From [HERE] The family of Lyvita Gomes, who died while in custody in a Lake County, Ill., jail, filed a wrongful death suit June 7 seeking an unstipulated amount of monetary damages, alleging that the sheriff’s department and jail personnel denied the former flight attendant appropriate medical care. Gomes, 52 at the time of her death on Jan. 3, was jailed for failing to show up for jury duty. She died after going on a hunger strike that lasted more than 15 days. Her family claims that administrative and medical personnel at Lake County Jail ignored obvious signs of Gomes’ mental and physical illness, which led to her death.

The suit names Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran; Wayne Hunter, chief of operations at the jail; and three others, including Dr. Hargurmukh Singh, who provided medical care for inmates through a contract with Correct Care Solutions. It was filed by the Chicago-based People’s Law Office on behalf of the estate of Lyvita Gomes.

In April, Curran hired a private attorney, Terry Ekl, to determine whether there was misconduct in Gomes’ death as well as the death of Eugene Gruber, who died in a hospital March 3 of pneumonia resulting from paralysis, four months after he was dragged through Lake County jail by guards who had earlier allegedly twisted his neck in a take-down move.

From [HERE] and [HERE] A Georgia sheriff running for re-election is in some hot water after a photo of him wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit surfaced on Friday. Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison admits he wore the outfit. He claims that he wore it to costume to a party while in his early 20s, long before he took office. Garrison said: "I don't deny it wasn't stupid, looking back now." The sheriff of the county north of Atlanta is up for re-election this year and faces opposition in Georgia's July 31 primary. He says the photos are being circulated for "purely political" purposes (like to reveal his true nature as a white supremacist? Must have been a helluva "party." Can you imagine the reaction if a Black elected official dressed up like Hitler back in the day? white folks would have a heart attack - bw). WSB-TV said they were able to contact one individual who was at that Halloween party and recalled people being surprised by the costumes. He is a Republican candidate. [MORE]  

Garrison has been an aggressive proponent of arresting undocumented Latinos. Recently he said, “we will continue to focus our efforts on identifying illegal aliens involved in organized crime including drug sales, prostitution and gang affiliations which threaten our community." After plans to identify illegal aliens, Garrison said he wanted to participate in a federal program that will reimburse the county for the money they spend toboard illegal immigrants. [MORE] 

From [HERE] A Minneapolis Black man says he was beaten by police as he left a downtown nightclub. Zachary King says he was walking to his car when police noticed his gun in his waist band. He claims he told police he had a permit to carry, but they still attacked him. King suffered a concussion after five officers beat him on Father’s Day night. King says video of the assault was taken by a bystander. He says it all started when police noticed a bulge near his waist band. “I have my conceal and carry, and it’s my gun. And soon as I said that he grabbed me by my neck, slammed me against the wall, snatched my gun out the holster, started waving it in the air saying ‘gun, gun, gun,’” said King. King says he made no sudden moves, nor said anything disrespectful.

“Then four other officers just came and slammed me on my face, one of the officers had me by my head just banging it on the sidewalk,” he said. King says officers eventually went for his back pocket and his wallet to get his weapons permit. “And he goes like this to show them that I have my card and they stopped beating me,” said King. King was then taken to the hospital before his last stop, jail. (Arrested for what? if he had a permit and there were no other infractions -  oh he's Black - bw)

Form [HERE] AN OUTRAGED judge slammed a racist NYPD cop with 57 months in prison for falsely arresting a black man and participating in an off-duty beating of another victim.

Michael Daragjati destroyed his police career by getting caught on an FBI wiretap spewing racial slurs and boasting how he had “fried another n-----.”

But when Daragjati called his fabrication of criminal charges against the victim a mere “bad judgment call,” Brooklyn Federal Judge William Kuntz decided he had heard enough. “Today is also your earthly judgment day,” Kuntz boomed Friday in a courtroom packed with Daragjati’s family and supporters.

