in a what police described as an agitated, combative state. Judging from the man's excessive perspiration, glazed eyes and seemingly heightened physical strength, officers deduced that Mejia was under the influence of drugs, police said.

When Mejia refused to follow orders from the officers, Officer Victor Arellano fired a stun gun at Mejia as fellow officers subdued him with their body weight, police said.
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Black Man Dead after being Tased by Memphis Police

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(West Memphis, AR -- 4/24/2008)  Police stopped Dewayne Chatt for loitering.  When they were about to make the arrest the 38 year old ran into the Dodge's store across the street and locked himself in the managers office.  Police ran after him and had to use a taser on him three times before finally getting him into custody.

Chatt's family says excessive force caused dewayne's death.  They believe the store's surveillance recordings will tell the whole story. Meanwhile both the West Memphis Police and sheriff's departments have launched an investigation into how Chatt died.  They are reviewing the video and waiting on the medical examiners report to determine what caused his death.

Chatt's arrest meanwhile is not his first.  He has been locked up 12 times on everything from felony drug charges to his most recent stint for disorderly conduct.  Chatt was released just yesterday on that charge, hours before he would return to jail where he died.

"They in disarray. Everybody is shocked by this unlawful and unjustified homicide," said Michael Chatt. [MORE]

50 Shots: New York braces for verdict in Sean Bell trial - Unarmed Black Man Shot to Death by NYPD

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When police killed an unarmed African immigrant in a hail of 41 bullets in 1999, outrage filled the streets of New York.

About 1,200 people were arrested, including elected officials and celebrities, during a month of daily protests. Thousands more marched after four white officers were acquitted in Amadou Diallo's death.

Nine years later, three officers will learn their fate Friday in a case over another heavy police barrage: 50 shots aimed at an unarmed black man outside a nightclub on the morning of his wedding. The city is bracing for more protests if the officers are acquitted.

This time, however, the mood is muted. The New York Police Department has downplayed reports that 1,000 officers will be deployed outside the courthouse in Queens and near the spot where Sean Bell was killed in 2006.
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Ohio governor wants Troopers Fired for Wearing KKK Outfit on Duty

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Governor Strickland has asked the state highway patrol to fire two troopers who engaged in a prank involving a costume that resembled a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Strickland says the behavior by the troopers from the Sandusky post could not be tolerated.

A patrol report says trooper Craig Franklin is pictured in a Jan. 20 cell phone photo wearing a white cone on his head, a white paper mask and a white cloth. Trooper Eric Wlodarsky forwarded the cell phone photo.

The state's public safety director recommended firing. But a union contract provision had allowed the troopers to stay on the job if they maintained a clean record for two years, and the union says it will take legal action if the state tries to go around the contract. Wlodarsky told an investigator there was no malicious intent behind the picture, while Franklin apologized and said he was embarrassed. [MORE]

Private autopsy shows Latino Man died from blow to the head in Altercation with Orange County Deputies

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An Orange County jail inmate who fell into a coma and died after being restrained by deputies had received at least one fatal blow to the head, according to the preliminary results of a private autopsy. A pathologist hired by the family of Jason Jesus Gomez, 35, of Anaheim, has tentatively concluded that he was killed by blunt force trauma to the head, and not by the electrical charge from a stun gun, said the family's attorney, Stephen Bernard.

"The bottom line is he was beaten to death," said Bernard. Gomez's death was the latest problem to hit a Sheriff's Department battered by the indictment of its sheriff and a grand jury report that found rampant misconduct and inmate abuse at Theo Lacy jail in Orange.

Prosecutors conducting an official investigation into Gomez's death as well as Orange County sheriff's officials declined comment Monday. Results of the county autopsy are pending. The family last week filed a wrongful death claim against the county, the first step toward a lawsuit. But sister-in-law Christina Clark said they are seeking retribution, not money. "There's no amount of money that will satisfy us. The family is not going to settle. We want punishment," Clark said.

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Lawsuit Filed Against Two Peoria Police Officers for Shooting Death of Black Man

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WMBD/WYZZ TV – PEORIA -- The family and former girlfriend of a man, killed by police, are suing two Peoria Police Officers and the city in a wrongful death lawsuit. The James Lee Estate and Jessica Flowers say lee was killed about a year ago by police trying to break up a domestic dispute. The plaintiffs argue Lee answered the door for the police, didn't see anyone and then shut the door. That's when, lawyers say, officers shot Lee through the door. Meanwhile police say Lee pointed a gun at them. Officers John Peterson and Robert McMillen and the City of Peoria are named in the lawsuit for 8 different counts from assault and battery to wrongful death. Peoria's Police Chief Steven Settingsgaard says his department and the State's Attorneys Office had reviewed the case, and says officers acted lawfully and justifiably. Flowers and Lee's Estate are suing for $100,000. [MORE] and [MORE]

