After 911 Ambulance Call: Alabaster Police Enter Home & Beat Diabetic Black Man to Death - Lawsuit Filed

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On about Nov. 27 or 29, 2010, Woodson experienced problems with his blood sugar and called out to his wife. He was confused and disoriented due to his unstable blood sugar, according to the lawsuit.

Family members could not help Woodson with his blood sugar that day, so they called paramedics at about 8 p.m. The lawsuit states that four medical personnel responded in 12 minutes. An estimated nine Alabaster police officers also arrived. Medical personnel administered intravenous fluids to Woodson, who was slamming his hands down on a kitchen table during his disorientation and confusion, according to the lawsuit.

The complaint alleges that Snead and Lee tried to place Woodson under arrest for resisting arrest during the medical treatment.

"As this was happening, Mr. Woodson's family and the paramedics told the police that he was having a diabetic fit," according to the lawsuit. "Mr. Woodson was having a medical emergency and was not resisting arrest."

The complaint claims that Snead told one of Woodson's granddaughters to get back or he would use a Taser on her.

"Mr. Woodson, while handcuffed, stood up from the kitchen table and Officer Snead and Officer Lee violently slammed Mr. Woodson to the ground" and caused "substantial pain" to him, according to the lawsuit.

"Mr. Woodson's head hit the floor so hard that Mr. Woodson could hear something crack," the lawsuit states. "Blood shot from Mr. Woodson's mouth."

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Gun Control? Cleveland Asks for Federal Review after Outlaw Cops Shoot Unarmed Black Couple 137 Times

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Blame the Gun or White Supremacy? Racism White Supremacy is carried out through violence and/or deception.In wake of this shooting, Neely Fuller says You Should expect to be killed in the name of racism anytime, any place. You have been marked as an enemy because you are Black. Keep your protest signs because this will happen again. [mp3]  From [HERE] Last month, a police chase that started in East Cleveland when a cop said he heard a gunshot ended with cops in East Cleveland firing 137 shots into the car, killing the driver and a female passenger, both were Black people. No gun was found. Protests followed. Now, the city of Cleveland has requested a review of its policies in the wake of the shooting. 

After leading police on a 25-minute chase through city streets, Russell found himself surrounded in a dead-end in East Cleveland. Police have said that they opened fire when Russell tried to run one of them over. That version may eventually be tested in court, but what is undisputed is that 13 officers unloaded a total of 137 bullets into Russell’s 1979 Chevy Malibu, killing both him and Williams.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Williams’s uncle, Walter Jackson, said that 24 bullets had been removed from her body and the damage to her face and torso was extensive. [MORE] 

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Macon Police Retract Statements after White Officer Shoots Unarmed Black Man to Death in Store

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From [HERE] and [HERE] New facts have emerged on Thursday, December 27, which sheds a little more light on a Macon police officer who shot 49 year-old Sammie Davis, Jr. at a Kroger store located on Pio Nono Ave on December 21. The Black man was handcuffed before he was medically treated, even though police found no weapon on the scene, according to a Macon police report. Davis was unarmed and was shot three times in the chest. Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones ruled on Thursday, December 27 that Davis' death by a Macon Police Officer is a homicide.

Police originally said Officer Clayton Sutton was serving a warrant on Sammie "Junebug" Davis Jr., when a struggle ensued and multiple shots were fired. Davis' died shortly after the incident and his death has been ruled a homicide.

It was later discovered there was no warrant for Sammie Davis Jr., and police then released a statement saying Sutton was responding to a call for service. Davis had no criminal history, a clean crimnal record.

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West Warwick Police Grossly Negligent in Death of Black Man: No Reason for Stop, Arrest, Beating and Failed to Provide CPR - Awarded $1 Million

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On the day he died, Jackson was visiting his mother and went to an adjacent liquor store parking lot to smoke a cigarette. That night, defendant Officers Sean Lukowicz and Patrick Kelley received a report of the liquor store’s sign being vandalized.

