Trial Begins for 2 New Orleans Police Officers Charged in Beating Death of Black man

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From [HERE] and [HERE] NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans police officer savagely beat a 48-year-old handyman, Raymond Robair, to death for no reason, breaking four ribs and crushing his spleen before he and his partner concocted a story to conceal the crime, a federal prosecutor said Monday at the start of a trial for the two officers. "At the heart of this case is a flagrant abuse of power, an abuse of power that cost a man his life," Justice Department attorney Jared Fishman told jurors.

In the second civil rights case involving New Orleans police to go to trial in less than six months, prosecutor Jared Fishman told jurors they will hear from civilian witnesses who saw officer Melvin Williams kick Robair and beat him with a police baton. They will also hear from nurses and doctors at Charity Hospital who will explain that, had they known that Robair had suffered significant trauma, they would have taken different measures to treat him. Instead, he died of internal bleeding that they had no idea was occurring.

The officers dropped him off at a hospital, claiming Robair was a "known drug user" they had found under a bridge, according to Fishman. "They didn't tell anyone this man was beaten," he said. "Those lies cost Raymond Robair his life."

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Nine More Hinds County Detention Officers Fired Over Brutal Beating of Handcuffed Black Man

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HINDS COUNTY, MS (WLBT) - Facing allegations of inmate beatings at the Raymond Detention Center, Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin has fired 9 more detention officers.  

The investigation into excessive force used on a handcuffed and shackled inmates remains on-going.  This comes on the heels of the alleged jail-house beating of inmate Charles Johnson.  

The photo's were allegedly taken inside a Jackson hospital by 4 of the 9 jailers who were fired.  They show Charles Johnson, 32, severely beaten.  A cigarette was placed in his mouth allegedly by the guards who took the photo's. Johnson was jailed February 16 for murder and the armed carjacking of a Fed Ex truck driver.  

Sheriff McMillin says his investigation is not over.  "With the publicity given these two cases that there will be additional complaints and as they come in they will be verified as to the truthfulness of those reports."  Sheriff Malcolm McMillin launched an internal investigation with the new round of firings.  "If we have a violation of orders, if we have use of inappropriate force, we are going to take the appropriate action as a result of that."  

17 jailers at the Raymond Detention Center were initially fired from their jobs.  The sheriff says only one has been reinstated.  Sheriff McMillin had previously fired 8 guards after a separate incident of alleged brutality at the jail.  Both cases of allegedly brutality have been turned over to the FBI for a possible criminal investigation.  

Providence Officer on trial for Felony assault in "Coma Beating" of Latino Man

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From [HERE] The trial of a Providence police detective accused of assaulting a man two years ago starts this week. Detective Robert DeCarlo is charged with felony assault and simple assault in the beating of Luis Mendonca in October 2009. The police beating was captured on surveillance video.

It showed an officer, identified as Det. Robert DeCarlo, kicking Mendonca and striking him with a flashlight. Mendonca's attorney claimed his client was in a coma for two days following the incident.

The video, from the night of Oct. 20, was released on the day Mendonca was sentenced in District Court, Providence, for assaulting two Rhode Island School of Design police officers in connection with that incident.

The grainy, black-and-white video shows a group of police officers struggling with Mendonca in a parking lot off Benefit Street on the city’s East Side while he is lying on the ground near a parked car.

It shows the officers dragging Mendonca from under the car and into the center of the parking lot, after he has apparently been restrained. The video then shows another police officer entering the fray, kicking Mendonca and following up with a number of blows to the victim’s head with what his lawyer says is a flashlight.

The video, which has no sound, ends with a visibly limp Mendonca being dragged by police officers up a flight of stairs leading to Benefit Street.

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Jacksonville Officer gets No Additional jail time for Beating a Detained, Handcuffed Black Man with Radio

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From [HERE] Disgraced Jacksonville police Sgt. Marc Garza has pleaded no contest to a felony charge that hebeat a handcuffed drug suspect with a police radio.

Monday's negotiated plea bargain called for a nine-month jail sentence, but it will align concurrently with thenine months Garza already is serving after being convicted of coaching a subordinate officer to write a bogus burglary report in August 2009. The initial setence started about two weeks ago on March 22.