Daragjati has a history of racism: Previously Daragjati had been the subject of three civil rights lawsuits and a CCRB complaint, in which a black man alleged the cop told him to “shut your n----- mouth.”

Daragjati will serve 48 months for the extortion and nine months after that for the civil rights violation. Kuntz declined to recommend to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons that Daragjati be sent to a facility within 100 miles of his home in Staten Island.

From [HERE] The family of a 37-year-old man who died after being taken into police custody is accusing the El Monte Police Department of using excessive force.

The sister of the Khoa Anh Le called police at 11 pm on the night of June 14 because Le had gotten into a pushing match with his father, according to the Pasadena Star-News. She told a 9-1-1 operator about Le's mental health issues. By the time that police arrived, his family says that Le had calmed down and was sitting on his bed and using a computer. But later that evening after getting into a fight with police, Le was transported to a hospital where he died around 12:21 am. His family plans to file a claim against the El Monte Police Department. They're comparing his death to the fatal beating of Kelly Thomas.

The family's attorney told Star-News that police confronted Le on his bed and asked to see his hands. The family said they watched officers drag Le from his bedroom, strike him about 20 times with a flashlight, use a Taser on him four times and place him in a chokehold. 

Many of those blows and shocks were delivered after Le had been incapacitated, his family says. His brother said that when he told the officer to stop hitting his motionless brother, the officer cursed at him before kicking Le and tasing him some more. (It wouldn't be the first time in recent memory that an El Monte Police officerkicked a man who had stopped resisting.) "The police kicked him several times while he was down on his knees," his sister Diane Le told the Star-News. The family told the Los Angeles Times that they believe it was the chokehold that police administered that ultimately killed him.

In photo Brenda Mason, mother of the Quamaine Mason, and her nephew Bryant Riggs [MORE]  From [HERE] A grand jury will be asked to decide whether there's sufficient evidence to prosecute a Lafayette police officer in the Dec. 9 shooting death of Quamaine Dwayne Mason. A grand jury is scheduled to consider the case July 18, according to Mike Harson, district attorney of the 15th Judicial District Court. If the grand jury finds sufficient evidence, it may issue a true bill. Charges then could be filed against the police officer. Harson then may prosecute him.

Mason, 21, of Carencro was shot to death by a Lafayette police canine officer the evening of Dec. 9 as Mason left his girlfriend's apartment in the Campus Crossings apartment complex on Theater Drive. The Louisiana State Police initial report states, "When the officers arrived on the scene, they encountered an armed suspect at the doorway to an apartment. An officer fired shots at the suspect, fatally wounding him."

Mason's girlfriend told news reporters the next day that Mason's hands were up and his gun was not drawn when the police officer shot him multiple times.

In the video, Cobane can clearly be heard saying to Monetti, "You got me? I am going to kick the (expletive) Mexican piss out of you homey. You feel me?"

From [HERE] A lawsuit against the city of Seattle and a police officer who threatened to beat the "Mexican piss" out of a detained Latino man can proceed to trial, a federal judge ruled Thursday. The lawsuit was filed by Martin Monetti Jr., who claims that Seattle police used excessive, racially motivated force against him when he was detained during a robbery investigation. Monetti is seeking unspecified damages in the case.

The April 2010 incident, which was caught on videotape, touched off an intense racial controversy and was one of several incidents that prompted the U.S. Justice Department to launch an investigation of the Seattle Police Department. In his lawsuit, Monetti says Seattle police officer Shandy Cobane hurled racial slurs at him and kicked him in the head. The lawsuit also says Cobane and another officer, Mary Woollum, stomped on him as he lay prone in a parking lot. The officers' actions were discriminatory and an unreasonable use of force, in violation of the U.S. Constitution, Monetti argues in his suit. He also argues that he was a victim of assault and battery and negligence on the part of Seattle police.