When the officers saw Jackson illuminated in their headlights, Lukowicz turned on his search light and directed it at Jackson. Jackson immediately turned 180 degrees to his left and started walking away. Both officers then exited their patrol cars and started walking toward Jackson.

When they observed Jackson walking away from them, the defendants ordered him to stop. Jackson responded with words to the effect of: “You’re not the boss of me. ” Kelley reached out to take hold of Jackson’s right arm, but before he could touch him, Jackson removed his right hand from his pocket and “swatted” or “flailed” at the officer.

The judge later found that “Jackson’s flail/swat was not made in a threatening manner and would not place a reasonable person in fear of imminent bodily harm. ”

Within seconds, Kelley made the decision to arrest Jackson for assault. After deciding to detain him, Kelley, with Lukowicz, immediately moved in and seized Jackson by his shoulders, attempting to put him to the ground using an arm-bar maneuver.

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DEA Refuses to Cooperate with so-called Investigation into Homicide of Latino Man Beaten to Death by Agents

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From [HERE] In July 2010 Albert Arriaga was arrested in Los Angeles in a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency meth bust and handed over the Los Angeles Police Department. Then he died. A coroner subsequently found that his ribs had been broken in 21 places. Here’s how the Los Angeles Times describes Arriaga’s last hours:

The informant, wired with a hidden microphone, approached the suspects' car and received the drugs from Alberto Arriaga, who remained in the passenger seat throughout the exchange. Drug agents moved in and are believed to have pulled Arriaga from the car, laid him face down on the pavement and handcuffed him, according to the LAPD report.

Eventually, officers from the LAPD were called in to take Arriaga and the other suspect to a nearby station to be booked, the report said. A station supervisor asked the men if they had any medical issues. Arriaga complained of leg pain from a previous injury but mentioned nothing else, the report found. The men were then placed in a holding cell together.

Sometime later that night, after the booking process had been completed, detention officers tried to move Arriaga, 45, to another jail facility. He told the jailers he was having abdominal pain "and had been beaten up by the DEA agents who arrested him," the report said. Arriaga was taken by ambulance to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital. There, according to coroner's records, he waited 16 hours without receiving medical attention despite his worsening condition and then died.

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Justice Dept. and Puerto Rico Agree to Overhaul the Island’s Troubled Police Force

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From [HERE] The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the government of Puerto Rico agreed Friday to sweeping changes to the commonwealth’s large and troubled Police Department intended to help overcome a history of discrimination, violence and corruption.

In a 102-page consent decree filed to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit, Justice Department officials and the departing governor of Puerto Rico, Luis G. Fortuño, agreed to far-reaching changes in the way the 17,000-member force recruits, trains, promotes and oversees its officers. This includes strict new policies on the use of force, police interactions with gay and transgender Puerto Ricans, the department’s approach to domestic violence and its handling of civilian complaints. The agreement also reins in the department’s special tactical units, which have drawn much criticism over the years.

Both sides agreed to delay putting the changes in place for several months to give the administration of the incoming governor, Alejandro García Padilla, an opportunity to review and adopt it — or propose changes. The subject is also subject to judicial approval. The agreement follows a 116-page report the Civil Rights Division issued last year accusing the Police Department of systematically “using force, including deadly force, when no force or lesser force was called for,” unnecessarily injuring hundreds of people and killing “numerous others.”

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"Zapsters": Texas mall police use Mace on Air Jordan shoppers

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From [HERE] Security officers at a Fort Worth mall used Mace to calm and disperse a crowd of hundreds who were waiting to buy Air Jordan sneakers after an off-duty officer was nearly trampled.

Fort Worth police spokesman Sgt. Pedro Criado told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram ( http://bit.ly/XZPjtt) that a crowd of more than 350 people at Hulen Mall wanted to buy a limited re-release of red-and-black Nike Air Jordan sneakers. He says the crowd pushed through barricades, knocking down an off-duty officer. Criado says the officer was nearly trampled and shot "a short burst" of Mace into the crowd.