Although that means no additional jail time for Garza, Monday's plea deal adds a two-year probation term and 100 hours of community service after Garza is released.

Garza was charged with beating drug suspect Somario Atkins, 25, in the head with a heavy, metal portable police radio after Atkins got into a scuffle with other officers in August 2009. Atkins already had been detained when Garza attacked him inside a squad car. 

Atkins was sitting handcuffed in the back of a police car when he was beaten in the head, causing a 2-inch laceration, Garza's arrest report said.

 

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New Orleans Police Officers Sentenced for "Barbaric Conduct" in Murder of Black Man after Katrina

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From [HERE] NEW ORLEANS – A former New Orleans police officer was sentenced to more than 25 years in prison Thursday for shooting a man to death without justification after Hurricane Katrina, and his ex-colleague was given just over 17 years for burning the body.

The judge said he didn't believe former officer David Warren's testimony that Henry Glover, 31, posed a threat when he came to a strip mall less than a week after the August 2005 storm. Warren shot Glover to death and ex-officer Gregory McRae later burned his body in a car near a police station.

"Your conduct was barbaric," U.S. District Judge Lance Africk told McRae. "The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina was made uglier by your disturbing actions. At a time when more was expected of you, you failed miserably." McRae could have received 50 years and Warren faced up to life in prison.

"You killed a man. Despite your tendentious arguments to the contrary, it was no mistake," Africk said.

The jury found that McRae, 49, drove Glover's body from the police compound to a nearby Mississippi River levee and set it on fire. The car belonged to one of the men who had driven Glover to the compound. McRae said he burned the vehicle because he was weary of seeing rotting corpses after the storm. Another officer, however, testified he saw McRae laughing after he set the fire

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Justice Department Launches Civil Rights Probe of Seattle Police

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From [HERE] and [HERE] The U.S. Department of Justice is launching a formal civil rights investigation of the Seattle Police Department following several high-profile violent incidents, federal officials said Thursday.

The incidents include the shooting death of a Native American carver, the stomping of a Latino suspect and the punching of an African American teenage jaywalker.

The announcement followed the Justice Department's decision in January to do a preliminary review of Seattle police's use-of--force practices. That review came after the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups called for an investigation into a possible pattern or practice of unnecessary use of force, especially against minorities.

 In their request, the ACLU and other organizations asserted that some Seattle officers appear to "inflict injury out of anger" at suspects rather than to protect public safety. "Distrust of the police by communities of color grows as a result, and it becomes harder for the Seattle Police Department to do its job of keeping all Seattle residents safe," said the letter, which was sent to Durkan and Perez.

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Several Birmingham Police Officers Caught on Tape Beating Black Man who had Surrendered

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From [HERE] and [HERE] Birmingham attorney, Charles Salvagio, has obtained surveillance video of an arrest which shows his client, Travarious Daniel, being hit and kicked by police officers as he was prone on the ground with his arms out.

Several Birmingham Police officers pile on a suspect, and beat him. Prior to the beating Daniel is standing with arms outstretched as he had apparently surrendered to police. Although over twenty blows are counted on the tape, the Alabama police report described the attack by police as "minimal force."

It was on march 20th on the 16 hundred block of 1st Ave North directly across from Birmingham Police Headquarters where 29-year old Travarious Daniel was arrested. Salvagio says, “My client wanted it to be shown to the public, because he didn't want anyone else to be treated like this.”

“We counted 5 officers and we quit counting the blows after 20, I'm going to let you be the judge. A guy comes out he has his hands up appears to me all you have to do put his hands behind his back and put him in the car, but I'll let the tape speak for itself,” says Salvagio.

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Border Patrol Fatally Shoot Latino Man Three times in the Back Because he Looked like an Illegal Immigrant

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From [HERE] and [HERE] Carlos La Madrid was driving a vehicle Douglas Police had deemed "suspicious" for unknown reasons as it sped away from them toward the Mexican border last week. According to police, he drove to the border wall west of the Douglas Port of Entry, ran out of his car and began to climb a ladder on the border wall. Police apparently assumed Madrid was an undocumented immigrant due to his physical features. The Border Patrol claimed that he, or possibly someone on the Sonoran side, was throwing rocks at an agent who then opened fire.  Madrid was a U.S. citizen.