Monetti's case itself was cited in the DOJ's findings: "It is troubling that the use of this racial epithet failed to provoke any of the surrounding officers to react, suggesting a department culture that tolerates this kind of abuse," the department said. [MORE] 

From [HERE] The family of a man fatally shot by a Dallas police officer earlier this month said it has proof that contradicts the officer's account of the shooting. John Husband, 21, was fatally shot June 2. Dallas police have said that Officer Leland Limbaugh shot Husband when he reached for a loaded gun in a struggle during a traffic stop.

His family said Friday that it had statements from two material witnesses that paint a different picture of the shooting. Steve Pipkin, the family's attorney, said Husband never posed a threat to police. "John Husband the 3rd was not holding gun in his hand, never reached for a gun," he said. "When he turned to walk or move away toward the end of the car and was shot in the back, [he] was not holding a gun."

According to the police account of the shooting, Limbaugh pulled Husband over and asked if there were weapons in the car when the officer smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle. Police said Husband told the officer there were no weapons. Police said Limbaugh saw a handgun in Husband's waistband when he asked him to step out of the car. Husband reached for the gun during a scuffle, and Limbaugh shot him in the left shoulder blade.

From [HERE] An Orange County wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against the County of Orange, Deputy Darren Sandberg, and others for the death of Manuel Loggins Jr.

The complaint alleges that Manuel Loggins Jr. was lawfully sitting inside his vehicle when Orange County Deputy Darren Sandberg detained him without probable cause. Without warning, the Deputy proceeded to assault and batter Manuel Loggins Jr., who was unarmed, ending in fatal gunshot wounds inflicted by the Deputy’s firearm. At the time, Loggins was a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton. He was shot and killed on February 7 near San Clemente High School. He was with his two daughters at the time of his death.

Loggins driving his Chevy SUV crashed through the school fence of the school. He got out of his vehicle for about five minutes at which time a deputy sheriff ordered him to stop. Loggins was obviously disoriented when he went back to his vehicle and was fatally shot while inside his vehicle. Loggins was unarmed and presented no threat. What is particularly tragic is his daughters, ages 9 and 14, were seated in the back seats witnessing the entire episode. They were held for approximately 13 hours, at which time their pregnant mother was refused admittance to comfort the children. [MORE] 

From [HERE] Sanford, Florida, Police Chief Bill Lee, who drew criticism for his department's actions in the Trayvon Martin case, was fired Wednesday.

"After much thoughtful discussion and deep consideration for the issues facing the city of Sanford, I have determined the police chief needs to have the trust and respect of the elected officials and the confidence of the entire community," City Manager Norton Bonaparte said in a news release. "We need to move forward with a police chief that all the citizens of Sanford can support. I have come to this decision in light of the escalating divisiveness that has taken hold of the city."

Lee will receive a three-month severance and a week's salary in addition to any earned time off. As a search for Lee's replacement is carried out, interim Chief Richard W. Myers will remain on the job. Late Wednesday night, representatives of the Martin family said they "respected" the city manager's decision.

From [HERE] A Chicago Black woman has been awarded $785,000 in a brutality case involving the Chicago Police Department. A federal jury deliberated a day and a half before finding Chicago Police Officer Jennifer Harris liable of using excessive force on Angel Moore. Moore says the money won't make up for what she's lost. She says she had to undergo several surgeries after the incident, but she's nearly blind now.

"I don't want to know nothing about her," said an emotional Moore. "I just want to erase her from my life. She did enough ... I just want my life back."

Moore, who has had eye problems since childhood, says an encounter with Officer Harris essentially ruined her one good eye and took more than her eye sight. She says it took away her independence. "I'm limited to the things I can do," she said. "I have to wait on people to take me places. It's very hard for me. I'm not used to that."

Moore and her twin sister, Asia, were walking to a South Side gas station near 76th and Halsted in April of 2008. Police stopped them for violating curfew even though they were 20 years old. Moore says the stop turned physical when Officer Harris got involved. "She just started punching me in the back of the head, and then she snatched me by my neck and threw me on the ground and started kicking me," said Moore.

Despite petition with more than 200,000 signatures asking NY to charge the officers involved in the shooting with murder and civil rights violations - no charges were filed. Now Feds are considering a probe. 