Criado says the crowd quickly dispersed. No one was injured. The sneakers cost between $150 and $200. Many stores are using a voucher system to avoid crowd-control problems.

Jesse Jackson Demands Investigation in Custody Death: Chicago Police Kill Black Man who had Graduate Degree

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The Powerless Class. The very existence of white supremacy automatically eliminates the possibility of any non-white person being so-called "upper class" or "middle class" in his or her relationship to any person, any place. Non-whites are certainly not "upper" or "middle" relative to white supremacists [MORE]  From [HERE] and [HERE] Philip Coleman had a “breakdown” that caused him to act erratically and prompted his arrest but he “didn’t deserve to die,” his older sister said Friday.

The 38-year-old Coleman, a businessman and University of Chicago graduate, died a day earlier after twice being Tasered by Chicago Police following his arrest for allegedly beating his mother. The Rev. Jesse Jackson and a Chicago family are calling for an independent investigation after he died in police custody last week. The group wants to know whether Chicago Police officers used excessive force in their arrest.

There are two very different versions of what happened to Coleman. Police say officers were forced to use a Taser in response to a combative, aggressive suspect.

Coleman's family says the victim was suffering from an extreme, severe mental breakdown at the time of the incident, and needed to be hospitalized, not taken to jail. Coleman was pronounced dead Thursday evening while in police custody after a series of violent episodes over the course of the prior day.

Coleman was first arrested Wednesday afternoon at his home in the West Pullman neighborhood for allegedly beating his 69-year old mother. As he was taken into custody, police say he became combative and even spat blood at officers. But family members deny he was actually coughing up blood due to injuries sustained during the fight. The day after his arrest, police say Coleman again became combative as they tried to transfer him to court from Area South Police Headquarters, prompting officers to use a Taser on him.

Police then transferred Coleman to the hospital where they say he once again became violent with both officers and hospital staff. That led to another shock with the Taser. Coleman died a short time later.

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LAPD Police Chief, 'A real Tragedy, but we didn't do anything wrong': Jury Does Not Believe Officers - $24 million to Latino boy Paralyzed in shooting

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In photo, racist suspect, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. From [HERE] In what is likely a record judgment, a jury on Friday handed down a $24-million verdict against the  Los Angeles Police Department for the shooting of a 13-year-old boy who was playing with a replica gun. His injury left him paralyzed.

The case centered on a December 2010 encounter in which Officer Victor Abarca and his partner were on patrol in Glassell Park shortly before 8 p.m., according to police records.

The officers, who told investigators they were in search of graffiti and gang activity, came upon Rohayent Gomez and two of his friends on a street. Gomez's attorney, Renaldo Casillas, said the evidence and testimony from two eyewitnesses to the shooting "completely blew apart" Abarca's account.

Casillas said Gomez was playing "cops and robbers" in the street near his home with his friends. They each had airsoft pistols that fire small plastic pellets and are made to look like actual firearms.

The witnesses told jurors that the officers arrived and immediately drew their weapons, Casillas said. Gomez, who was hiding behind a parked van to reload his pellet gun, was unaware of the police, Casillas said, and was startled when Abarca came around the side of the van.

The witnesses said the officer gave one command ordering Gomez not to move and then fired a single shot at the boy as he took a step out of surprise, Casillas said. The eyewitness testified that the officer shot the teen seconds after the boy came out from behind the van. The boy was hit in the chest and is now paralyzed.

That account differs dramatically from the one Abarca gave investigators. Abarca said that in the darkness he was unaware he was confronting a teenager and claimed that the boy ignored repeated commands to come out from behind the van.

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Jury Finds Oklahoma County Jail Detention Officers Liable for Excessive Force Against Black Woman Beaten & Made to Crawl after DUI Arrest

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From [HERE] A civil jury in Oklahoma County has awarded a former inmate $39,000 in actual damages after finding that jail detention officers used excessive force against the woman nearly 10 years ago.