When asked if the agent suffered any injuries as a result of the alleged rock throwing, Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said, “I do not have any indication that he did.” The FBI is conducting its own investigation into the assault against the agent, said Manuel Johnson, spokesman for the federal agency in Phoenix.  

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Cleveland Police Officers who Tasered Black Man to Death Back at Work

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From [HERE] Two Cleveland Police Officers, Stanley Perry and Brian Goza, have returned to the job after being suspended pending an investigation of the July 23, 2010, TASER incident that raised many questions about police procedures and left one local man dead. “All I can say about this is that yes both officers have returned to full duty with the police force,” said Cleveland Police Chief Charles “Buster” Bingham.

“They were recently cleared by a local grand jury and allowed to return to work. I can’t elaborate any further so I will say ‘no comment’ to any other questions on the matter because of the pending litigation against the city and the officers,” he said. The city of Cleveland and the two officers were named in a $25 million, wrongful death suit after an incident where 30-year-old Jermaine Williams died.

Bolivar County Deputy Coroner J.O. Trice said he considered the death of Williams a homicide and attributed it solely to the TASER. “The cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia that was induced by the electrical tasing device (TASER),” he said on Saturday. “The young man was quite healthy for a 30-year-old fellow. He said that Williams was hit in the back and front of his body with the TASER [MORE] 

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Shreveport Police Officer faces 10 years for perjury, filing false records

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From [HERE] A former Shreveport police officer who was terminated more than four years ago after leaving the scene of an officer-involved shooting faces up to 10 years in prison for lying about his actions that night.

A Caddo jury this week convicted Morgan King on one count each of perjury and filing false public records. And Caddo District Judge Mike Pitman on Wednesday set a sentencing hearing for April 20. King, 54, faces up to five years in prison on each count. King was charged with perjury in February 2007 after he testified during a hearing to determine whether a man convicted of attempted murder of a police officer would get a new trial.

Authorities say King made a false statement about turning on his emergency lights at the scene of the shooting to cover up departmental violations, with hopes of getting his job back.

King was fired for his actions that night. Raymond Darnell was shot by a patrolman after he wounded his girlfriend in front of police. Video from a police car near the shooting shows King arrive at the shooting. He walked by the injured woman then left the scene. Prosecutors say King later falsified his daily activity log about being on the scene.

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ACLU Files 2 Suits Against Denver Police for Racial Bias: Latino Man Wrongfully Detained and Arrested 5 days for Being 'Illegal Immigrant'

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From [HERE] and [HERE] and [HERE] Two lawsuits filed within the past week in federal court accuse the Denver Police Department of racial bias.

In the first lawsuit filed in federal court Monday, attorneys for the ACLU allege that officers falsely accused Denver resident Jose Sanchez of being an “illegal immigrant,” improperly arrested him for supposedly providing “false identification,” and illegally entered and searched the home of his girlfriend without a warrant. The ACLU says that the alleged “false” identification was a valid photo ID card issued by the Department of Homeland Security. Sanchez was jailed for five days, which caused him to lose his job, according to the ACLU.

“This case highlights two issues that the Citizens Oversight Board and the Independent Monitor have repeatedly identified as subjects of multiple complaints about Denver police: Racial profiling and illegal entries into the homes of Denver residents,” said a statement from Mark Silverstein, ACLU of Colorado legal director. “Denver police need to base their policing on evidence, not biased stereotypes and they need to respect the Fourth Amendment’s ban on unreasonable searches and seizures.”

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Jury finds Corpus Christi Officer did not violate Constitutional rights in fatal shooting of Latino Man

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From [HERE] CORPUS CHRISTI — A jury sided with the city Tuesday in a civil case involving a Corpus Christi police officer who shot and killed a man in 2009.

The family of Sylvester Villasana sued the city in federal court alleging police used excessive force. Villasana was killed May 9, 2009, after leading police on a high speed car chase and foot pursuit that ended when he was cornered in a vacant lot on the corner of Port and Dillon avenues.