From [HERE] Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. and his lawyers met with officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan on Wednesday to discuss the probe into the death of his father, who was shot and killed at his apartment on Nov. 19 by city police responding to a medical alert call. “I can confirm that we met with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and that I thought it was a productive meeting,” said Mayo Bartlett, one of the attorneys representing the Chamberlain family. 

Federal attorneys last month announced that they would “review all of the available evidence” in the death of the elder Chamberlain a day after a Westchester County grand jury voted May 3 not to indict any of the officers involved in the incident that took his life. The family had been calling for an independent investigation for several months.

The shooting occurred in November after police responded to a call that Kenneth Chamberlain, who suffered from respiratory and heart problems, had set off his medical alert device, indicating he needed help. After police arrived he told them he was ok - through the door. The encounter was recorded by audio and video devices, which police planned to release to the public after Chamberlain's family accused police of excessive force and racial profiling. Nothing was released. According to Chamberlain's attorney, transcripts from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office of audio recordings of the night Chamberlain was killed, reveal Officer Steven Hart as the officer who said to Chamberlain, “Stop, we have to talk nigger” before police broke down his door.

From [HERE] On June 15, 2010, Michael White, a 47-year-old Vallejo man, died after police officers tased him while attempting to arrest him inside his home. White is the brother of r&b artist  Jay King. 

White's daughter and her mother are suing the the city of Vallejo, as well as Vallejo Police Chief Robert Nichelini, for wrongful death, claiming that White died because of excessive force.  "The actions of [the police officers] were intentional ... reckless, malicious, deliberately indifferent to [White's] rights," stated the suit, Monday in Sacramento. "[White] did not die from Excited Delirium, but from asphyxiation and excessive or unreasonable tasing."

The police were at White's house to investigate an assault claim. White's neighbor, an elderly woman, had called them after White allegedly assaulted her at her front door. Police claim that when they arrived, White refused to cooperate and locked himself inside another neighbor's bathroom. For some reason police went to use force against him and they claim he resisted restraint. Officers then shocked White with Tasers. White collapsed at some point during the struggle. He died soon after at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Vallejo. The complaint claims that the tasing "lasted several minutes," which it calls "unreasonable long exposure."

From [HERE] The American Civil Liberties Union called on the U.S. Justice Department to take control of the Puerto Rican police force and ensure reforms are carried out in a report issued Tuesday that says the department’s officers routinely use excessive force, killing at least 21 people in the past two years.

The ACLU says the department, the second-largest municipal police force among U.S. jurisdictions, has failed to address corruption, mismanagement and human rights abuses outlined in a scathing 2011 Department of Justice report. Puerto Rico’s government had acknowledged problems with the department and agreed to undertake reforms. “These abuses do not represent isolated incidents or aberrant behavior by a few rogue officers,” the report said. “Such police brutality is pervasive and systemic, island-wide and ongoing. The Puerto Rico police department is steeped in a culture of unrestrained abuse and near-total impunity.” 

The ACLU report noted that between 2005 and 2010, more than 1,700 officers were arrested on charges including murder, drug trafficking and domestic violence. The number represents nearly 10 percent of the police force and is nearly three times the number of officers arrested in a comparable five-year period in the New York Police Department, which has more than twice as many officers.

From [HERE] Attorneys for police accused of beating Jordan Miles want two trials, not one, when the civil case stemming from the incident goes before a jury in a month. The jury should first decide whether city of Pittsburgh officers David Sisak, Michael Saldutte and Richard Ewing had reason to arrest Mr. Miles, then 18, in Homewood on a January night in 2010. Only if they find against the police should a second trial, focused on the damages, be held, wrote attorneys Bryan Campbell and Chris Conrad, who are defending the officers with help from the city Law Department, in one of a slew of motions filed Monday. "If the trial is not bifurcated," they wrote, the officers "will be unduly prejudiced because evidence of damages could improperly affect the jury's determination of liability."