Jurors returned verdicts Friday in favor of plaintiff Dionne A. McKinney on two excessive-force claims against Sheriff John Whetsel, including negligent infliction of excessive force, court documents show.

“We do find by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant, John Whetsel, in his individual capacity, acted in reckless disregard of the rights of others,” jurors answered on the verdict form.

McKinney alleged in court papers she was beaten without provocation by female officers in May 2003 while being booked into the Oklahoma County jail on a complaint of driving under the influence.

The woman's attorney, Aletia H. Timmons, told jurors her client was assaulted by several officers after she asked to use the restroom. 

Timmons said the officers slammed McKinney's head against a concrete wall and then threw her to the ground and kicked her. An unidentified officer, the attorney alleged, rubbed McKinney's genitals as she attempted to change out of a dress into orange coveralls.

McKinney, according to court papers, was placed in a holding cell and was taunted by officers. They ignored her requests for medical aid and made her crawl from her cell to a holding room on her hands and knees, the attorney said during the weeklong trial.

 

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After So-called Shooting investigation Black Prosecutor Declines to File Charges Against Pasadena Police Officers who Killed Unarmed Black College Student

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In photo, Jackie Lacey, the first black female Los Angeles County district attorney, gets a hug from her former boss, Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, who retired. Cooley is a member of the White Party (GOP) [MORE] In October, a world renowned forensic pathologist said facts presented by the autopsy of Kendrec McDade who was shot to death by Pasadena police officers contradict the official account of his slaying. [MORE] From [HERE] The lawyer representing the family of slain Black teenager Kendrec McDade reacted angrily Monday to the announcement by the District Attorney's Office that the two police officers involved in his shooting death will not face any criminal charges. McDade was fatally shot last March following the reported theft of a backpack.

Kendrec McDade, 19, was killed by two officers who were responding to reports of an armed robbery March 24. Officers Mathew Griffin and Jeff Newlen chased McDade into a dark street in Northwest Pasadena and shot him when his hand was at his waistband, believing he was armed, police said. Investigators later discovered he was not armed and the 911 caller had lied about seeing weapons in order to get a quicker police response.

An autopsy report says he was alive and handcuffed after being struck by a total of seven bullets at close range. At least one bullet was in his back.  The federal lawsuit also alleges McDade was left on the street for a prolonged period of time without receiving first aid. 

McDade also does not fit the profile of the kind of person who would normally commit armed robbery. He has no gang ties or prior arrests, was a star football player in high school, and was a student at Citrus College at the time of his death. [MORE] 

 

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Gang of White Seaford Cops Terrorize Black Man During Traffic Stop - on video

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From [HERE] Two Seaford police officers pulled over a Black man on the night of his 43rd birthday, fired a taser gun into his ribs and roughly handcuffed him, claiming to mistakenly believe he was someone else, according to a federal lawsuit complaining about the 2011 incident. After the initial stop an additional five other white cops arrive and stand over him. There appears to be no lawful basis for the stop and no lawful basis to order him out of the car. An officer greets him and immediately orders him out of the car. 

After the man protested that he had done nothing wrong, officers were heard laughing on a surveillance video after one suggested placing drugs in the man’s car, according to the lawsuit filed by Reginald G. Johnson. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Wilmington last week against the city and two officers, alleges excessive force and malicious prosecution, among other charges. Johnson’s interaction with the police that September 2011 night was captured on the squad car video.

On the video, which is included as an attachment to the lawsuit, officers are seen and heard approaching Johnson’s car, greeting him with a “How are you doing?” That was quickly followed by an order to Johnson to step out of his vehicle.

When Johnson hesitated and asked why he was pulled over, one officer opened the car door. The officer then warned, “I’ll tase you,” and then seconds later shot Johnson with the stun gun. The electrical shock caused Johnson to drop to the ground, according to the suit and verified on the video.