The 28-year-old was shot by Officer Justin Sanders after police say Villasana refused to comply with commands to surrender and lunged at Sanders with a knife in one hand and a cellphone in the other. The jury decided Sanders did not violate Villasana’s constitutional rights to be free from excessive force during the incident. The jury deliberated for almost 3 1/2 hours Tuesday.

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Birmingham Police Defend their Conduct in Vicious Videotaped Beating of Unarmed Black Man

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On Jan. 23, 2008 38-year-old Anthony Warren was severley beaten by Brmingham Police. He suffered a severe concussion, a skull fracture, internal bleeding and broken bones. The incident was captured on video. According to his pending lawsuit, Birmingham police officers "repeatedly struck [him] about his head and body causing him to be hospitalized for four days and unconscious for the majority of that time' Although numerous Birmingham officers and supervisors had seen the the video- none reported it for nearly a year. [MORE] and [MORE]  

From [HERE] A daylong hearing Monday on five former Birmingham officers, fired after the high-profile videotaped beating of a motorist after a chase in 2008, ended without resolution or a recommendation.

Jim Sturdivant, the hearing officer charged with making a recommendation to the three-member Jefferson County Personnel Board, was by the day's end clearly frustrated with the city of Birmingham, which he said didn't provide sufficient testimony supporting the firing of the officers in 2009.

Sturdivant also said he was dismayed that they didn't show the highly publicized videotape itself [see HERE], that Police Chief A.C. Roper appeared at the hearing only after he questioned his absence and that no one with the authority to hire or fire officers took the stand.

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Beating of Black Man by Oneonta Police Leaves him with 'One Functional Eye' -stopped for talking on cell phone

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ONEONTA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Bradford Shanks of Oneonta is seeking over $1 million in damages after he says police officers used excessive force and beat him following a January 28 traffic stop.

Shanks was pulled over on January 28 for allegedly talking on his cell phone, but Shanks denies he was using his phone while driving. Shank's Attorney Bryan Konoski says that a notice of claim has been filed and he expects to file a lawsuit against Otsego County, the City of Oneonta, the Police Department and its Chief, Joseph Redmond, as well as Officer Michael Breen. Breen is the officer accused of beating Shanks and is currently suspended without pay.

Shanks only has one functional eye and his attorney says the alleged beating damaged that eye. Konoski says that after the alleged beating, Shanks needed medical attention that he was not given. "He also was denied prompt medical attention," Konoski said. "The officers at the station refused to bring Mr. Shanks to the hospital even after a recommendation by an EMT from the neighboring fire department." 

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18 Current Black Inmates with Torture Claims Against Chicago police

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From [HERE] and [HERE] A list of 18 current inmates in Illinois prisons who have alleged that former Chicago Police Lt. Jon Burge (above) or his officers tortured them into confessions, as compiled by attorneys. Lawyers and advocates say anywhere from 16-24 men who claim to have been tortured by Burge or his officers are currently incarcerated in Illinois. The number is hard to nail down because each of them is represented by different lawyers, if they still have representation at all, and some have either finished their sentences or been released.  