The officers said they confronted Mr. Miles because he appeared to be "sneaking around" with a heavy object in his coat that they thought was a concealed weapon. When he was approached by the officers he ran away, but the officers soon caught up with him and beat him into submission by delivering violent blows that left his face swollen and distorted. Police also used a stun gun and pulled out a chunk of his hair. He is 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds and was unarmed (was he "unduly prejudiced?" -bw). 

14 Topeka (KS) police officers Wearing Body Cameras [MORE] 

From [HERE] Some Philadelphia police officers will soon be on duty with small video cameras attached to them. The department is getting about a half-dozen "cop cams," designed to be mounted on an officer's glasses, hat or collar and capture every moment of what happens while an officer is at a scene. The cameras are the brainchild of the same company that makes the Taser, Philly.com reports.

With so many citizens more than happy to post their own arrest videos online, the cameras, called Axon Flex, could let the police show the entirety of an incident from their point of view, said Rick Smith, co-founder of Taser International. "To have your own recording is the best weapon against allegations against you," he said, according to Philly.com.

From [HERE] Joe Arpaio, the controversial Arizona Sheriff from Maricaopa County, arrested a 6-year-old undocumented immigrant on Friday. The move came the same day President Obama announced a new policy halting deportations for young undocumented immigrants. The Arizona Republic has the story:

The girl was with 15 other people believed to be in the country illegally who were traveling to the Midwest and northeast United States, said Chris Hegstrom, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

“She’s been turned over to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to try to determine where she’s from. She told us she’s from El Salvador. That’s what she told us,” he said. The arrest took place Friday night at an undisclosed location in northern Maricopa County…

The sheriff said his deputies arresting child suspected of being an illegal immigrant the same day Obama implemented the policy is a coincidence. But if more illegal children enter the country after hearing about the new policy, Arpaio said it may not be by happenstance.

The nine-minute and twenty second videotape turned what would otherwise have been a violent, but soon forgotten, encounter between Los Angeles police and Rodney King into one of the most widely watched and discussed incidents of its kind. [VIDEO HERE] [full version HERE] and [HERE] Rodney King, the black man who came to symbolize racial tensions in the United States after his 1991 beating by police led to riots in Los Angeles a year later, was found dead in a swimming pool on Sunday in Rialto, California, police said. He was 47. "Preliminary indications are that this is a drowning with no signs of foul play," Rialto police said in a statement.

King was discovered by his fiancée, Rialto police Captain Randy De Anda said. The San Bernardino County Coroner's office will conduct an autopsy, authorities said. King's death was reported to police Sunday morning in Rialto, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. Police pulled his body from the swimming pool but were unable to resuscitate him, De Anda said.

King became known around the world after he and some friends were stopped by Los Angeles police on March 3, 1991, after a high-speed chase. King was beaten by baton-wielding white police officers while a bystander videotaped them. The video prompted a national debate on police brutality and race relations. When the officers were cleared of brutality charges a year later, riots broke out in Los Angeles, resulting in 53 deaths and an estimated $1 billion in damage. During the riots, King made a famous televised appeal for calm, saying: "Can we all get along?"

Two of the officers were later convicted on federal charges of violating King's civil rights and were sentenced to prison. A jury ordered the city of Los Angeles to pay King, who was unemployed at the time of the beating, $3.8 million in damages. [MORE] 

From [HERE] In a slow, somber procession, several thousand demonstrators conducted a silent march on Sunday down Fifth Avenue to protest the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policies, which the organizers say single out minorities and create an atmosphere of martial law for the city’s black and Latino residents.

Two and a half hours after it began, the peaceful, disciplined march ended in mild disarray. As many marchers dispersed, police officers at 77th Street and Fifth Avenue began pushing a crowd that defied orders to leave the intersection, shoving some to the ground and forcing the protesters to a sidewalk, where they were corralled behind metal barricades. After protesters pushed back, the officers used an orange net to clear the sidewalk, and appeared to arrest at least three people.