In between screams, Johnson can be heard saying, “I’ve done nothing man! What did I do? Lord have mercy, what have I done? I haven’t done anything!”

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Justice or White Supremacy? Federal Court Overturns Convictions of New Orleans Police Officers who Murdered Black Man & then Burned his Body

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In photo, William Tanner's burned car, in which the remains of Henry Glover were found, on the banks of the Mississippi River. On 12/10/10 a jury found that police murdered Glover and then Officer McRae burned his body [MORE]  From [HERE] A federal appellate court has overturned the convictions of two former New Orleans police officers imprisoned in connection with the killing of Henry Glover after Hurricane Katrina, dealing a blow to federal prosecutors' efforts to hold police accountable for misconduct before and after the storm.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals voided the conviction of ex-cop David Warren, who was found guilty of fatally shooting Glover, stating that Warren's trial should have been severed from that of his co-defendants. A jury convicted Warren in late 2010, along with Greg McRae and Travis McCabe, who also were serving on the New Orleans police force at the time of Glover's killing.

The appellate panel tossed out a key charge against McRae, who admitted to burning Glover's body, finding there was "insufficient evidence to convict McRae of denying Glover's descendants and survivors the right of access to court." McCabe's conviction for participating in covering up the crimes had already been overturned by Judge Lance Africk, who presided over the trial.

The court's decision appears to set the stage for another round of trials regarding Glover's shooting and the police force's subsequent handling of his death.

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Report: About 100 boys may have died at now-closed Florida youth prison - all Black

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From [HERE] About100 boys may have died between 1900 and the 1970s at a controversial youth prison in the Florida Panhandle, including seven boys who perished after escape attempts, according to a new report that raises troubling questions about the now-shuttered Dozier School for Boys.

As state juvenile justice administrators seek to sell the Arthur G. Dozier property in rural Marianna, archaeologists and anthropologists with the University of South Florida are conducting an exhaustive archeological and historical analysis of the site in an effort to locate the burial grounds of scores of children.

In a 114-page report released Monday, researchers concluded that a minimum of 98 children died at Dozier between 1911 and 1973. The largest gravesite is on the north side of the prison camp, next to a garbage dump on what, for years, was called Dozier's "colored" section. Though the cemetery holds 31 graves marked with PVC pipe crosses, the report said the markers did not correspond to the actual interments, and that it was likely that an additional 20 children were buried there.

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Memphis officer who shot Black teen returns to duty (from paid vacation status)

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From [HERE] A Memphis police officer who shot and killed a 15-year-old boy three months ago has returned to duty, although the investigation into that shooting is ongoing.

Terrance Shaw, 28, was off duty when he shot and killed Justin Thompson when the teen allegedly tried to rob him near South Perkins and Winchester. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation review of the case is continuing. Shaw returned to duty Saturday, MPD spokeswoman Sgt. Karen Rudolph said. He is assigned to the Real Time Crime Center.

"Due to the fact that no criminal charges have been filed, Shaw was returned to duty in non-enforcement status," Rudolph said in a statement. "Rather than sitting at home with pay (paid vacation), he has been returned to duty in non-enforcement status. He is able to assist with duties which would not require him to carry a gun or make arrests."

Thompson was the second person Shaw has shot and killed while a police officer. On Feb. 14, 2009, Shaw shot Courtney McGowan, 25, the driver of a car that struck Shaw as he and his partner approached it. Shaw was cleared by the department and prosecutors.