  1. Edward James: Sentenced to 60 years in prison for the armed robbery of a gas station along with James Lewis; claims police threatened him with a "horror chamber," beat and choked him in 1979 to get a confession. 
  2. James Lewis: Sentenced to 60 years in prison for the armed robbery of a gas station along with Edward James; claims an officer slammed him against a wall and placed a forearm against his throat in 1979 so that he'd confess. 
  3. Tony Anderson: Sentenced to more than 100 years in prison for murder, attempted murder and armed robbery; claims police put a gun to his head, beat him with a night stick and physically abused him for hours in 1990 to get a confession to 13 different crimes. 
  4. Stanley Wrice (right): Sentenced to 100 years in prison in the kidnapping, rape and torture of a woman; claims police beat him across the face, body and groin with a flashlight and piece of rubber in 1982 to get a confession. The Illinois appeals court has granted him a new evidentiary hearing, but prosecutors are challenging the move. 
  5. Leonard Hinton: Sentenced to life in prison for the shooting deaths of three people; claims police beat, suffocated and electrically shocked him in 1983 to get a confession. The Illinois appeals court has granted him a new evidentiary hearing, but prosecutors are challenging the move. 
  6. Reginald Mahaffey: Sentenced to death, along with his brother, for fatally beating two people during a robbery; claims he was beaten and threatened with suffocation in 1983 to get a confession. 
  7. Jerry Mahaffey: Sentenced to death, along with his brother, in fatal beating of two people during a robbery; claims police beat him and threatened him with suffocation in 1983 to get a confession. 
  8. Leonard Kidd: Sentenced to death, along with his half-brother Leroy Orange, in fatal stabbing of three adults and a child in a drug-induced frenzy; also convicted for setting fire to a building in which 10 children died; claims police used electric shock and beat him in 1984 to get a confession. Orange was pardoned by then-Gov. George Ryan in 2003. 
  9. Vincent Wade: Sentenced to life in prison for the robbery and murder of an alleged drug dealer; claims officers kneed him in the groin, punched him in the stomach, hit him with a phone book and flashlight in 1984 to get a confession. 
  10. Franklin Burchette: Sentenced to life in prison for the beating deaths of his wife's three children; claims police shocked him with an electrical prod, hit him on the head with a phonebook, beat him and denied him sleep in 1985 to get a confession. 
  11. Clarence Trotter: Sentenced to life in prison for murder and sexual assault, along with Michael Tillman; claims he was beaten with a flashlight and phonebook, suffocated with a typewriter cover and strangled by police in 1986 so that he'd confess. Tillman was released from prison last year after prosecutors conceded his confession had been coerced and that they couldn't prove him guilty without it. 
  12. Grayland Johnson: Sentenced to life for the 1988 murder of a man accused of stealing from drug dealers; claims police hung him by his handcuffs from a bathroom window, suffocated him with a plastic bag and hit him in 1988 to get a confession. 
  13. Eric Johnson: Sentenced to life in prison for two murders; claims police beat and kicked him in 1989 to get a confession. 
  14. Derrick King (left): Sentenced to death for robbery-related shooting death at a candy store; claims police beat him with a baseball bat and with a telephone book on his kneecaps and chest in 1980 to get a confession.
  15. Demond Weston: Sentenced to 75 years in prison for gang-related shooting deaths; claims police beat him with a phonebook, choked him and threatened him with hanging in 1990 to get a confession. 
  16. Johnny Plummer: Sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of two separate murders, including one in a candy store; claims police punched him and hit him with a flashlight in 1991 to get a confession. 
  17. Javan Deloney: Sentenced to life in prison in connection with gang-related shooting deaths; claims police slapped, elbowed and hit him in 1991 to get a confession. 
  18. Keith Walker: Sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murder; claims he was beaten with a phonebook, verbally abused and electroshocked in 1991 to get a confession. His attorney says a judge has granted him a new evidentiary hearing. 

 

Hinds County (Miss.) Sheriffs Beat Black Man Unconscious after he Turned himself in

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From [HERE] and [HERE] Four more Hinds County Detention Center jailers are suspended without pay, bringing to 13 the number disciplined over misconduct with inmates at the Raymond jail.

Sheriff's Department spokesman Lt. Jeffery Scott on Monday confirmed the suspensions are related to the beating of Charles Johnson, an accused killer and carjacker, who turned himself in to the Sheriff's Department on Feb. 16.

The sheriff said photos 16 WAPT News brought to his attention are the key pieces of evidence behind a mass firing at the Hinds County Detention Center. WAPT received graphic photos from Johnson's family and brought them to the Hinds County Sheriff's Department.

Johnson's family said he told them that he was beaten until he was unconscious. "Having a badge doesn't give you the right to beat and abuse these men no matter what they have done," a Johnson family member, who didn't want to be identified, said. At his family's request, Johnson has been moved from the Detention Center in Raymond and is now being held at the jail in downtown Jackson.

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Video Captures West Point Police Beating 17 Yr Old Black Girl - Stopped for Playing Music Too Loud

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From [HERE] WEST POINT, Ga. -- Two police officers are under investigation after dashcam video caught them using excessive force on a teenager.