Hmong Protest Over Milwaukee Police Beating of Koua Moua

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Hundreds of Hmong supporters are expected at Milwaukee City Hall this morning. They plan to protest police brutality against minorities. This stems from a case back in February when a man named Koua Moua was pulled over on a suspicion of drunken driving. Police say Moua drove off, dragging the officer. That cop eventually pulled Moua to the ground and hit him with his radio, leaving Moua badly bruised. Authorities say the case has been investigated and that the officer acted properly. The state is taking a second look at the case at the request of the Hmong community. [MORE]

Taser International Sues Coroner over rulings that Taser Can Cause Death

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Akron - Tasers don't kill, say the makers of the stun guns, so they went to court Monday to protect the company's reputation.

Taser International Inc. wants a judge to order Summit County Medical Examiner Dr. Lisa Kohler to change her rulings that "electrical pulse incapacitation" contributed to three men's deaths.

A hearing began Monday in Summit County Common Pleas Court before visiting Judge Ted Schneiderman and is expected to last several days. Experts for Taser and Kohler will testify whether any medical, scientific or engineering evidence can demonstrate a Taser can cause or contribute to a death.

In Ohio, the ruling of a medical examiner is assumed to be presumptively valid, John Manley, chief counsel of the civil division of the Summit County prosecutor's office, said last week. Manley is representing the medical examiner in the trial.
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Trial begins for Atlanta Officer Charged in Cover-Up of Police Killing of 92 Year Old Black Woman

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ATLANTA (AP) Jury selection is scheduled to start in the case of an Atlanta police officer who is charged in the cover-up of the police killing of a 92-year-old woman. She was shot by three undercover police in her home on Neal Street in northwest Atlanta on November 21, 2006 where she had lived for 17 years.[2] She opened fire on the officers after they pried off burglar bars and broke down her door using a no knock warrant. None of the officers were injured by her gunfire, but Johnston was killed by the officers. It was later determined that Johnston only fired one shot, which did not hit any officers. The police officers fired a total of 39 shots, six of which hit Johnston.

Arthur Tesler was one of the officers on the scene as Kathryn Johnston was shot during the surprise raid. The raid was based on wrong information that cocaine was stored there. Some officers tried to cover up the crime by planting drugs in Johnston's basement.

Tesler is charged with making a false statement to an investigator, violating his oath of office and unlawful imprisonment. He is the only officer involved with the raid who opted for a trial and faces a possible 15-year sentence.  Two former officers - Gregg Junnier and Jason R. Smith - have pleaded guilty to a state charge of voluntary manslaughter and a federal charge of violating Johnston's constitutional rights.
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NAACP Wants Ohio Troopers Fired for Wearing KKK Outfit On Duty

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A local NAACP group is demanding that the 2 Ohio state troopers get fired over the picture of a KKK costume. On the day before MLK day, one put on a mock Klu Klux Klan outfit, while the other snapped a picture. Tonight, some members of the NAACP say both should be out

Ida Alexander has kept quiet until today, "There is a code of creed that they must abide by and it has been broken."

Back in January a cell phone photo was taken of an Ohio state highway patrol trooper, Craig Franklin, holding a KKK mask up to his face. The man behind the camera is trooper Eric Wlodarksy. The photo was forwarded to a 3rd trooper, Jason Demuth. A few days later, someone sent the picture by mail with a letter to the highway patrol's administrative investigation unit. Two of the officers did receive letters of termination but as part of the collective bargaining process they were entered into what is called a last chance agreement, which allows them to maintain their employment as long as they agree to certain terms.

"It should be zero tolerance for anything of this nature," says Rev. James Alexander of the NAACP.
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S.C. Black Caucus to view Trooper Videos: Police Kicking, Beating Black Motorists

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COLUMBIA --The chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus says black lawmakers will begin sampling Highway Patrol traffic stop videos when the current investigation ends.
Columbia Rep. Leon Howard told The Greenville News on Friday that lawmakers will be looking for the same types of misconduct previously caught by troopers' car cameras.

Howard says the approach will keep everyone honest and protect citizens and law enforcement.

Caucus members took several videos to Gov. Mark Sanford several weeks ago, including one that showed a white trooper using a racial slur.

Sanford then announced he would not nominate Public Safety Department director Jim Schweitzer for a second term and accepted the resignation and retirement of the Highway Patrol's commander, Col. Russell Roark. [MORE]