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“Show your f—ing hands up or I’ll shoot you motherf—–”: White Hartford Police Beat Unarmed Diabetic Black Man in his own home - thought he was robber

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In photo, racist suspect, Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell cleared two Hartford officers of criminal wrongdoing after they pepper-sprayed, clubbed and handcuffed an unarmed Black man they found naked and disoriented inside his own home in May 2010. It wasn’t until after Burwell had been handcuffed and dragged outside naked except for a blanket that police confirmed he owned the home and released him. Burwell is a Dartmouth College graduate and former track athlete at the school. He owns a gym in Lebanon, where his clients over the years have included hundreds of high school and college students. [MORE] 

From [HERE] and [HERE] A federal judge will soon decide whether to dismiss discrimination claims in a lawsuit involving an unarmed Black man who was beaten and pepper-sprayed in his own home by Hartford police. He filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the officers and town officials, alleging that they targeted him with excessive force because he is African-American.

More than two years after police were called to his townhouse on an erroneous report of a possible burglary, Wayne Burwell accused officers of a slew of civil rights violations when they brandished firearms and struck him with a baton after finding him naked, unresponsive and sitting on his toilet while in a comatose state.

“When police entered that bathroom, if they saw a white guy sitting there comatose, they would have assumed a medical emergency,” said Orford attorney Ed Van Dorn, whose firm represents Burwell. “But because they saw a black guy sitting there, they assumed burglar and criminal activity.”

Police were called to Burwell’s three-story townhouse in Wilder on May 29, 2010 by a housekeeper who told police that an intruder might be in the house and that the man in the home was black. Police said they found the home in disarray and filled with smoke and the blaring of fire alarms. Burwell was found sitting naked on a toilet in an incoherent state that police said they believed was drug induced. Three white Hartford police officers entered Burwell’s home with their guns drawn - apparently looking for anyone Black - any size  or complexion apparently was sufficient to the officers. 

“Show your f—ing hands up or I’ll shoot you motherf—–,” Officer Fredrick Peyton told Burwell upon first entering the bathroom, according to a police audio recording of the encounter that was filed in federal court as part of the lawsuit. “Put your hands up now,” the officer shouted. “Show me your f—ing hands.” In the subsequent moments, Peyton and Officer Kristinnah Adams screamed at Burwell 30 times to “put your hands up,” or “keep your hands up.”

But Burwell was essentially in a diabetic-like coma — he later learned that he had a benign tumor on his pancreas that caused his blood sugar levels to periodically plummet — and unable to respond.

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Walmart Security Guard Shoots Black Woman to Death

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From [HERE] and [HERE] There is a time and a place for the use of force, when a police officer is justified in drawing a weapon and killing an individual who is a clear threat. Shelly Frey was not one of them. The Black mother of two was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Houston Walmart on Thursday by an off-duty deputy who worked the security detail as a side gig. Suspecting Frey of shoplifting, he confronted her and her two accomplices, Tiasa Andrews and Yolanda Craig, and chased the trio into the parking lot. Things got ugly and Frey is now dead.

Louis Campbell is a 26-year veteran of the force. But shooting into Frey’s car -- where two small children were riding in the backseat -- and hitting her in the neck was over the top. Walmart merchandise is hardly worth a life.

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Lawsuit Claims LAPD Hogtied & Suffocated Black Woman to Death - Police Hide Dashcam Video

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In photo, racist suspect, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck. From [HERE] Alesia Thomas, a Black woman, died in LAPD custody last July after having her hands and ankles bound together and an officer stomped on her genital area. She suffocated to death. On Monday, Thomas’ family announced plans to file a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), seeking the release of dash-cam video taken the night of her death, showing her last moments alive.

Lawyers for Thomas’s family said video captured by police dashboard cameras could shed light on exactly how the 35-year-old mother of two died. The LAPD acknowledged the existence of the video in August, saying in a statement that it “revealed some questionable tactics and improper comments.”

LAPD Cmd. Andy Smith told the Los Angeles Times Monday afternoon that the tape would not be released until the department’s investigation of the incident is completed, at which point the department will present its findings to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office for possible criminal charges, or internal disciplinary procedures, against the five officers involved. So far, a supervising sergeant and four police officers on the scene the night of Thomas’s death have been reassigned and placed on administrative duty, Smith said. Like a paid vacation or a reward for killing a Black person -bw. 

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