It all began on East Ninth Street in West Point last month after 17-year-old Ciara Flemister began recording the arrest of her cousin. Police were arresting him after complaints of loud music. The officer's dashcam video shows Flemister walking close to where officers had detained her cousin.

The video shows Flemister screaming, "Don't touch me, don't touch me. Get off me," as two officers wrestle her onto a patrol car. You then see an officer raise his elbow and then slam it onto the teen's head.

Seconds later, the video shows a second officer grabbing Flemister's hair and yanking her head down as she screams in pain. Flemister told Channel 2's Tom Jones that she doesn't remember much of the force.

"I just remember my face being slammed down into the car," she said. West Point's Police Chief J.K. Cato called the force by both officers excessive. "At that point, she was restrained and that blow was not called for," Cato said.

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Black Man Alleges he was Beaten and Denied Medical Treatment by Kent County Sheriffs after Drunk Stop

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - An Allen Park man, represented by Geoffrey Fieger, is suing the Kent County Sheriff's Department and a specific deputy for allegedly beating the man after he was arrested for drunken driving. 

A lawsuit filed in federal court lays out the claim that Jesse Bowlson, 33 at the time, was arrested early May 30, 2010 on a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated at I-96 and Alden Nash Road.

He was taken to the Kent County jail where, the lawsuit contends, he was "pepper sprayed, kicked, choked, and beaten" by jail guards. Bowlson was taken to Spectrum Health downtown and diagnosed with a "collapsed lung, four broken ribs, and multiple abrasions and contusions."

Bowlson posted bond and was released from jail June 1, 2010. He pleaded guilty in October of that year and was sentenced to 15 days of jail and two years of probation.

The suit specifically names Deputy Matthew Batchelder, and alleges the department "used unreasonable and excessive force," that deputies conspired to keep Bowlson from getting medical care, and "knowingly falsely and publicly state that the (sheriff deputies) were in a dangerous situation and/or were justified in beating Jesse Bowlson."

The department also is accused in the lawsuit of "employing a police code of silence" in its conspiracy effort.

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Supremes Decide Whether to Hear Florence case: Black Man stripped searched twice in seven days by NJ Jail after traffic arrest made in error

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From [HERE] A man was kept in jail and stripped searched twice in a week for a minor traffic fine he had already paid. Albert Florence, 34, was hauled out of his car by a highway patrol man who was given false information by a police computer that there was an outstanding warrant against him.

He had been stopped several times before for the cleared fine, and even carried a letter absolving him of the offence. Despite this, he spent a week in two county jails where he was subjected to the humiliating strips searches before being cleared by a judge.

Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Florence spoke of how he was told to 'Turn around,' while he stood naked before several guards and prisoners, before being told: 'Squat and cough. Spread your cheeks.' He added: 'I consider myself a man’s man. 'I am six-three. Big guy. It was humiliating. It made me feel less than a man. It made me feel not better than an animal.'

There was no reason to believe he might be smuggling drugs or a weapon into jail. 

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Heavy NYPD Presence in Schools Treats Students Like Criminals - Latino Community Concerned about 'Over Policing'

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From [HERE] NEW YORK — Leaders in the Latino community and victims of racial violence testified today in New York about police brutality and the “school-to-prison pipeline,” one day after the Census Bureau reported that one in six people in the United States is Hispanic.

Access to education has systemic barriers that are disproportionate to Latino and other minority communities, Larry Schwartzel, a staff attorney at the Racial Justice Program of the American Civil Liberties Union, told the American Bar Association Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities. “It is impossible to not observe the very obvious disparity,” he said.

“The force which polices the public school system is the fifth largest in the country, surpassing the forces of major cities of Boston and Washington, D.C.,” he said. “The increased presence of the NYPD and use of aggressive street policing tactics within schools has created the feeling of treating students as criminals for typical student behavior.” Security for the New York public schools is a division of the New York Police Department.

Schwartzel said that practices such as using force on students for issues like writing their names on their desks, or patrolling school halls as if they were city streets, are among the barriers to education. He also cited problems such as over-categorizing students as learning disabled, and zero-tolerance policies within schools.

 

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